EC2 instance scheduler

Question

I would like to ask, what automatic tools are there to start Amazon EC2 instance at 08:00AM and stop it on 16:00 (And where to run it from?)

Answer 1

Amazon doesn't offer any functionality to support this.

The preferred solution (at present) is to run a cron task from an existing server.

Answer 2

I'm not sure that there is, but I believe that a lot of people have interest in such a product. I've actually got a product that does the opposite of what you need -- it stops a machine after a predetermined amount of time ;-). My guess is that you're looking to save EC2 $$$ by running your instances only during daytime hours. If that's the case then I believe my existing product could easily be twisted to meet your needs.

Answer 3

I run my instances through a service called Scalarium - it has this time-based autoscaling. :)