Hands-on LabIT Fundamentals · Module 09

Lab: Module 09: Cloud and Virtualization Concepts

Lab 08: Exploring Cloud and Virtualization

Objective

Explore the AWS Global Infrastructure, understand how regions and availability zones work, and observe virtualization in action by examining your own system's resources.

Duration

15 to 25 minutes

Prerequisites

  • Windows: PowerShell or Git Bash
  • macOS: Terminal.app
  • Linux: Any terminal
  • A web browser

Instructions

Part 1: Explore AWS Global Infrastructure

  1. Open the AWS Global Infrastructure Map in your browser.
  2. Answer these questions:
    • How many AWS Regions exist today?
    • How many Availability Zones are in the us-east-1 (N. Virginia) region?
    • What is the nearest AWS Region to your physical location?
    • Name one Region that has only 2 Availability Zones.

Part 2: Understand Your Computer's Resources

Check your system's hardware specs; the same type of information you'd evaluate when choosing a cloud instance type.

macOS

# CPU info
sysctl -n machdep.cpu.brand_string
echo "CPU cores: $(sysctl -n hw.ncpu)"

# Memory (RAM)
echo "RAM: $(sysctl -n hw.memsize | awk '{printf "%.1f GB", $1/1024/1024/1024}')"

# Disk space
df -h / | tail -1

Linux / WSL

# CPU info
lscpu | grep "Model name"
echo "CPU cores: $(nproc)"

# Memory
free -h | grep Mem

# Disk space
df -h / | tail -1

Windows PowerShell

# CPU info
Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_Processor | Select-Object Name, NumberOfCores, NumberOfLogicalProcessors

# Memory (RAM)
$ram = (Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_ComputerSystem).TotalPhysicalMemory
Write-Output "RAM: $([math]::Round($ram / 1GB, 1)) GB"

# Disk space
Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_LogicalDisk -Filter "DeviceID='C:'" | Select-Object @{N='Free(GB)';E={[math]::Round($_.FreeSpace/1GB,1)}}, @{N='Total(GB)';E={[math]::Round($_.Size/1GB,1)}}

Windows Command Prompt (Legacy)

💡Note: The wmic command is deprecated in Windows 11 and may be removed in future versions. Use the PowerShell commands above for reliable results. These are shown for reference on older Windows systems.

:: CPU info (deprecated in Windows 11+)
wmic cpu get name, numberofcores

:: Memory (deprecated in Windows 11+)
wmic memorychip get capacity

:: Disk space (deprecated in Windows 11+)
wmic logicaldisk get caption, freespace, size

Exercise: Compare your CPU count and RAM to the EC2 instance types page. Which instance type is closest to your computer?

Part 3: Client-Server in Action

This exercise works the same on all platforms:

  1. Open your browser's Developer Tools:

    • Chrome/Edge: Press F12 or Ctrl+Shift+I (Windows) / Cmd+Option+I (macOS)
    • Firefox: Press F12 or Ctrl+Shift+I (Windows) / Cmd+Option+I (macOS)
    • Safari: Enable Developer menu in Preferences → Advanced, then Cmd+Option+I

  2. Go to the Network tab.

  3. Navigate to https://httpbin.org/get.

  4. Click on the request in the Network tab and observe:

    • The HTTP method (GET)
    • The response status code (200)
    • The response headers (Server, Content-Type)
    • The response body (JSON showing your request details)

  5. This is the client-server model: your browser (client) sent a request, the server processed it, and returned a response.

Bonus: Try it from the command line:

macOS / Linux / WSL / Git Bash:

curl -s https://httpbin.org/get | python3 -m json.tool

Windows PowerShell:

Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "https://httpbin.org/get" | ConvertTo-Json

Part 4: Compare Pricing Models

This exercise uses a web browser (same on all platforms):

  1. Open the AWS Pricing Calculator.
  2. Click "Create estimate" → "Add service" → search for "EC2".
  3. Configure:
    • Region: US East (N. Virginia)
    • Instance type: t3.micro (2 vCPU, 1 GB RAM)
    • Usage: 730 hours/month (always on, 24/7)
  4. Note the monthly cost.
  5. Now change usage to 160 hours/month (business hours only: 8hr/day × 5 days × 4 weeks).
  6. Compare: how much do you save by turning off the instance at night and weekends?

Key insight: This is the pay-as-you-go model. With on-premises hardware, you'd pay the same whether the server runs 24/7 or 1 hour/month.

Validation

  • Identified the number of AWS Regions and AZs in us-east-1
  • Checked your computer's CPU, RAM, and disk specs using your platform's commands
  • Observed a client-server HTTP exchange in browser DevTools
  • Made an HTTP request from the command line (curl or Invoke-RestMethod)
  • Compared always-on vs. business-hours EC2 pricing in the AWS Calculator

AWS Bootcamp: From Novice to Architect Author: Samuel Ogunti License: CC BY-NC 4.0

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