Can you offer any tips/best practices for running SQL Server on an Amazon EC2 Instance?

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+5 Q:

Can you offer any tips/best practices for running SQL Server on an Amazon EC2 Instance?

Setting up a Windows based web application on Amazon's cloud has definitely been a learning experience. Lots of unexpected hoops to jump through, especially to get around the ephemeral local drives limitations.

I was hoping to tap into the collective wisdom of those who have walked this road ahead of me and get some insight into best practices and/or tips for running SQL server on an Amazon EC2 Instance.

+2 A:

Hi,

Brent Ozar is very much into cloud computing and I beleive he has a number of articles on his blog pertaining to this.

Have a search through http://www.brentozar.com/ look for the word cloud.

For example, I came across his tutorial on how to setup hosting on Amazon EC2.

http://www.brentozar.com/archive/2008/10/running-sql-server-2005-on-amazon-ec2/

Hope this helps. Cheers.

John Sansom 2009-01-30 20:10:45

Awesome. Thanks!

JohnFx 2009-01-30 20:31:45

You're welcome. I would be interested to know how you get on using the platform.

John Sansom 2009-01-30 21:04:06

After I get it working I'll probably come back and post my findings. Also thinking about putting up a blog about the whole experience and the things I learned along the way. The documentation for setting up Windows apps is really sparse out there.

JohnFx 2009-01-30 22:22:51

+2 A:

Storing web-directory and SQL Server files in EBS is an easy way to get around the flimsyness of local storage.

I've made a script for backing up SQL-Server to S3:

http://friism.com/ec2-sql-server-backup-strategies-and-tactics

Here are some more general thoughts on running ASP.Net websites off EC2:

http://friism.com/rent-vs-buy-or-ec2-vs-building-your-own-iron

friism 2009-02-05 19:17:15

Thanks for the tips. The EBS is definitely a must, but it is a bit painful, especially when you need to attach it before windows starts (for event logs, AD databases, etc). Still fine tuning my approach.

JohnFx 2009-02-05 19:42:25

No problem.You don't necessarily have to attach it before Windows starts, Windows has no problems working with volumes attached after boot.

friism 2009-02-08 20:50:37

I think you are mistaken based on my experiments. Windows definitely has problems if the AD database is on a drive that is not attached at startup.

JohnFx 2009-02-18 22:47:25

@JohnFx, yeah your're right. My experiences are limited to non-AD instances with SQL Server files located on EBS.

friism 2009-02-21 03:50:37

I am having the same challenge of trying to deal with SQL Server databases on drives that are mounted after the server has been booted. I could script a detach and reattach of the database, but it seems like there should be an option for attaching the EBS volumes as a part of the boot up process for the EC2 instance.

Anyone figured this one out yet?

jn29098 2009-05-28 14:53:24

Part of the trick is setting the SQL service to manual, and starting it in a startup script that attaches the EBS volume first.

JohnFx 2009-10-10 18:14:37

ansaurus

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Can you offer any tips/best practices for running SQL Server on an Amazon EC2 Instance?

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