Pricing clarification: when does 10% apply? Does TKLBAM itself cost money?

Hello,

I've read /docs/tklbam/faq/pricing but I'm not 100% clear about the pricing.

Questions:
* Is the 10% on top of EC2 cost applied only if I launch the TKL Appliance via the Hub? Or does it also apply if I launch it directly from EC2 Management Console?

* It I have a TKL Hub account, but do *not* use it for launching the TKL Appliance instances on EC2, can I still use TKLBAM with my Hub account, and if so, is there a cost associated with that (other than EC2 costs)?

Thanks,
Otis

Replies (6)

10% premium only applies to TurnKey's Amazon Machine Images

Reply 1 2011-01-25

1) The 10% premium to TurnKey Amazon Machine Images applies regardless of how you launch them (e.g., Amazon web console, Amazon CLI tools, etc.). The pricing is the same but the usability isn't. Launching via the Hub is much easier as it sets up the security groups for you, let's you configure all the passwords before launch, pre-initializes TKLBAM, etc.

2) The Hub's cloud deployment functionality and the backups functionality are separate. You can use either independently (e.g., launch instances via the CLI, then initialize TKLBAM and just use the backups). There are no additional charges beyond the standard S3 usage fees.

Answers

Reply 2 2011-01-26

Correct. Once you enable launching of TurnKey AMI's you use any launching method you prefer, the cost doesn't change.
Correct. You can use TKLBAM on any TurnKey appliance no matter where it is launched and how (this includes in a VM, bare-metal, etc.)
Correct.
Correct. If you are not scripting launching instances using the cli tools, and don't need to use custom ec2 user-data, then there is no advantage of not using the Hub, just disadvantages. BTW, if there is enough interest to provide an API for launching, and/or custom ec2 user-data, we'll add those features to the Hub (we are planning on anyway in the future, but priorities keep bumping them down the list).

Summary: Launching Appliances via Hub vs. EC2 Console

Reply 3 2011-01-26

Thank you, Liraz. To make sure I understand corrently:

One basically pays TKL 10% of EC2 cost regardless of how the appliance is started
You can back up with TKLBAM regardless of how the appliance is started because tklbam is included in the appliance AMI
Although TKLBAM and launching from the Hub are separate, one needs to have a Hub account in order to use TKLBAM because the Hub stores profile and other data
Because of point 1 and 3, there is no advantage in launching appliances directly via EC2 Console -- one still has to pay for using the appliance AMI and just has to do more manual work around TKLBAM setup+use if the appliance is launched outside of the Hub.

Correct?

Thanks,

Otis

AFAIK it should be free if you link that account to the hub

Reply 4 2011-03-01

But perhaps I'm missing something? Assuming that the free account can be linked to your hub account then it should be free. The 10% TKL surcharge probably still applies, but 10% of $0.00 is $0.00!

Micro instances anad the free tier now supported

Reply 5 2011-08-02

See the announcement for details. (Just in case anyone comes across this thread)

Ahh, I didn't read the free offer fine print.

Reply 6 2011-03-01

Unfortunately TKL is only available on Small & Medium instances (not on Micro, and won't be available on Large until TKL releases 64 bit). Support for micro instances is planned for the future but as it is not a priority and TKL devs have a todo list a mile long, it seems to keep getting pushed down the list.

So bottom line is, you will either need to look at alternative setup (not TKL) or pay Amazon for a small instance (+10% to TKL).