Big Data

Preparation for using the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud

We will use the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud for some of the labs. Amazon supports HES-SO by a generous grant in their AWS Educate program. Amazon gives to each HES-SO student a credit of $100 to use its cloud resources.

Amazon designed AWS for companies, not students. When you create an account to start using AWS, Amazon requires a credit card that it can bill for future usage charges. Because the charges will be covered by the AWS Educate credit you receive, the credit card will not be billed. We encourage you strongly to create an account with a credit card, as it allows you to keep the account and any remaining credit after the course and use it for your own projects. If however you don't have a credit card, contact us and we will send you separate instructions. In this case you will not be able to keep the account after the course.

To participate in AWS Educate you first create an AWS account, like a regular customer would do, then you apply for AWS Educate. When you are approved by Amazon they will send you a credit code. Finally you put the credit code in your AWS account.

Note that the AWS Educate credit is per student and year, not per course. So if you have another cloud-based course the same year, be careful not to spend your whole credit in one course.

To create an AWS account and apply for AWS Educate follow these steps:

  1. Create an AWS account. Go to http://aws.amazon.com. Click on Create an AWS Account and follow the instructions.

    Caution: You will be asked to select your support plan. Do not change the default selection Basic (free). Developer support is not covered by AWS Educate and you would have to pay out of your your own pocket.

    Support plan selection

    After you have created the account write down the Account Id to use it later when applying for AWS Educate. Go to http://console.aws.amazon.com and log in. Click on the dropdown menu with your name in the upper right corner and select My Account. Under Account Setting you will see your Account Id.

  2. Apply for AWS Educate.

    a. Go to http://awseducate.com/. Click on Apply Now.

    b. On the following page click on Apply for AWS Educate for Students.

    c. On the page titled Choose Your Role select Student and click Next.

    d. On the page titled Fill out Application provide the following information.

    • Institution Name: Start typing HES-SO. The field has auto-complete enabled and will suggest Haute école spécialisée de Suisse occidentale (HES-SO). Select it.

    • Country: Switzerland

    • City: Lausanne
    • Field of Study: Computer Science
    • First Name: Your first name
    • Last Name: Your last name
    • Email: Your HES-SO email address. That is the address that terminates with @master.hes-so.ch.
    • AWS Account ID: Fill in the Account Id you wrote down earlier.
    • Grade Level: Undergraduate-Adv Courses
    • Graduation Year: The year when you will graduate.
    • Graduation Month: The month when you will graduate.

    Click on Next.

    e. Amazon will send a verification email to your HES-SO address. Enter the code on the page titled Verify Email Address, click on I am not a robot and click Next.

    f. Follow the remaining instructions to complete the process.

    g. After you submitted the application you will receive an email that the application was received by Amazon. Amazon will review your application, which can take up to three business days.

  3. Upon acceptance you will receive a welcome email by Amazon. It will contain a credit code. To put it into your AWS account, login to your account. Navigate using the drop-down menu with your name in the upper right corner to Billing & Cost Management. Then select Credits from the left menu and enter the code that you have received.