What are the steps to update an existing Amazon Machine Image (AMI) without causing downtime to a running application?
To update an existing AMI without causing downtime, follow these steps:
1. Launch a new EC2 instance using the current AMI.
2. Update the software and configurations on the new instance as needed.
3. Create a new custom AMI from the updated instance.
4. Use AWS Auto Scaling or Elastic Load Balancing to gradually replace old instances with new ones based on the updated AMI.
5. Monitor application performance during the replacement process to ensure no disruption occurs.
6. Once all instances are replaced, terminate the old instances and deregister the outdated AMI.
