---
id: e31eee46-0cf1-4eb3-91ca-8f2fe70759a3
---

# Unresponsive Windows EC2 Instance on AWS with RDP Connection Issue
---

This incident type refers to a problem where a Windows EC2 instance on Amazon Web Services (AWS) becomes unresponsive and users are unable to connect to it via Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). The incident requires troubleshooting using the AWS Command Line Interface (CLI) to identify and resolve the underlying issues causing the unresponsiveness and RDP connection problem.

### Parameters
```shell
export PUBLIC_IP_ADDRESS_OF_INSTANCE="PLACEHOLDER"

export PRIVATE_IP_ADDRESS_OF_INSTANCE="PLACEHOLDER"

export INSTANCE_ID="PLACEHOLDER"

export SECURITY_GROUP_NAME="PLACEHOLDER"

export LOG_FILE_PATH_AND_NAME="PLACEHOLDER"

export REGION="PLACEHOLDER"
```

## Debug

### Connect to the AWS EC2 instance using RDP
```shell
mstsc /v:${PUBLIC_IP_ADDRESS_OF_INSTANCE}
```

### Check if the instance is running and responding to ping
```shell
ping ${PRIVATE_IP_ADDRESS_OF_INSTANCE}
```

### Get the instance ID for the EC2 instance
```shell
aws ec2 describe-instances --region ${REGION} --filters "Name=instance-state-name,Values=running" --query "Reservations[*].Instances[*].[InstanceId]" --output text
```

### Check the status of the instance
```shell
aws ec2 describe-instances --region ${REGION} --instance-ids ${INSTANCE_ID}
```

### Get the system log for the instance to check for any errors
```shell
aws ec2 get-console-output --region ${REGION} --instance-id ${INSTANCE_ID} --output text
```

### Check if the RDP port is open in the security group
```shell
aws ec2 describe-security-groups --region ${REGION} --filters Name=group-name,Values=${SECURITY_GROUP_NAME} --query "SecurityGroups[].IpPermissions[?ToPort=='3389']" --output text
```

## Repair

### Check the EC2 instance's system and application logs for any errors or warnings that could provide clues to the cause of the unresponsiveness and RDP connection issue.
```shell


#!/bin/bash



# Set the instance ID and region

INSTANCE_ID=${INSTANCE_ID}

REGION=${REGION}



# Get the log file path and name

LOG_FILE=${LOG_FILE_PATH_AND_NAME}



# Use AWS CLI to retrieve the log file from the instance

aws ec2 get-console-output --instance-id $INSTANCE_ID --region $REGION > $LOG_FILE



# Check the log file for any errors or warnings

if grep -q "error" $LOG_FILE; then

    echo "Error found in log file"

elif grep -q "warning" $LOG_FILE; then

    echo "Warning found in log file"

else

    echo "No errors or warnings found in log file"

fi


```

### Try rebooting the instance from the AWS CLI to see if that resolves the issue.
```shell
aws ec2 reboot-instances --instance-ids ${INSTANCE_ID}
```

This incident type refers to a problem where a Windows EC2 instance on Amazon Web Services (AWS) becomes unresponsive and users are unable to connect to it via Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). The incident requires troubleshooting using the AWS Command Line Interface (CLI) to identify and resolve the underlying issues causing the unresponsiveness and RDP connection problem.


​
AWS EBS (Elastic Block Store) Burst Credits Exhausted is an incident that occurs when an Amazon EBS volume has exhausted its burst credit balance. This happens when the volume has been used continuously at its maximum IOPS (input/output operations per second) rate for an extended period of time, causing the volume to consume its burst credits faster than it can earn them. As a result, the volume's performance is significantly degraded until the burst credits are replenished.
​


AWS EBS Burst Credits Exhausted

The Host Out of Memory (OOM) Incident occurs when a server or system runs out of memory, causing it to crash or become unresponsive. This can be caused by various factors, such as an unexpected surge in traffic or insufficient resources allocated to the system. Resolving this type of incident requires identifying the root cause of the memory issue and taking appropriate measures such as optimizing system resources or increasing memory capacity.


