Tuesday, April 28, 2026

Cohort 3 | Project CloudIgnite Topics: Additional Networking Technologies, IoT, Amazon WorkSpaces, VPC Lab, Security Introduction Duration: ~3 hours

📌 CLF-C02 Relevance sections are marked with 🎯 throughout. These topics align with the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam objectives.

Key Takeaways

• IoT: connecting physical devices to internet; AWS IoT Core supports HTTPS, MQTT, WSS, LoRaWAN
• Amazon WorkSpaces: virtual desktop (GUI), accessible from any device; not the same as EC2
• Lab 267: Built VPC from scratch — 2 public + 2 private subnets, route tables, SG, EC2 with Apache
• CIA Triad: Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability — foundation of security domain
• NAT Gateway vs IGW: NAT = outbound only for private subnets; IGW = bidirectional for public subnets
• Security introduction: threats, vulnerabilities, breaches; shared responsibility model begins here

Table of Contents

1. Additional Networking Technologies
2. Internet of Things (IoT)
3. Enterprise Mobility & Amazon WorkSpaces
4. Knowledge Check Recap
5. Lab 267 – Build Your Own VPC & Launch a Web Server
6. Introduction to Security
7. Key Takeaways & Exam Tips

1. Additional Networking Technologies

Wireless Technologies

• Communicate using electromagnetic signals (no physical wire needed)
• Common types:
  • Wi-Fi (WPA/WPA2) – password-protected, short-to-medium range; signal weakens through walls
  • Bluetooth / BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) – very short range; ideal for peripherals (mouse, keyboard, headphones). BLE is the modern, energy-efficient upgrade
  • 5G Cellular – mobile network; uses towers; can be blocked by thick walls
  • Satellite – long range; needed when direct line of sight to tower isn't possible (e.g., Starlink)

Why Do We Pay for Wi-Fi?

• The signal travels through air, but infrastructure (routers, satellites, towers) is needed to manage it — hence the ISP fee

2. Internet of Things (IoT)

What is IoT?

• Connecting everyday physical devices to the internet so they can:
  • Report data (e.g., temperature sensors)
  • Be monitored remotely
  • Be controlled remotely (e.g., smart home lights, fans, vacuum cleaners)

Examples of IoT Devices

• Smart home appliances (lights, fans, thermostat, vacuum)
• Connected/self-driving cars
• Agricultural sensors
• Medical devices
• Robots (e.g., McDonald's food delivery robots in Malaysia)
• Drones with remote control

IoT Architecture (Simplified)

[Smart Devices] → [Router/Gateway] → [IoT Platform in Cloud] → [Control via Phone/Laptop]

IoT Programming

• Typically uses low-level languages: C or C++
• Devices connect to the internet and can send real-time data (e.g., room temperature/humidity)

IoT Security Concerns ⚠️

• IoT devices are highly vulnerable to hacking
• Require strong firewalls and secure networks
• Security is actively being improved but remains a challenge

AWS IoT Services 🎯

• AWS IoT Core – managed cloud service for IoT devices
• Supported protocols:
  • HTTPS (secure, uses SSL/TLS)
  • MQTT (MQ Telemetry Transport) – lightweight, designed for IoT
  • WSS (WebSocket Secure)
  • LoRaWAN (Long Range Wide Area Network) – low power, long range

🎯 CLF-C02 Relevance: AWS IoT Core falls under the Technology domain. Know that MQTT and HTTPS are the primary protocols used by AWS IoT Core.

3. Enterprise Mobility & Amazon WorkSpaces

Enterprise Mobility

• Allows employees to work remotely while keeping company data off personal devices
• Data is stored in the cloud — employees access it through a corporate network/cloud connection
• Key solutions:
  • BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) – employees use personal devices with managed access
  • MDM (Mobile Device Management) – centrally manage and secure employee devices

Amazon WorkSpaces 🎯

• A virtual desktop service (cloud-based desktop)
• Provides either Microsoft Windows or Amazon Linux desktop environments
• Accessible from any device, anywhere
• Not the same as EC2:
  • EC2 = command-line only (SSH/terminal)
  • WorkSpaces = full graphical user interface (GUI)
• Useful for remote work/contract work where company data must not touch personal machines
• Limitation: End users cannot decrease the size of the root or user volume — only admins/the organisation can

🎯 CLF-C02 Relevance: Amazon WorkSpaces is part of the End User Computing category. Know it as a managed, secure virtual desktop solution (VDI).

