Global_infrastructure
Chapter 1: AWS Global Infrastructure
Section titled “Chapter 1: AWS Global Infrastructure”Understanding the Foundation of AWS
Section titled “Understanding the Foundation of AWS”1.1 Overview
Section titled “1.1 Overview”AWS operates the most comprehensive global cloud infrastructure, enabling organizations to deploy applications closer to end users while maintaining high availability and fault tolerance.
AWS Global Infrastructure Map ================================================================================
NORTH AMERICA | +--------------------+--------------------+ | | | US-East-1 US-West-1 US-West-2 (N. Virginia) (N. California) (Oregon) | | | v v v +---------+ +---------+ +---------+ | 6 AZs | | 3 AZs | | 4 AZs | +---------+ +---------+ +---------+
EUROPE | +------------------------+------------------------+ | | | EU-West-1 EU-Central-1 EU-West-2 (Ireland) (Frankfurt) (London) | | | v v v +---------+ +---------+ +---------+ | 3 AZs | | 3 AZs | | 3 AZs | +---------+ +---------+ +---------+
ASIA PACIFIC | +------------------------+---+------------------------+ | | | AP-Southeast-1 AP-Northeast-1 AP-South-1 (Singapore) (Tokyo) (Mumbai) | | | v v v +---------+ +---------+ +---------+ | 3 AZs | | 4 AZs | | 3 AZs | +---------+ +---------+ +---------+
================================================================================1.2 Key Components
Section titled “1.2 Key Components”Regions
Section titled “Regions”A Region is a physical geographic location where AWS clusters data centers.
Region Architecture:+------------------------------------------------------------------+| AWS Region || || +----------------+ +----------------+ +----------------+ || | Availability | | Availability | | Availability | || | Zone A (AZ-a) | | Zone B (AZ-b) | | Zone C (AZ-c) | || | | | | | | || | +----------+ | | +----------+ | | +----------+ | || | |Datacenter| | | |Datacenter| | | |Datacenter| | || | | DC-1 | | | | DC-3 | | | | DC-5 | | || | +----------+ | | +----------+ | | +----------+ | || | +----------+ | | +----------+ | | +----------+ | || | |Datacenter| | | |Datacenter| | | |Datacenter| | || | | DC-2 | | | | DC-4 | | | | DC-6 | | || | +----------+ | | +----------+ | | +----------+ | || +----------------+ +----------------+ +----------------+ || || AZs are: || - Physically separated (km apart) || - Connected via low-latency links || - Isolated from failures in other AZs |+------------------------------------------------------------------+Region Selection Criteria
Section titled “Region Selection Criteria”| Factor | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Latency | Choose region closest to users | Asia users -> AP-Southeast-1 |
| Cost | Prices vary by region | US-East-1 often cheapest |
| Compliance | Data residency requirements | EU data -> EU-West-1 |
| Service Availability | Not all services in all regions | New services often US first |
| SLA Requirements | Some regions have better SLAs | GovCloud for government |
Availability Zones (AZs)
Section titled “Availability Zones (AZs)”An Availability Zone is one or more discrete data centers with redundant power, networking, and connectivity.
