In Cloud Computing This Week [Jan 21st 2022]

AWS are announcing the support of using Apache Spark SQL to update Glue Data Catalog tables when using Amazon EMR integration with AWS Lake Formation.

Amazon EMR integration with AWS Lake Formation allows you to define and enforce database, table, and column-level permissions when Apache Spark users access data in Amazon S3 through the Glue Data Catalog. Previously, with AWS Lake Formation integration is enabled, you were limited to only being able to read data using Spark SQL statements such as SHOW DATABASES and DESCRIBE TABLE. Now, you can also insert data into, or update the Glue Data Catalog tables with these statements: INSERT INTO, INSERT OVERWRITE, and ALTER TABLE.

Starting this week, AWS customers can use ED25519 keys to prove their identity when connecting to EC2 instances using EC2 Instance Connect and EC2 Serial Console from the CLI.

EC2 Instance Connect is a simple and secure way to connect to your instances using Secure Shell (SSH). Aside from leveraging the one time use SSH keys generated each time an authorized user connects, you can also connect your existing SSH keys. In addition to RSA based keys, EC2 customers can now use ED25519 key pairs, an elliptic curve based public-key system commonly used for SSH authentication, to authenticate with EC2 Instance Connect. 

AWS Lambda now supports Max Batching Window, a new feature that allows developers to fine tune Lambda invocation for cost optimization. This feature gives you additional control on batching behavior when processing data from Amazon MSK, Apache Kafka, Amazon MQ for Apache Active MQ and RabbitMQ as event sources.

Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP now provides metrics in Amazon CloudWatch, enabling you to monitor and alarm on performance and storage usage metrics for your file systems and volumes.

FSx for ONTAP is a storage service that provides the familiar features, performance, capabilities, and APIs of NetApp file systems with the agility, scalability, and simplicity of a fully managed AWS service. Starting today, you can monitor your file systems and volumes without any additional configuration in the Amazon FSx and Amazon CloudWatch consoles.

AWS Panorama is now available in the Asia Pacific (Sydney), and Asia Pacific (Singapore) Regions. 

AWS Panorama is a machine learning (ML) appliance and software development kit (SDK) that brings computer vision (CV) to on-premises internet protocol (IP) cameras. With AWS Panorama, companies can use compute power at the edge (without streaming video to the cloud) to improve their operations, by automating visual inspection tasks like evaluating manufacturing quality, finding bottlenecks in industrial processes, and assessing worker safety within their facilities.

This week, AWS Trusted Advisor added 111 checks automatically ingested from AWS Security Hub's Foundational Security Best Practices. You can find the full list of Security Hub checks here.

Trusted Advisor provides recommendations that help you follow AWS best practices. Trusted Advisor uses checks to evaluate your account, which identify ways to optimize your AWS infrastructure, improve security and performance, reduce costs, and monitor service quotas. With this launch, not only can you view a more in-depth assessment of your security posture without leaving Trusted Advisor, but your AWS Technical Account Managers have more context to quickly assist you in improving your security posture. 

This week, AWS announced the availability of four new AWS Wavelength Zones on Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network in Charlotte, Detroit, Los Angeles, and Minneapolis. Wavelength Zones are now available in 17 major cities in the US, including the previously announced cities of Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Miami, New York City, Phoenix, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington DC.

AWS Wavelength and Verizon 5G Edge bring the power of the world’s leading cloud closer to mobile and connected devices at the edge of the Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband network. Wavelength embeds AWS compute and storage services at the edge of communications service providers’ 5G networks while providing seamless access to cloud services running in an AWS Region. By doing so, AWS Wavelength minimizes the latency and network hops required to connect from a 5G device to an application hosted on AWS.

Amazon MQ now provides support for RabbitMQ version 3.8.26. This patch update to RabbitMQ contains several fixes and enhancements compared to the previously supported version, RabbitMQ 3.8.23.

Amazon MQ is a managed message broker service for Apache ActiveMQ and RabbitMQ that makes it easier to set up and operate message brokers on AWS. Amazon MQ reduces your operational responsibilities by managing the provisioning, setup, and maintenance of message brokers for you. Because Amazon MQ connects to your current applications with industry-standard APIs and protocols, you can more easily migrate to AWS without having to rewrite code.

Amazon Nimble Studio today supports the ability for administrators to validate their launch profile configurations directly from the console, which can help them enhance the artist’s experience when provisioning a workstation.

Nimble Studio customers can utilize launch profiles to define access to AWS resources and thereby allow artists to connect to managed workstations. As the needs of studios change, administrators may update their AWS resources such as their VPC, storage systems, license servers, and their corresponding launch profiles which can inadvertently result in instance launch failures that prevent artists accessing a workstation. Starting today, administrators can validate launch profile configuration changes on the same workstations an artist uses for tasks directly from the Nimble Studio console, and can see launch profiles marked as “Ready” or “Impaired” based on validation results. The new launch profile validation feature is designed to help administrators reduce failed launches of virtual workstations, thereby reducing the negative impact on artists.