1.4 Creating Your First Workspace
Creating Your First Workspace
This walkthrough takes you from clicking “Create Workspace” to having a running environment. The whole process takes about 10 minutes.
Prerequisites
Before creating a workspace, ensure you have:
- An active account with Compute Service access
- An SSH key pair created (see SSH Keys in the left menu)
- Your current IP address (for network access)
Step 1: Navigate to Workspaces
- Log in to the Compute Service portal
- Click Workspaces in the left navigation menu
- Click the Create Workspace button
Step 2: Select a Workspace Type
You’ll see a list of available workspace types. Pick the one that matches your needs.
| Type | When to Choose |
|---|---|
| Linux (Amazon Linux/Ubuntu) | General research computing, scripting, development |
| Windows | Windows-only software, GUI applications |
| SageMaker | Machine learning and data science notebooks |
For the full list of types and hardware configurations, see the Workspace Types Reference.
Step 3: Choose an Image
You’ll be asked to select an image — this determines what software comes pre-installed on your workspace.
Blank (Base) Images
A clean operating system with minimal software. Choose this if you want to install everything yourself or have specific version requirements.
Custom Images
Pre-configured with specific software packages and tools. Choose this if an image matching your research domain is available — it’ll save you setup time.
Tip
If you’re not sure, start with a blank image. You can always install additional software after connecting.
Step 4: Configure Settings
Fill in the configuration options for your workspace.
Basic Settings
| Field | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Workspace Name | A descriptive name for your workspace | “ML-Training-Project-A” |
| Project ID | Select the project to charge costs to | (Select from dropdown) |
| Description | Optional notes about the workspace purpose | “Training environment for image classification model” |
Network Settings
| Field | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Restricted CIDR | IP addresses allowed to connect | “203.0.113.50/32” |
Info
Finding Your IP Address: Search “What is my IP address” in your web browser. Add /32 to the end to create your CIDR. For example, if your IP is 203.0.113.50, enter 203.0.113.50/32.
Storage Settings
| Field | Description | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Root Volume Size (GB) | Primary storage for OS and applications | 50-100 GB for most workloads |
Ensure you allocate enough space for:
- Operating system (~10-20 GB)
- Software and packages
- Working data and temporary files
Hardware Configuration
Choose a hardware configuration based on your workload. If you’re unsure, start small — you can always create a new workspace with a larger configuration later.
| Workload | Recommended Size |
|---|---|
| Light development/testing | Small or Medium |
| Data analysis | Medium or Large |
| Machine learning | GPU-enabled configuration |
| Large datasets | Memory-optimized configuration |
See the Workspace Types Reference for detailed specs.
Advanced Settings
| Field | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Enable Hyperthreading | Enable CPU hyperthreading | Enabled (recommended) |
Step 5: Review and Create
- Review all your settings
- Click Provision Workspace
Step 6: Wait for Provisioning
- You’ll return to the Workspaces list
- Your new workspace will show status “Provisioning”
- Wait approximately 5-10 minutes for provisioning to complete
- Status will change to “Running” when ready
Note
Provisioning time varies based on workspace type and current demand. Most workspaces are ready within 10 minutes.
Warning
Cost Reminder: Your workspace starts incurring compute charges as soon as it’s running. Remember to stop it when not in use.
Your workspace is running — time to connect: Connecting to Your Workspace