Availability Zone Deep Dive:+------------------------------------------------------------------+| Availability Zone Architecture || || +------------------------------------------------------------+ || | Physical Data Center | || | | || | +-------------+ +-------------+ +-------------+ | || | | Power | | Cooling | | Network | | || | | Grid A | | System A | | Provider A| | || | +-------------+ +-------------+ +-------------+ | || | | | | | || | v v v | || | +----------------------------------------------------+ | || | | Redundant Infrastructure | | || | +----------------------------------------------------+ | || | | | | | || | v v v | || | +-------------+ +-------------+ +-------------+ | || | | Power | | Cooling | | Network | | || | | Grid B | | System B | | Provider B| | || | +-------------+ +-------------+ +-------------+ | || | | || | +----------------------------------------------------+ | || | | Server Racks (Thousands) | | || | | +--------+ +--------+ +--------+ +--------+ | | || | | | Rack 1 | | Rack 2 | | Rack 3 | | Rack N | | | || | | +--------+ +--------+ +--------+ +--------+ | | || | +----------------------------------------------------+ | || +------------------------------------------------------------+ |+------------------------------------------------------------------+AZ Best Practices
Section titled “AZ Best Practices” Multi-AZ Deployment Pattern+------------------------------------------------------------------+| || Internet || | || v || +----------+ || |Route 53/ | || |CloudFront| || +----------+ || | || v || +----------------------------------------------------------------+| | Application Load Balancer || +----------------------------------------------------------------+| | | | || v v v || +----------+ +----------+ +----------+ || | AZ-A | | AZ-B | | AZ-C | || | | | | | | || | +------+ | | +------+ | | +------+ | || | | EC2 | | | | EC2 | | | | EC2 | | || | | App | | | | App | | | | App | | || | +------+ | | +------+ | | +------+ | || | | | | | | || | +------+ | | +------+ | | +------+ | || | | RDS |<-------->| | RDS |<-------->| | RDS | || | |Primary| | | |Replica| | | |Replica| | || | +------+ | | +------+ | | +------+ | || +----------+ +----------+ +----------+ || || Benefits: || - Fault tolerance (survive AZ failure) || - High availability (99.99% uptime) || - Disaster recovery built-in |+------------------------------------------------------------------+Edge Locations
Section titled “Edge Locations”Edge Locations are endpoints for AWS content delivery network (CloudFront) and DNS (Route 53).
Edge Location Network+------------------------------------------------------------------+| || AWS Global Network Backbone || ============================================================ || || +-------------+ +-------------+ +-------------+ || | Edge Loc 1 | | Edge Loc 2 | | Edge Loc N | || | (New York) | | (London) | | (Tokyo) | || +------+------+ +------+------+ +------+------+ || | | | || +--------+----------+--------+----------+ || | | || v v || +-------------+ +-------------+ || | Region | | Region | || | (us-east-1) | | (eu-west-1) | || +-------------+ +-------------+ || || Edge Locations: || - 400+ locations globally || - Lower latency for end users || - Cache content closer to users || - DNS resolution endpoints |+------------------------------------------------------------------+1.3 AWS Global Network
Section titled “1.3 AWS Global Network” AWS Global Network Architecture+------------------------------------------------------------------+| || AWS Global Network || ============================================================ || || +----------------------------------------------------------+ || | Network Backbone | || | | || | Region A <=======> Region B <=======> Region C | || | | | | | || | v v v | || | +--+--+ +--+--+ +--+--+ | || | | VPC | | VPC | | VPC | | || | +--+--+ +--+--+ +--+--+ | || | | | | | || | +--------+----------+--------+----------+ | || | | | | || | v v | || | +-------+ +-------+ | || | | Edge | | Edge | | || | | Loc 1 | | Loc 2 | | || | +-------+ +-------+ | || +----------------------------------------------------------+ || || Features: || - Private fiber network || - Redundant paths || - Low-latency inter-region connectivity || - Automatic failover |+------------------------------------------------------------------+1.4 Regional Services vs Global Services
Section titled “1.4 Regional Services vs Global Services”Global Services (No Region Selection Required)
Section titled “Global Services (No Region Selection Required)”| Service | Purpose |
|---|---|
| IAM | Identity and Access Management |
| Route 53 | DNS Service |
| CloudFront | Content Delivery Network |
| WAF | Web Application Firewall |
| AWS Organizations | Multi-account management |
| AWS Shield | DDoS protection |
Regional Services (Region Selection Required)
Section titled “Regional Services (Region Selection Required)”| Service | Purpose |
