Replatforming COTS and in-house applications FAQ

This section provides answers to commonly raised questions about replatforming COTS and in-house applications.

When should I choose to replatform instead of rehosting?

You should replatform non-database components if the OS vendor has discontinued security updates (for example, RHEL 5 and Windows 2008). For unsupported OSs, you can rehost components to an isolated private subnet and upgrade them before you deploy them to a production environment.

For database components, you should evaluate if replatforming to a commercial database on Amazon RDS is an appropriate choice. You can also use a self-managed database running on Amazon EC2 if the database's vendor allows you to use your current license on the AWS Cloud.

Can I refactor my COTS application to an open-source database?

It's possible to refactor a COTS application to an open-source database if your application's vendor supports open-source databases. We don’t recommend using open-source databases for COTS applications without obtaining the vendor's support.

What AWS tools can I use to quickly rehost my servers to the AWS Cloud?

You can use Application Migration Service as your primary migration service to lift and shift your applications to AWS.

What AWS tools can I use for replatforming my applications?

There are several tools available on the AWS Cloud including:

• Systems Manager automated upgrades – Upgrade Windows 2008 and SQL Server 2008 on the AWS Cloud.

• AWS SCT – Convert database schema from commercial to open-source databases.

• AWS DMS – Replicate data from on-premises databases to the AWS Cloud, either on Amazon RDS databases or databases running on Amazon EC2.