Amazon EC2 for SQL Server - AWS Prescriptive Guidance
When to choose Amazon EC2

Amazon EC2 for SQL Server

Amazon EC2 supports a self-managed SQL Server database. That is, it gives you full control over the setup of the infrastructure and the database environment. Running the database on Amazon EC2 is very similar to running the database on your own server. You have full control of the database and operating system-level access, so you can use your choice of tools to manage the operating system, database software, patches, data replication, backup, and restoration. This migration option requires you to set up, configure, manage, and tune all the components, including EC2 instances, storage volumes, scalability, networking, and security, based on AWS architecture best practices. You are responsible for data replication and recovery across your instances in the same or different AWS Regions.

For more information about migrating from SQL Server to Amazon EC2, see the rehost patterns on the AWS Prescriptive Guidance website.

When to choose Amazon EC2

Amazon EC2 is a good migration option for your SQL Server database when:

  • You need full control over the database and access to its underlying operating system, database installation, and configuration.

  • You want to administer your database, including backups and recovery, patching the operating system and the database, tuning the operating system and database parameters, managing security, and configuring high availability or replication.

  • You want to use features and options that aren’t currently supported by Amazon RDS. For details, see Features not supported and features with limited support in the Amazon RDS documentation.

  • You need a specific SQL Server version that isn’t supported by Amazon RDS. For a list of supported versions and editions, see SQL Server versions on Amazon RDS in the Amazon RDS documentation.

  • Your database size and performance needs exceed the current Amazon RDS for SQL Server offerings. For details, see Amazon RDS DB instance storage in the Amazon RDS documentation.

  • You want to avoid automatic software patches that might not be compliant with your applications.

  • You want to bring your own license instead of using the Amazon RDS for SQL Server license-included model.

  • You want to achieve higher IOPS and storage capacity than the current limits. For details, see Amazon RDS DB instance storage in the Amazon RDS documentation.

For a list of currently supported SQL Server features and versions on Amazon EC2, see Choosing between Amazon EC2 and Amazon RDS later in this guide.