AWS Glacier UI

Amazon AWS Glacier was just introduced but there are already a number of free Windows UI tools to use.  I just used this one to backup my laptop files to Glacier. http://fastglacier.com/

Oracle RDS on AWS - Connecting with DB tools

After taking some time to make sure security groups for my Oracle RDS instances were set properly, I was able to connect to two Oracle RDS instances I have spun up.  A few comments on the various tools:
1. SQL Plus - You can use the instant client latest 11g release.  You do need to make sure the connect string is set properly.  How to do this can be found here:
http://docs.amazonwebservices.com/AmazonRDS/2012-01-15/UserGuide/USER_ConnectToOracleInstance.html
2. SQL Developer - I used the 64 bit version that does not have the JDK installed so you will need to download the JDK separately,
3. TOAD - You need to point TOAD to the Oracle client software. This is done by adding Oracle client to the system path.  I have another blog entry on this.

Connecting to an EC2 based Oracle instance works the same way.

AWS EC2 and RDS Oracle access using Toad

Toad is a great tool for accessing the Oracle database for development.  However, there is one 'trick' regarding the configuration of Toad and the Oracle client.  The Oracle client software (in my case the Oracle 11g instant client) needs to be in the Windows path.  There are great instructions on how to do this here:
https://support.quest.com/SolutionDetail.aspx?id=SOL7712

If the class path is not set, you will get an error when you open up Toad that the Oracle client is not found.

One of the books on cloud computing I have read

Cloud Application Architectures book is a great read for anyone that is looking at cloud computing.  It has a focus on AWS and goes into detail on the EC2 command line (CLI) utilities.  http://www.amazon.com/Cloud-Application-Architectures-Applications-Infrastructure/dp/0596156367

The Age of the Platform

Just finished the book 'The Age of the Platform'.  A nice read regarding Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google.  The book discusses how all four companies (called the 'gang of four' .... hope they stick around longer then the BUNCH) have created a platform and a highly successful partner ecosystem.