• The AWS Systems Manager CloudWatch Dashboard will no longer be available after April 30, 2026. Customers can continue to use Amazon CloudWatch console to view, create, and manage their Amazon CloudWatch dashboards, just as they do today. For more information, see [Amazon CloudWatch Dashboard documentation](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonCloudWatch/latest/monitoring/CloudWatch_Dashboards.html).
# Updating AMIs for Auto Scaling groups
The following example updates an Auto Scaling group with a newly patched AMI. This approach ensures that new images are automatically made available to different computing environments that use Auto Scaling groups.
The final step of the automation in this example uses a Python function to create a new launch template that uses the newly patched AMI. Then the Auto Scaling group is updated to use the new launch template. In this type of Auto Scaling scenario, users could terminate existing instances in the Auto Scaling group to force a new instance to launch that uses the new image. Or, users could wait and allow scale-in or scale-out events to naturally launch newer instances.
**Before you begin**
Complete the following tasks before you begin this example.
+ Configure IAM roles for Automation, a tool in AWS Systems Manager. Systems Manager requires an instance profile role and a service role ARN to process automations. For more information, see [Setting up Automation](automation-setup.md).
## Create the **PatchAMIAndUpdateASG** runbook
Use the following procedure to create the **PatchAMIAndUpdateASG** runbook that patches the AMI you specify for the **SourceAMI** parameter. The runbook also updates an Auto Scaling group to use the latest, patched AMI.
**To create and run the runbook**
1. Open the AWS Systems Manager console at [https://console.aws.amazon.com/systems-manager/](https://console.aws.amazon.com/systems-manager/).
1. In the navigation pane, choose **Documents**.
1. In the **Create document** dropdown, choose **Automation**.
1. In the **Name** field, enter **PatchAMIAndUpdateASG**.
1. Choose the **Editor** tab, and choose the **Edit**.
1. Choose **OK** when prompted, and delete the content in the **Document editor** field.
1. In the **Document editor** field, paste the following YAML sample runbook content.
```
---
description: Systems Manager Automation Demo - Patch AMI and Update ASG
schemaVersion: '0.3'
assumeRole: '{{ AutomationAssumeRole }}'
parameters:
AutomationAssumeRole:
type: String
description: '(Required) The ARN of the role that allows Automation to perform the actions on your behalf. If no role is specified, Systems Manager Automation uses your IAM permissions to execute this document.'
default: ''
SourceAMI:
type: String
description: '(Required) The ID of the AMI you want to patch.'
SubnetId:
type: String
description: '(Required) The ID of the subnet where the instance from the SourceAMI parameter is launched.'
SecurityGroupIds:
type: StringList
description: '(Required) The IDs of the security groups to associate with the instance launched from the SourceAMI parameter.'
NewAMI:
type: String
description: '(Optional) The name of of newly patched AMI.'
default: 'patchedAMI-{{global:DATE_TIME}}'
TargetASG:
type: String
description: '(Required) The name of the Auto Scaling group you want to update.'
InstanceProfile:
type: String
description: '(Required) The name of the IAM instance profile you want the source instance to use.'
SnapshotId:
type: String
description: (Optional) The snapshot ID to use to retrieve a patch baseline snapshot.
default: ''
RebootOption:
type: String
description: '(Optional) Reboot behavior after a patch Install operation. If you choose NoReboot and patches are installed, the instance is marked as non-compliant until a subsequent reboot and scan.'
allowedValues:
- NoReboot
- RebootIfNeeded
default: RebootIfNeeded
Operation:
type: String
description: (Optional) The update or configuration to perform on the instance. The system checks if patches specified in the patch baseline are installed on the instance. The install operation installs patches missing from the baseline.