|---|---|
| EC2 | Virtual Machines |
| S3 | Object Storage (with regional buckets) |
| RDS | Relational Databases |
| Lambda | Serverless Computing |
| VPC | Virtual Private Cloud |
Service Scope Diagram+------------------------------------------------------------------+| || Global Services Regional Services || +----------------+ +----------------+ || | | | | || | +----------+ | | Region A | || | | IAM | | | +----------+ | || | +----------+ | | | EC2 | | || | +----------+ | | +----------+ | || | | Route 53 | | | +----------+ | || | +----------+ | | | RDS | | || | +----------+ | | +----------+ | || | |CloudFront| | | | || | +----------+ | | Region B | || | | | +----------+ | || | Replicated | | | EC2 | | || | Globally | | +----------+ | || | | | +----------+ | || +----------------+ | | RDS | | || | +----------+ | || | | || +----------------+ || |+------------------------------------------------------------------+1.5 Choosing the Right Region
Section titled “1.5 Choosing the Right Region”Decision Flowchart
Section titled “Decision Flowchart” Region Selection Decision Tree+------------------------------------------------------------------+| || Start: Choose Region || | || v || +---------------------+ || | Compliance Required?| || +----------+----------+ || | || +------------+------------+ || | | || v v || (Yes) (No) || | | || v v || +------------------+ +---------------------+ || | Select compliant | | Latency Critical? | || | region (e.g., | +----------+----------+ || | EU for GDPR) | | || +------------------+ +---------+---------+ || | | || v v || (Yes) (No) || | | || v v || +------------------+ +------------------+ || | Select closest | | Cost Primary | || | region to users | | Factor? | || +------------------+ +--------+---------+ || | || +---------+---------+ || | | || v v || (Yes) (No) || | | || v v || +---------------+ +-------------+ || | US-East-1 | | Service | || | (often lowest)| | Available? | || +---------------+ +------+------+ || | || +------+------+ || | | || v v || (Yes) (No)|| | | || v v || +----------+ +----------+| | Any | | Check || | Region | | Service || +----------+ | Page || +----------++------------------------------------------------------------------+1.6 Infrastructure Security
Section titled “1.6 Infrastructure Security”Physical Security Layers
Section titled “Physical Security Layers” Data Center Physical Security+------------------------------------------------------------------+| || Layer 1: Perimeter Security || +----------------------------------------------------------+ || | - Fencing and barriers | || | - Security patrols | || | - Video surveillance | || +----------------------------------------------------------+ || | || v || Layer 2: Building Access || +----------------------------------------------------------+ || | - Badge readers | || | - Biometric scanners | || | - Security personnel | || +----------------------------------------------------------+ || | || v || Layer 3: Data Center Floor || +----------------------------------------------------------+ || | - Mantraps (one person at a time) | || | - Additional authentication | || | - Motion sensors | || +----------------------------------------------------------+ || | || v || Layer 4: Equipment Access || +----------------------------------------------------------+ || | - Locked cabinets | || | - Cage enclosures | || | - Audit logging | || +----------------------------------------------------------+ || |+------------------------------------------------------------------+1.7 High Availability Architecture Patterns
Section titled “1.7 High Availability Architecture Patterns”Pattern 1: Multi-AZ Deployment
Section titled “Pattern 1: Multi-AZ Deployment” Multi-AZ Architecture+------------------------------------------------------------------+| || Internet || | || v || +---------------+ || | Route 53 | || +---------------+ || | || v || +---------------+ || | CloudFront | || +---------------+ || | || v || +-----------------------------------+ || | Application Load Balancer | || +-----------------------------------+ || | | | || v v v || +----------+ +----------+ +----------+ || | AZ-A | | AZ-B | | AZ-C | || | | | | | | || | +------+ | | +------+ | | +------+ | || | | EC2 | | | | EC2 | | | | EC2 | | || | +------+ | | +------+ | | +------+ | || | | | | | | || | +------+ | | +------+ | | +------+ | || | | RDS | | | | RDS | | | | RDS | | || | |(Main)| | | |(Stand| | | |(Stand| | || | +------+ | | | by) | | | | by) | | || | | | +------+ | | +------+ | || +----------+ +----------+ +----------+ || || SLA: 99.99% availability |+------------------------------------------------------------------+Pattern 2: Multi-Region Deployment
