SEIS 665 Assignment 1: Account Setup Overview You have three required tasks and one optional task to complete this week, as well as the assigned readings. Don’t wait until the end of the week to begin working on these tasks!
Sign up for a free GitHub.com account.
Sign up for a free Slack account and optionally install software on your desktop and/or mobile device.
Sign up for an Amazon Web Services account.
(Optional) Take the Try Git online class.
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GitHub.com account Sign up for a free GitHub account by going to https://github.com (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. and clicking the Sign Up button. You are welcome to use an existing personal GitHub account if have one. Please e-mail me your GitHub username once you have an account setup. Every assignment in this class is submitted using GitHub repositories.
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Slack account Sign up for a free Slack account at here (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. using your @stthomas.edu email address. Slack is a chat-based collaborative platform used by thousands of organizations. It is heavily used in DevOps organizations.
You can access Slack using a web browser or you can download a desktop application (https://slack.com/downloads (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.). Slack is also available as an app for your mobile device. This course doesn’t teach you how to use Slack, but it’s pretty easy to figure out. Just go to the Slack website and click on the Getting Started link to learn the basics.
We will use Slack as a group communication tool throughout the course. If you have a question or encounter a problem while working with a tool, you should ask your question on Slack first. Students that actively participate on Slack and assist other students with issues may receive extra credit points.
Note that even though we will use Slack as a collaboration tool, students must complete and submit their own work on assignments. Some of the exam questions will relate to the assignments, and students that don’t complete the assignments on their own will have difficulty taking the exams.
- AWS account We will use Amazon Web Services extensively throughout the course to learn how to work with cloud-based infrastructure. You are required to setup an AWS account to complete many of the assignments. You may use an existing (non-corporate) AWS account for the class. You must provide a valid credit card when signing up for an AWS account.
Amazon offers a free tier of service for users with new accounts. This free tier lasts for one year after the account is registered. Additionally, since the University of St. Thomas is an AWS Educate Institution, you may qualify for up to $100 in AWS annual credits.
This course makes every effort to stay within the free tier of service at AWS. However, there are times when your account will likely incur hourly charges. The free tier of service combined with educational credits should cover almost all of your expenses. However, you are responsible for covering any additional expenses not covered by these credits.
Go to http://aws.amazon.com/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. and click on the Sign In link to sign up for a new AWS account. You should use your @stthomas.edu email address when signing up for the account. Also, you need to provide Amazon with a valid credit card during the account setup process otherwise you will not be able to apply for educational credit. Choose the basic support option. The other support options are designed for businesses. We will provide AWS support to one another via the class Slack channel.
Note, do not select the AWS Educate Starter Account option when signing up for an account. If you select this option, you will not be able to apply for educational credit. Also, make sure you type in the name of your educational institution (University of St. Thomas) on the application form.
Once your AWS account is setup, make note of your AWS Account ID (found in your account profile on the AWS console). Then, apply for educational credit by filling out an application at: https://www.awseducate.com/Application (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.. It may take a little time for AWS to process your application so submit it as soon as you can.
If AWS accepts your application, you will receive an e-mail containing a special credit code. You need to enter this credit code into your account profile (look in the Billing/Credit Codes section of your AWS account). AWS will charge your credit card for all service fees if you do not enter the educational credit code into your account.
In the past, some students have reported that they received a $40 credit instead of the full $100 credit. Students from non-member institutions receive a $40 credit. The University of St. Thomas is an AWS Educate Institution and our students should receive a $100 credit. If you do not receive the full credit amount, you will need to contact AWS support to inform them that you are a student at an AWS Educate Institution.
- Try Git The Try Git online class provides a quick introduction to Git where you can play with some of the basic commands. Students that have not used Git before are strongly encouraged to take this class. The class is located at https://try.github.io (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.