Operational_Instructions/AWS_Accounts_for_LiveRAG.md

# AWS Accounts for LiveRAG

During the LiveRAG Challenge, participants may use two AWS accounts:
- **AWS Team Account** – This is your private AWS account for your team, where you can apply AWS credits provided for the competition.
- **AWS LiveRAG Account** – This account is managed by TII and grants access to the dense (Pinecone) and sparse (OpenSearch) pre-built indices.  

Using these accounts is optional but highly recommended to optimize both cost and effort.

# 1. Using Your AWS Team Account with AWS Credits

Each participating group receives AWS credits for the duration of the competition.
The credits are limited, and any usage beyond the allocated amount will be charged to your personal payment method.
To ensure your credits are properly applied, follow the official [AWS instructions](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/awsaccountbilling/latest/aboutv2/useconsolidatedbilling-credits.html).

## 1.1 AWS Team Account Setup and Credit Application Steps

1. **Create an AWS Account** – Sign up for an AWS account and add a payment method (typically a credit card). If you have an existing AWS account you may reuse it.
2. **Apply AWS Credits** – Follow the [AWS instructions](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/awsaccountbilling/latest/aboutv2/useconsolidatedbilling-credits.html) to redeem and apply your credits.
3. **Monitor Costs Proactively** – AWS usage, especially GPU-based resources, can be expensive. We highly recommend to closely monitor your costs.
   - Use AWS Cost Management tools to monitor spending.
   - Set up billing alarms using AWS CloudWatch to receive notifications when costs exceed predefined thresholds.


## 1.2 Access and Setup Instructions

To gain access and configure the AWS LiveRAG account, follow these steps:
1. **Receive Sign-In Details** – You should have received an email with login credentials from the organizers.
2. **Sign In & Change Password** – Log in to the AWS console and update your password.
3. **Create AWS Command Line Interface (CLI) Credentials** – Generate an access key and secret for CLI usage.
4. **Configure AWS CLI Profile** – Run the following command to set up the CLI for this account and follow the instructions:

   ```sh
   aws configure --profile sigir-participant
   ```

5. **Verify Access** – Query the indices to confirm successful configuration.

For detailed instructions on account setup, credentials, and index usage, refer to this [example notebook](Operational_Instructions/Indices_Usage_Examples_for_LiveRAG.ipynb)

- **Use AWS CLI Profiles** – We recommend usage of separate AWS profiles. Configure separate AWS CLI profiles for better account management:

  ```sh
  aws configure --profile personal
  aws configure --profile sigir-participant
  ```
  - `personal`: Your own AWS account.
  - `sigir-participant`: The TII-provided AWS account (described below).

For beginners, it is recommended to complete the introductory [AWS tutorials](https://aws.amazon.com/getting-started/).


# 2. Using the Pre-Built Indices and Building Your Own Indices 
We provide you with two basic pre-built dense (Pinecone) and sparse (Opensearch) indices. See usage [here](Indices_Usage_Examples_for_LiveRAG.ipynb). You may use them freely for LiveRAG Challenge tasks only. 
You're welcome to build your own Pinecone/OpenSearch, or other indices. We encourage you to take advantage of the AWS and Pinecone credits we provide for this purpose. OpenSearch can be provisioned and paid by AWS credits.
If you want to build your own Pinecone index follow these [instructions](Pinecone_for_LiveRAG.md).

# 3. Cost Optimization Recommendations

We have estimated the cost of a typical team’s infrastructure, including GPU usage, and AWS has provided credits accordingly. However, individual teams may have varying requirements, so cost management is essential:
- **Shut down unused resources** – Always shut down GPUs and other compute instances when not in use.
- **Experiment on smaller datasets first** – This approach speeds up iteration cycles and reduces expenses before scaling up to larger datasets.

| **Action**            | **Recommendation**                                           |
|:-----------------------|:-------------------------------------------------------------|
| **AWS Credits**       | Apply credits early and monitor usage.                      |
| **Billing Alerts**    | Use AWS CloudWatch to avoid unexpected charges.             |
| **Resource Management** | Shut down unused resources to reduce costs.               |
| **Experimentation**   | Start with small datasets before scaling up.                |
| **Account Management** | Use separate AWS CLI profiles for personal and TII-Provided accounts. |

By following these best practices, you can effectively manage your resources, optimize costs, and maximize your efficiency during the LiveRAG Challenge. Recall that **if you exceed your credits , you will be directly charged and not be refunded!**