Section titled “Pattern 2: Multi-Region Deployment” Multi-Region Architecture+------------------------------------------------------------------+| || Internet || | || v || +---------------+ || | Route 53 | || | (Latency-based| || | Routing) | || +---------------+ || / \ || / \ || v v || +---------------+ +---------------+ || | US-EAST-1 | | EU-WEST-1 | || | (Primary) | | (Secondary) | || +---------------+ +---------------+ || | | || v v || +---------------+ +---------------+ || | ALB | | ALB | || +---------------+ +---------------+ || | | || v v || +---------------+ +---------------+ || | EC2 Fleet | | EC2 Fleet | || +---------------+ +---------------+ || | | || v v || +---------------+ +---------------+ || | RDS Primary | | RDS Read | || | | | Replica | || +---------------+ +---------------+ || | | || +--------+-----------+ || | || v || +---------------+ || | S3 Cross- | || | Region Repl. | || +---------------+ || || SLA: 99.999% availability |+------------------------------------------------------------------+1.8 Key Metrics & SLAs
Section titled “1.8 Key Metrics & SLAs”Service Level Agreements by Service
Section titled “Service Level Agreements by Service”| Service | Monthly Uptime SLA | Annual Downtime Allowed |
|---|---|---|
| EC2 | 99.99% | ~52 minutes |
| S3 | 99.9% | ~8.7 hours |
| RDS Multi-AZ | 99.95% | ~4.4 hours |
| Lambda | 99.95% | ~4.4 hours |
| CloudFront | 99.9% | ~8.7 hours |
Calculating Availability
Section titled “Calculating Availability”Availability Calculation:+------------------------------------------------------------------+| || Availability = (Total Time - Downtime) / Total Time || || Example: 99.99% availability || || Monthly: 30 days × 24 hours × 60 minutes = 43,200 minutes || Allowed Downtime: 43,200 × (1 - 0.9999) = 4.32 minutes || || Availability Tiers: || +--------+----------+------------------+ || | Nines | Uptime | Annual Downtime | || +--------+----------+------------------+ || | 2 | 99% | 3.65 days | || | 3 | 99.9% | 8.77 hours | || | 4 | 99.99% | 52.60 minutes | || | 5 | 99.999% | 5.26 minutes | || +--------+----------+------------------+ || |+------------------------------------------------------------------+1.9 Practical Commands
Section titled “1.9 Practical Commands”AWS CLI - Region Operations
Section titled “AWS CLI - Region Operations”# List all available regionsaws ec2 describe-regions --query 'Regions[*].RegionName' --output table
# List Availability Zones in a regionaws ec2 describe-availability-zones \ --region us-east-1 \ --query 'AvailabilityZones[*].ZoneName' \ --output table
# Get current regionaws configure get region
# Set default regionaws configure set region us-west-2
# List edge locations (via CloudFront)aws cloudfront list-distributions --query 'DistributionList.Items[*].Origins.Items[*].DomainName'SDK Example (Python/boto3)
Section titled “SDK Example (Python/boto3)”import boto3
# List all regionsec2 = boto3.client('ec2', region_name='us-east-1')regions = ec2.describe_regions()for region in regions['Regions']: print(f"Region: {region['RegionName']}, Endpoint: {region['Endpoint']}")
# List AZs in a specific regionec2_us_east_1 = boto3.client('ec2', region_name='us-east-1')azs = ec2_us_east_1.describe_availability_zones()for az in azs['AvailabilityZones']: print(f"AZ: {az['ZoneName']}, State: {az['State']}")1.10 Best Practices Summary
Section titled “1.10 Best Practices Summary” AWS Infrastructure Best Practices+------------------------------------------------------------------+| || 1. Always deploy across multiple Availability Zones || +----------------------------------------------+ || | Region | || | +--------+ +--------+ +--------+ | || | | AZ-A | | AZ-B | | AZ-C | | || | | EC2 | | EC2 | | EC2 | | || | +--------+ +--------+ +--------+ | || +----------------------------------------------+ || || 2. Choose regions based on: || - Latency to end users || - Compliance requirements || - Cost optimization || - Service availability || || 3. Use CloudFront for global content delivery || +----------------------------------------------+ || | Users -> Edge Location -> CloudFront -> Origin| || +----------------------------------------------+ || || 4. Implement disaster recovery across regions || +----------------------------------------------+ || | Primary Region -> Backup Region | || | (Active) (Active/Passive) | || +----------------------------------------------+ || || 5. Monitor infrastructure health || - Use AWS Health Dashboard || - Set up CloudWatch alarms || - Subscribe to AWS service alerts || |+------------------------------------------------------------------+1.11 Exam Tips
Section titled “1.11 Exam Tips”
- Regions vs AZs: Regions are geographic areas; AZs are isolated locations within regions
- Global Services: IAM, Route 53, CloudFront, WAF are global - no region selection needed
- Multi-AZ: Always use multiple AZs for production workloads
- SLA Math: Know how to calculate allowed downtime from availability percentage
- Edge Locations: Used by CloudFront and Route 53, not for compute
Next Chapter
Section titled “Next Chapter”Chapter 2: AWS Account Management & Billing
Last Updated: February 2026