Editor’s Assessment

Cloud computing services such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) provide opportunities to provide training in genomics and metagenomics analysis workflows without the need for participants to manage complex software installations or store large datasets in their computers. This work presents a set of Bash scripts to automate the management of AWS instances for use in such training workshops, making it easy and convenient to manage AWS instances for training delivery. Once an AWS account and a terminal environment have been configured, only two or three files need to be configured to create and manage instances for a workshop. The reviewers requested some more test data and examples in the paper, and upon testing demonstrated the scripts worked. As presented the scripts to support the delivery of ’omics training, but the scripts will work equally well for AWS Linux Ubuntu instances configured for other purposes.

Editor’s Assessment

Cloud computing services such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) provide opportunities to provide training in genomics and metagenomics analysis workflows without the need for participants to manage complex software installations or store large datasets in their computers. This work presents a set of Bash scripts to automate the management of AWS instances for use in such training workshops, making it easy and convenient to manage AWS instances for training delivery. Once an AWS account and a terminal environment have been configured, only two or three files need to be configured to create and manage instances for a workshop. The reviewers requested some more test data and examples in the paper, and upon testing demonstrated the scripts worked. As presented the scripts to support the delivery of ’omics training, but the scripts will work equally well for AWS Linux Ubuntu instances configured for other purposes.