Installation Guide
40 pages
The Installation Guide provides step-by-step instructions for deploying Sandbox Studio into your AWS environment. It covers an overview of the solution’s architecture, including how the platform integrates with AWS to provision, manage, and clean up sandbox accounts.
You will learn how to prepare your environment, configure necessary AWS services, and apply the required permissions and security settings. This guide will take you through the installation process from start to finish, ensuring that Sandbox Studio is deployed correctly and ready to use.
Contents
- Solution overviewThe overview describes the Features and Benefits, Use cases and concept and definitions.
3 pages
- OverviewWhat is Sandbox Studio? Sandbox Studio is a web-based solution that helps cloud administrators manage temporary AWS sandbox environments. It…
- Core CapabilitiesSandbox Studio provides a range of tools to make AWS sandbox account management fast, safe, and cost-effective. The table below explains the core…
- Concepts and definitionsTerm / Concept Description Account Recycling The process of cleaning and reusing sandbox accounts after they hit budget or time limits. This reduces…
- Architecture overviewThe architecture of Sandbox Studio brings together multiple AWS services to deliver secure, temporary sandbox environments. At a high level, the…
4 pages
- Security & ComplianceThis page provides an overview of the security model used by Sandbox Studio. It explains how the solution is deployed, the controls in place, and how…
- Roles deployed by the solutionSandbox Studio installs multiple roles in your environment, each serving different purposes Role name Account created in Purpose Can be assumed by…
- Secrets & Encryption keysSecrets Sandbox Studio creates 4 secrets in AWS Secrets Manager: Secret name Description Rotated? /SandboxStudio/Sandbox/Auth/IdpCert IAM Identity…
- Data stored (and where)Overview Sandbox Studio provisions a single-AZ database by default (db.t4g.micro). You can modify the database size according to your requirements.…
- Plan your deploymentThis section describes the Regions, cost, security, and other considerations prior to deploying the solution.
6 pages
- Prerequisite Skills and Specialised KnowledgeOverview This solution requires foundational knowledge of AWS and specific AWS services. The level of expertise needed depends on the user's role and…
- Installation PrerequisitesBefore installing Sandbox Studio, it is important to confirm that the required prerequisites are in place. Most enterprise organisations that already…
- Choosing your region(s)When setting up Sandbox Studio, choosing the correct AWS Regions is an important step. The regions you select determine where the solution is…
- Understand running costsRunning Sandbox Studio does involve some ongoing AWS costs, but these are generally modest and reflect the standard services needed to keep things…
- Creating sandbox accountsSandbox Studio works by managing a pool of AWS accounts. These accounts are pre-provisioned by your organisation and then handed out to users as…
- External identity provider setup (Optional)Many organisations, particularly those running a multi-account AWS environment, use AWS IAM Identity Center with an external identity provider such…
- Deploy the SolutionTo help streamline the setup of Sandbox Studio, we’ve provided an installation script that checks your environment for the necessary prerequisites…
3 pages
- Running the Installation WizardRunning the Installation Wizard Introduction This wizard has been created to facilitate the installation and deployment of the Sandbox Studio…
- Update Sandbox StudioUpdate Sandbox Studio Updating Made Simple Updating Sandbox Studio is easier than ever. The update process uses the same installation script you used…
- Non-interactive installation (Configuration file)Introduction Sandbox Studio can be installed in two ways: Interactive mode: you run the installation script and answer each prompt as the wizard…
- Deploy the Solution ManuallyNote: We strongly recommend using the installation script available here to deploy the Sandbox Studio.
8 pages
- Before you start...Before you embark on this manual AWS CloudFormation adventure, let us remind you that we've poured countless hours (and several pots of coffee) into…
- Overview of what you'll doInstalling Sandbox Studio manually follows three main stages. Each stage builds on the last, so it’s important to work through them in order. 1.…
- Step 1: Deploy the AccountPool stackInstall the AccountPool CloudFormation stack in the organisation management account. How to Install this Stack Login to the AWS Management Console…
- Step 2: Deploy the IDC stackInstall the IDC CloudFormation stack in the organisation management account. How to Install this Stack Login to the AWS Management Console using the…
- Step 3: Deploy the Network stackInstall the Network CloudFormation stack in the hub account. How to Install this Stack Login to the AWS Management Console using the Hub Account.…
- Step 4: Deploy the Data stackInstall the Data CloudFormation stack in the hub account. How to Install this Stack Login to the AWS Management Console using the Organisation…
- Step 5: Deploy the Compute stackInstall the Compute CloudFormation stack in the hub account. How to Install this Stack Login to the AWS Management Console using the Hub Account.…
- Step 6: Deploy the API stackInstall the API CloudFormation stack in the hub account. How to Install this Stack Login to the AWS Management Console using the Hub Account.…
- Post-deployment configuration tasksNote: You only need to read this section if you have decided to deploy the solution manually. Once the stacks are deployed successfully, you’ll need…
6 pages
- Create an IAM Identity Center applicationLogin to the AWS console and open IAM Identity Center. Navigate to Applications → Add application. Select I have an application I want to setup and…
- Add initial usersThe IDC CloudFormation deployment creates three default groups in IAM Identity Center (you can customise their names when launching the…
- Update AWS AppConfigAWS AppConfig is used by Sandbox Studio to store its runtime configuration. You will need to update this configuration after the CloudFormation…
- Update AWS Secrets ManagerAWS Secrets Manager is used to store the SAML Identity Provider (IdP) certificate securely. The SandboxStudio-API stack creates a secret for this…
- Logging into the web UIOnce you have completed the installation of Sandbox Studio, you can log into the web user interface (UI). Finding the Login URL The login page is…
- Setup a custom domain (Optional)By default, Sandbox Studio is deployed behind an AWS CloudFront distribution. Users can access it using the CloudFront distribution URL that is…
- Manage your subscription
2 pages
- Free Tier and UpgradingSandbox Studio's licensing is managed directly through the AWS Marketplace, ensuring a seamless and integrated experience with your existing AWS…
- End User Licence Agreement (EULA)Sandbox Studio Software LTDEnd User License Agreement (EULA) Version: 1.0 Table of Contents Parties and Product License Grant and Scope Key…
- Uninstall Sandbox StudioIntroduction This wizard has been created to facilitate the uninstallation of Sandbox Studio in your environment. It automates as many steps as…