Problem scenarios
One, or both, of the following apply to your situation:
Problem scenario #1
How do you use AWS (the SNS component) to set up an email alert to be notified of a server going down?
Problem scenario #2
You want to use Amazon Route 53 to see how this component works. You do not want to register a domain name. What do you do?
Solution
All steps are mandatory unless they say "Optional."
1. Log into the AWS console.
2. Go to this link: https://console.aws.amazon.com/route53
3. On the left click "Health checks"
4. Click "Create health check" button near the top
5. For "Name" enter any arbitrary name to remember what this health check is (e.g., importantTester).
6. Leave "What to monitor" set at "Endpoint".
7. Under "Monitor an endpoint" make sure the following settings have the following values:
"Specify endpoint by" should be "IP address"
"Protocol" should be "TCP"
Enter the external IP address of the server you want to monitor. (If you don't know it, go to the server and run the command "curl icanhazip.com".)
"Port" should be "80"
8. Optional step:
If you want to test it out, expand "Advanced configuration" and set the "Failure threshold" to 1. Then turn off the server or make the IP address unreachable.
9. Click "Next"
10. For "Create alarm" choose "Yes"
11. For "Send notification to" choose "New SNS topic"
12. For "Topic name" enter an arbitrary name that will be meaningful to you.
13. For "Recipient email addresses" enter any email address you want to receive notification when the IP address is not reachable
14. Click "Create health check"
15. Outside of the AWS Console, go to the email account of one of the addresses (or the address) that you entered. Confirm the subscription when you open the email from Amazon.
16. Optional step: Turn off or otherwise make unreachable the server that you entered the IP address for above. You should get an email about it. This will prove the directions above worked.