How to Import Virtual Machine Image into AWS

## Prepare Virtual Machine

* Install OS on VMware or VirtualBox

* Startup OS, **delete the symbolic link of grubenv**, then copy the real grubenv file here, like this:
```bash
cd /boot/grub2/
rm –f grubenv
cp /boot/efi/EFI/centos/grubenv ./
```

## Export VM and Upload into AWS

*	Shutdown OS, export image using OVA type.

*	Login AWS console, then upload this OVA image into S3 bucket, for example: vm-import

*  Create vmimport role

```bash 
aws iam create-role --role-name vmimport \
    --assume-role-policy-document file://trust-policy.json
```

Here is the content of trust-policy.json
```json
{
  "Version":"2012-10-17",
   "Statement":[
      {
         "Sid":"",
         "Effect":"Allow",
         "Principal":{
            "Service":"vmie.amazonaws.com"
         },
         "Action":"sts:AssumeRole",
         "Condition":{
            "StringEquals":{
               "sts:ExternalId":"vmimport"
            }
         }
      }
   ]
}
```

* Edit policy for vmiport

```bash
aws iam put-role-policy --role-name vmimport \
    --policy-name vmimport \
    --policy-document file://role-policy.json
```

Here is the content of role-policy.json

```json
{
   "Version":"2012-10-17",
   "Statement":[
      {
         "Effect":"Allow",
         "Action":[
            "s3:ListBucket",
            "s3:GetBucketLocation"
         ],
         "Resource":[
            "arn:aws:s3:::vm-import"
         ]
      },
      {
         "Effect":"Allow",
         "Action":[
            "s3:GetObject"
         ],
         "Resource":[
            "arn:aws:s3:::vm-import/*"
         ]
      },
      {
         "Effect":"Allow",
         "Action":[
            "ec2:ModifySnapshotAttribute",
            "ec2:CopySnapshot",
            "ec2:RegisterImage",
            "ec2:Describe*"
         ],
         "Resource":"*"
      }
   ]
}
```

* Do the import task:

```bash
aws ec2 import-image --cli-input-json '
    {
       "Description": "OS OVA",
       "DiskContainers": [
           {
               "Description": "CLI Task",
               "UserBucket":
                {
                    "S3Bucket": "vm-import",
                    "S3Key" : "os.ova"
                }
            }
        ]
    }
'
```

Here, *os.ova* is the name of vmware image which has been uploaded to s3.
*vm-import* is the name of s3 bucket which restores vmware image.

* Use this command to monitor the import process. 
When it shows like this, it means successful.

```
aws ec2  describe-import-image-tasks
{
    "ImportImageTasks": [
        {
            "Status": "completed",
            "LicenseType": "BYOL",
            "Description": "OS OVA",
            "ImageId": "ami-a440a5c4",
            "Platform": "Linux",
            "Architecture": "x86_64",
            "SnapshotDetails": [
                {
                    "UserBucket": {
                        "S3Bucket": "vm-import",
                        "S3Key": "os.ova"
                    },
                    "SnapshotId": "snap-abcd2e33",
                    "DiskImageSize": 974067200.0,
                    "DeviceName": "/dev/sda1",
                    "Format": "VMDK"
                }
            ],
            "ImportTaskId": "import-ami-ffik6b4s"
        }
    ]
}
```

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