allowedValues:
- Install
- Scan
default: Install
mainSteps:
- name: startInstances
action: 'aws:runInstances'
timeoutSeconds: 1200
maxAttempts: 1
onFailure: Abort
inputs:
ImageId: '{{ SourceAMI }}'
InstanceType: m5.large
MinInstanceCount: 1
MaxInstanceCount: 1
IamInstanceProfileName: '{{ InstanceProfile }}'
SubnetId: '{{ SubnetId }}'
SecurityGroupIds: '{{ SecurityGroupIds }}'
- name: verifyInstanceManaged
action: 'aws:waitForAwsResourceProperty'
timeoutSeconds: 600
inputs:
Service: ssm
Api: DescribeInstanceInformation
InstanceInformationFilterList:
- key: InstanceIds
valueSet:
- '{{ startInstances.InstanceIds }}'
PropertySelector: '$.InstanceInformationList[0].PingStatus'
DesiredValues:
- Online
onFailure: 'step:terminateInstance'
- name: installPatches
action: 'aws:runCommand'
timeoutSeconds: 7200
onFailure: Abort
inputs:
DocumentName: AWS-RunPatchBaseline
Parameters:
SnapshotId: '{{SnapshotId}}'
RebootOption: '{{RebootOption}}'
Operation: '{{Operation}}'
InstanceIds:
- '{{ startInstances.InstanceIds }}'
- name: stopInstance
action: 'aws:changeInstanceState'
maxAttempts: 1
onFailure: Continue
inputs:
InstanceIds:
- '{{ startInstances.InstanceIds }}'
DesiredState: stopped
- name: createImage
action: 'aws:createImage'
maxAttempts: 1
onFailure: Continue
inputs:
InstanceId: '{{ startInstances.InstanceIds }}'
ImageName: '{{ NewAMI }}'
NoReboot: false
ImageDescription: Patched AMI created by Automation
- name: terminateInstance
action: 'aws:changeInstanceState'
maxAttempts: 1
onFailure: Continue
inputs:
InstanceIds:
- '{{ startInstances.InstanceIds }}'
DesiredState: terminated
- name: updateASG
action: 'aws:executeScript'
timeoutSeconds: 300
maxAttempts: 1
onFailure: Abort
inputs:
Runtime: python3.11
Handler: update_asg
InputPayload:
TargetASG: '{{TargetASG}}'
NewAMI: '{{createImage.ImageId}}'
Script: |-
from __future__ import print_function
import datetime
import json
import time
import boto3
# create auto scaling and ec2 client
asg = boto3.client('autoscaling')
ec2 = boto3.client('ec2')
def update_asg(event, context):
print("Received event: " + json.dumps(event, indent=2))
target_asg = event['TargetASG']
new_ami = event['NewAMI']
# get object for the ASG we're going to update, filter by name of target ASG
asg_query = asg.describe_auto_scaling_groups(AutoScalingGroupNames=[target_asg])
if 'AutoScalingGroups' not in asg_query or not asg_query['AutoScalingGroups']:
return 'No ASG found matching the value you specified.'
# gets details of an instance from the ASG that we'll use to model the new launch template after
source_instance_id = asg_query.get('AutoScalingGroups')[0]['Instances'][0]['InstanceId']
instance_properties = ec2.describe_instances(
InstanceIds=[source_instance_id]
)
source_instance = instance_properties['Reservations'][0]['Instances'][0]
# create list of security group IDs
security_groups = []
for group in source_instance['SecurityGroups']:
security_groups.append(group['GroupId'])
# create a list of dictionary objects for block device mappings
mappings = []
for block in source_instance['BlockDeviceMappings']:
volume_query = ec2.describe_volumes(
VolumeIds=[block['Ebs']['VolumeId']]
)
volume_details = volume_query['Volumes']
device_name = block['DeviceName']
volume_size = volume_details[0]['Size']
volume_type = volume_details[0]['VolumeType']
device = {'DeviceName': device_name, 'Ebs': {'VolumeSize': volume_size, 'VolumeType': volume_type}}
mappings.append(device)
# create new launch template using details returned from instance in the ASG and specify the newly patched AMI
time_stamp = time.time()
time_stamp_string = datetime.datetime.fromtimestamp(time_stamp).strftime('%m-%d-%Y_%H-%M-%S')
new_template_name = f'{new_ami}_{time_stamp_string}'
try:
ec2.create_launch_template(
LaunchTemplateName=new_template_name,
LaunchTemplateData={
'BlockDeviceMappings': mappings,
'ImageId': new_ami,
'InstanceType': source_instance['InstanceType'],
'IamInstanceProfile': {
'Arn': source_instance['IamInstanceProfile']['Arn']
},
'KeyName': source_instance['KeyName'],
'SecurityGroupIds': security_groups
}
)
except Exception as e:
return f'Exception caught: {str(e)}'
else:
# update ASG to use new launch template
asg.update_auto_scaling_group(
AutoScalingGroupName=target_asg,
LaunchTemplate={
'LaunchTemplateName': new_template_name
}
)
return f'Updated ASG {target_asg} with new launch template {new_template_name} which uses AMI {new_ami}.'
outputs:
- createImage.ImageId
```
1. Choose **Create automation**.
1. In the navigation pane, choose **Automation**, and then choose **Execute automation**.
1. In the **Choose document** page, choose the **Owned by me** tab.
1. Search for the **PatchAMIAndUpdateASG** runbook, and select the button in the **PatchAMIAndUpdateASG** card.
1. Choose **Next**.
1. Choose **Simple execution**.
1. Specify values for the input parameters. Be sure the `SubnetId` and `SecurityGroupIds` you specify allow access to the public Systems Manager endpoints, or your interface endpoints for Systems Manager.
1. Choose **Execute**.
1. After automation completes, in the Amazon EC2 console, choose **Auto Scaling**, and then choose **Launch Templates**. Verify that you see the new launch template, and that it uses the new AMI.
1. Choose **Auto Scaling**, and then choose **Auto Scaling Groups**. Verify that the Auto Scaling group uses the new launch template.
1. Terminate one or more instances in your Auto Scaling group. Replacement instances will be launched using the new AMI.