The rsync utility can backup files, synchronize directory trees, and much much more, both on the local machine and between two different hosts—via push and pull. Here is how to tame it.
How to expand the EBS boot volume of a Linux-based EC2 instance
This is easier than you probably think: AWS will expand the EBS boot volume of an EC2 instance running Linux automatically when you launch a new instance off of it with the desired capacity.
Here is how it works in more detail.