Step 7: Connect to EC2 Instance

After launching your EC2 instances, you need to connect to them using Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). This step covers retrieving your Windows password and establishing the connection.

Retrieve the Windows Administrator Password

1. Navigate to EC2 Dashboard and select Instances.

1. Select your Public-Server instance.

1. Click Actions, then Security, then Get Windows Password.

1. Click Browse and select your key pair file (public-server-1.pem).

1. Click Decrypt Password.

1. Copy the displayed password and store it securely.

Assign an Elastic IP Address

Before you can connect from outside AWS, you need a public IP address:

1. Navigate to EC2 Dashboard and select Elastic IPs.

1. Click Allocate Elastic IP address.

1. Click Allocate.

1. Select the new Elastic IP and click Actions, then Associate Elastic IP address.

1. Select your Public-Server instance.

1. Click Associate.

Note: You only need an Elastic IP for the Public-Server. The Private-Server is accessed through the Public-Server or VPN tunnel.

Connect Using Remote Desktop

From Windows

1. Open Remote Desktop Connection (search for "mstsc" in the Start menu).

1. Enter the Elastic IP address of your Public-Server.

1. Click Connect.

1. When prompted, enter:
• Username: Administrator
• Password: The decrypted password from earlier
1. Click OK to connect.

From macOS

1. Download and install Microsoft Remote Desktop from the App Store.
1. Click Add PC.
1. Enter the Elastic IP address.
1. Double-click the connection to connect.
1. Enter the Administrator credentials when prompted.

First-Time Setup

When you first connect to your Windows server:

1. Wait for the server to finish initial configuration.
1. Set the time zone if prompted.
1. Configure Windows Update settings.
1. Change the Administrator password if desired (recommended for security).

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Related Topics

• Step 6: Launch EC2 Instance
• Step 8: Testing Network Connections
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