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Setup-the-AWS-Command-Line-Interface-and-Multi-factor-Authentication.md

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The AWS CLI allows users to interact directly with AWS services such S3, Athena, and Glue. Authenticating via the CLI also allows users to interact with these services through analytics tools like R and Tableau.

Our account setup requires multi-factor authentication (MFA) to use most services. The easiest way to setup MFA is using the third-party aws-mfa tool.

  1. Install the AWS command line interface using the provided executable or pip install awscli, which allows users to store credentials, query Athena, move S3 objects, etc. The CLI on Windows can be accessed via PowerShell. On Linux or macOS it can be accessed via a standard terminal.
  2. Log into the AWS Console and under your account select "My Security Credentials". Enable MFA, then create an access key. You'll need both the Access Key ID, the Secret Access Key, and the name of the Assigned MFA Device. Do not include (Virtual) when copying the name of the MFA device.
  3. In the command line run:
    • aws configure and enter your Access Key ID, Secret Access Key, region (us-east-1), and json for output.
    • pip install aws-mfa
  4. Open your credentials file located at ~/.aws/credentials on Linux or macOS, or at C:\Users\$USERNAME\.aws\credentials on Windows and rename [default] to [default-long-term].
  5. Underneath aws_secret_access_key type aws_mfa_device = $MFA_DEVICE where $MFA_DEVICE is the previously copied Assigned MFA Device from the AWS Console. Save the file.
  6. In the command line, run aws-mfa and enter the current MFA token provided by your Assigned MFA Device.
  7. Note, this command will only store MFA credentials for 12 hours (unless the duration is explicitly changed when running aws-mfa).

Note, when connecting through the VPN or working in-office, you may encounter a TLS error when trying to authenticate with AWS on Windows. This error is due to certificate chain issues with the AWS CLI. You can fix it by exporting the CCAO's root CA bundle and providing the path in the C:\Users\$USERNAME\.aws\config file.

  1. Search Manage user certificates in the Windows search bar. Then find the CCAO-specific root certificate under Trusted Root Certificate Authorities > Certificates.
  2. Right-click the CCAO CA, then click All Tasks > Export.
  3. Export the CA bundle in the base-64 X.509 format. Save the exported CA bundle somewhere accessible.
  4. Open the configuration file at C:\Users\$USERNAME\.aws\config and add the line ca_bundle = $PATH_TO_EXPORTED_CERT, where $PATH_TO_EXPORTED_CERT is the path to the root CA file you just generated.

Most of this README originates from these sources: