Why did my EC2 instance become unreachable before the scheduled retirement date?

Resolution

Amazon EC2 creates a scheduled event when the underlying hardware that's hosting an instance detects irreparable failure. The underlying hardware needs maintenance and the instance is set to retire at a specific time. The underlying hardware might become inaccessible and unable to host instances before the scheduled retirement date. When this occurs, the instance becomes unreachable before the scheduled retirement date. The retirement notification includes the status of the underlying hardware and if the instance is reachable.

Most retirement notifications are sent in advance so that you can perform the stop and start before the scheduled retirement date. This allows you to act action with less downtime and at your chosen time. If the instance becomes unreachable before the set retirement date, you can stop and start the instance to move it to new, healthy hardware.

The instance retirement and recommended action for the scheduled retirement event are included in the retirement notification. The retirement notification includes the following information:

• The cause of the instance's retirement.
• The time of the scheduled event.
• The AWS resource ID that the scheduled event is for.
• The action needed from you, such as performing a stop and start on the instance.
• Other information, such as what might occur when the instance is stopped.
• Links to AWS documentation with more information on the recommended actions.