4. Knowledge Check Recap

5. Lab 267 – Build Your Own VPC & Launch a Web Server

This lab is a recap of Lab 264 but done manually (no pre-built resources).

Lab Objectives

1. Create a custom VPC
2. Create subnets (2 public, 2 private)
3. Configure route tables
4. Create a security group
5. Launch an EC2 instance (web server)

Step-by-Step Summary

VPC Creation

• Go to VPC → Create VPC → VPC and more
• Uncheck Name tag auto-generation
• CIDR block: 10.0.0.0/16 → supports 65,000+ IPs
• Tenancy: Default (Dedicated is expensive; only for compliance requirements)
• Subnets: 1 public + 1 private (initial)
• Public subnet CIDR: 10.0.0.0/24
• Private subnet CIDR: 10.0.1.0/24
• NAT Gateway: In 1 AZ (not per-AZ)
• VPC Endpoint: None

⚠️ No overlapping CIDR blocks allowed. Each subnet must have a unique, non-overlapping IP range.

Additional Subnets

After VPC creation, manually add:

• Public Subnet 2: 10.0.2.0/24
• Private Subnet 2: 10.0.3.0/24

Use sequential third-octet values (0, 1, 2, 3…) to keep network management tidy.

Route Tables

Why separate route tables?

• Public subnets need Internet Gateway (bidirectional traffic)
• Private subnets use NAT Gateway (outbound only — internet access without exposure)

⚠️ Do NOT make the public route table the "main" route table — any new subnet would automatically inherit internet access, which is a security risk.

NAT Gateway — Why It's Needed

NAT Gateway allows private subnet resources (e.g., databases) to download software updates without being reachable from the internet.

Security Group

• Name: Web-Security-Group
• Description: Enable HTTP Access
• VPC: Lab VPC
• Inbound Rules:
  • HTTP (port 80) – Source: Anywhere (0.0.0.0/0)
  • SSH (port 22) – Source: Anywhere (for troubleshooting)
• Outbound Rules: All traffic (do not restrict outbound unless specifically required)

⚠️ A common lab mistake: accidentally deleting/modifying outbound rules, which prevents the EC2 instance from downloading packages during setup.

EC2 Instance Launch

• Name: Web-Server-1
• AMI: Amazon Linux 2023
• Instance type: t3.micro
• Key pair: Use existing (labsuser.pem)
• Network settings:
  • VPC: Lab VPC
  • Subnet: Public Subnet 2
  • Auto-assign public IP: Enabled ✅
  • Security group: Web-Security-Group (existing)
• Storage: 8 GB (default)
• User data: Install and start Apache (httpd) web server

Package Manager Note

• Amazon Linux 2023 supports both yum and dnf (DNF is the newer version)
• Either works for installing packages like httpd

Troubleshooting (Common Issues in Lab)

Why Does This Lab Start Instantly (vs. 3–5 min for Other Labs)?

• Other labs run a bash script to pre-configure resources (VPC, subnets, EC2, etc.)
• Lab 267 starts with a blank environment (only default VPC) — so no setup time needed

6. Introduction to Security

Why Security Matters

• No system is 100% secure
• Threats are real: identity theft, data loss, service disruption, reputational damage

The CIA Triad 🎯

Basic Security Terms

Cybersecurity

• Protection of networks, digital devices, and digital information
• Examples: using HTTPS (encrypts data in transit), firewalls, access control

Security Consequences of a Breach

• Identity theft
• Data loss or theft
• Loss of access to online services
• Business reputation damage
• Customer loss

🎯 CLF-C02 Relevance: The CIA Triad and basic security terms are foundational to the Security and Compliance domain (Domain 2), which is the largest domain at ~30% of the exam.

7. Key Takeaways & Exam Tips

🎯 CLF-C02 Relevant Topics Covered Today

Quick Reference — Ports & Protocols

VPC Cheat Sheet

VPC (10.0.0.0/16)
├── Public Subnet 1  (10.0.0.0/24)  → Public Route Table  → Internet Gateway
├── Public Subnet 2  (10.0.2.0/24)  → Public Route Table  → Internet Gateway
├── Private Subnet 1 (10.0.1.0/24)  → Private Route Table → NAT Gateway
└── Private Subnet 2 (10.0.3.0/24)  → Private Route Table → NAT Gateway

Next Session Preview

• Topic: Security (Module 3 — larger module)
• Focus: Instructor will move faster; less detail on lower-priority topics
• Lab 267 will be repeated on Saturday for additional practice

Notes compiled from lecture — April 28, 2026 AWS RE/Start | Cohort 3 | Project CloudIgnite