How to Create a Dedicated ParkMyCloud

IAM User within AWS

The procedure outlined below, will help you create a dedicated IAM user within AWS, which sits outside of any groups and is locked down to very restrictive policies. You can use a credential generated from this IAM user with ParkMyCloud.  

Step 1 - Login to the AWS console

Go to the AWS console and login as normal: (https://aws.amazon.com)

Step 2 - Create a new user

Select IAM:

Select Users:

Create New User:

Give the user a name and uncheck “Generate an access key …” (We’ll do that later):

Select the user to edit:

You’ll notice your account number (you’ll need that later):

Step 3 - Create the inline policy for EC2 Access

Scroll down to the “Inline Policy” section, open it up & select “click here”:

Select “Custom Policy” and click on “Select”:

1.  Name your policy (e.g., parkmycloud-ec2-policy)

2.  Copy and paste this policy in:

{

   "Version": "2012-10-17",

   "Statement": [

   {

       "Action": [

       "ec2:StartInstances",

       "ec2:StopInstances"

       ],

       "Resource": [

           "arn:aws:ec2:*:<Your account number here>:instance/*"

       ],

       "Effect": "Allow"

   },

   {

       "Action": [

           "iam:GetUser",

           "ec2:Describe*"

       ],

       "Resource": [

           "*"

       ],

       "Effect": "Allow"

       }

   ]

}

Your inline policy should be complete:

Step 4 - Create the credentials for ParkMyCloud

Scroll down to the Credential Section and select “Create Access Key”:

Click on “Show User Security Credentials”. Copy those to the same temporary file as your account ID.

Select “Close” when done.

Step 5 - Register for a ParkMyCloud account

You now will have a temporary file with your Account ID, Access Key ID and Secret Access ID.

NOTE: This file is intended as a temporary scratch pad file to make it easy to cut & paste these values into the ParkMyCloud application. If you choose to save it to disk, then it is recommended you encrypt it with password protection and/or make it read-only for only your user account.

Start Your Free Trial

Go to http://www.parkmycloud.com and select “Sign up for a FREE TRIAL”.

Enter you name and email address to get started:

Then finish adding information about your company and your password and select "Save & Continue":

Next: Select Your Cloud Provider. We only support AWS right now, so click on the "Amazon Web Services" button:

Step 6 - Enter your credentials and discover your EC2 resources

Copy & paste your access Key ID and secret Key ID as shown

You should get a notification that your credentials are valid. Select “OK”:

The metadata about your instances will be discovered and ingested ...

... and displayed on your dashboard:

From there you will be directed to the Parking Recommendations to park your instances. Just click "Show".

Step 7 - Park your unused EC2 resources and save

Here, you may see several instances recommended for parking. These recommendations are based on keywords found in the instance metadata and tags. You can click on “Edit Keywords” to see which keywords are used. Don’t like ours? Replace them with your keywords. The system will be on the lookout for instances which match the keywords you use. It’s that simple! 

Next, select these instances and apply one or more of our parking schedules, or make some of your own (one per instance). It really is that simple.

Once you're finished there, simply select "Hide" to go back to the main dashboard. You notice the projected 30-day savings based on the schedules and instances you chose. As those schedules actually begin parking instances, you will notice a second number displayed showing your total savings month-to-date.

Go to http://www.parkmycloud.com for more information. If you questions, contact Support.