Host Out of Memory (OOM) Incident

Apache Spark driver failure refers to an incident where the driver program in an Apache Spark cluster fails to execute or crashes during runtime. This can happen due to a variety of reasons such as hardware failure, software bugs, resource constraints, or programming errors. As the driver program is responsible for coordinating the execution of tasks across the cluster, any failure in the driver can result in the entire Spark job failing. This can lead to data loss, processing delays, and impact the overall performance of the Spark cluster.


Spark driver failure incident.

This incident type refers to a situation where Redis, a popular in-memory data structure store, has rejected connections. This could happen due to various reasons such as server overload, network issues, or misconfiguration. When this occurs, it can cause disruptions in the performance of applications that rely on Redis for data storage or caching. Thus, it requires immediate attention and resolution to minimize the impact on the applications and users.


Redis Rejected Connections Incident

A Redis instance down incident refers to a situation where the Redis server, which is a popular open-source in-memory data structure store, is not functioning or accessible. This can cause interruption in the service and impact the performance of applications that rely on Redis for caching or data storage. Typically, this type of incident is considered high urgency and requires immediate attention from the responsible team to investigate, diagnose, and resolve the issue.


Redis instance down incident

```shell
export PUBLIC_IP_ADDRESS_OF_INSTANCE="PLACEHOLDER"

export PRIVATE_IP_ADDRESS_OF_INSTANCE="PLACEHOLDER"

export INSTANCE_ID="PLACEHOLDER"

export SECURITY_GROUP_NAME="PLACEHOLDER"

export LOG_FILE_PATH_AND_NAME="PLACEHOLDER"

export REGION="PLACEHOLDER"
```


### Connect to the AWS EC2 instance using RDP

```shell
mstsc /v:${PUBLIC_IP_ADDRESS_OF_INSTANCE}
```

### Check if the instance is running and responding to ping

```shell
ping ${PRIVATE_IP_ADDRESS_OF_INSTANCE}
```

### Get the instance ID for the EC2 instance

```shell
aws ec2 describe-instances --region ${REGION} --filters "Name=instance-state-name,Values=running" --query "Reservations[*].Instances[*].[InstanceId]" --output text
```

### Check the status of the instance

```shell
aws ec2 describe-instances --region ${REGION} --instance-ids ${INSTANCE_ID}
```

### Get the system log for the instance to check for any errors

```shell
aws ec2 get-console-output --region ${REGION} --instance-id ${INSTANCE_ID} --output text
```

### Check if the RDP port is open in the security group

```shell
aws ec2 describe-security-groups --region ${REGION} --filters Name=group-name,Values=${SECURITY_GROUP_NAME} --query "SecurityGroups[].IpPermissions[?ToPort=='3389']" --output text
```


### Check the EC2 instance's system and application logs for any errors or warnings that could provide clues to the cause of the unresponsiveness and RDP connection issue.

```shell


#!/bin/bash



# Set the instance ID and region

INSTANCE_ID=${INSTANCE_ID}

REGION=${REGION}



# Get the log file path and name

LOG_FILE=${LOG_FILE_PATH_AND_NAME}



# Use AWS CLI to retrieve the log file from the instance

aws ec2 get-console-output --instance-id $INSTANCE_ID --region $REGION > $LOG_FILE



# Check the log file for any errors or warnings

if grep -q "error" $LOG_FILE; then

    echo "Error found in log file"

elif grep -q "warning" $LOG_FILE; then

    echo "Warning found in log file"

else

    echo "No errors or warnings found in log file"

fi


```

### Try rebooting the instance from the AWS CLI to see if that resolves the issue.

```shell
aws ec2 reboot-instances --instance-ids ${INSTANCE_ID}
```


Unresponsive Windows EC2 Instance on AWS with RDP Connection Issue

Overview

Parameters

Debug

Connect to the AWS EC2 instance using RDP

Check if the instance is running and responding to ping

Get the instance ID for the EC2 instance

Check the status of the instance

Get the system log for the instance to check for any errors

Check if the RDP port is open in the security group

Repair

Check the EC2 instance's system and application logs for any errors or warnings that could provide clues to the cause of the unresponsiveness and RDP connection issue.

Try rebooting the instance from the AWS CLI to see if that resolves the issue.

Learn more

Related Runbooks

AWS EBS Burst Credits Exhausted

Host Out of Memory (OOM) Incident

Spark driver failure incident.

Redis Rejected Connections Incident

Support