Quickly Deploy SQL Server on Linux using AWS Launch Wizard

By: Rajendra Gupta   |   Updated: 2022-10-27   |   Comments (1)   |   Related: > Amazon AWS

Problem

Most SQL Server installations have been typically done on Windows. However, there could be significant cost savings if SQL Server is run on Linux. The issue with deploying SQL Server on Linux is that the transition may be difficult from SQL Server on Windows to SQL Server on Linux. Also, in the case of a high-availability configuration, it increases the knowledge needed since Linux uses Pacemaker instead of a Windows Cluster.

Luckily, the AWS web console tool can quickly deploy SQL Server on an EC2 instance and provision infrastructure resources based on your requirements. This can be done for either Windows or Linux, as well as build standalone or highly available solutions for SQL Server. This tip will explore the AWS Launch Wizard for SQL Server deployments and focus on how this can be accomplished for Linux.

Solution

AWS Launch Wizard is a fantastic service that can quickly help size, configure, and deploy a Microsoft SQL Server on Amazon EC2 - all with minimal fuss. It is easy to use and supports single-instance SQL Server deployments and high availability (HA) setups on Amazon EC2.

The Launch Wizard provisions and configures the selected resources to create a fully functioning, production-ready SQL Server including CPU cores, network performance, memory, storage, and performance. It also gives an estimated cost for resources. You can modify the resource configurations and instantly view the updated cost assessment. AWS Launch Wizard also creates AWS CloudFormation templates which can be customized for subsequent implementations.

In this article, we will deploy a SQL Server on Linux (standalone) on Ubuntu (Linux) using AWS Launch Wizard.

Image reference: AWS Launch Wizard

Apart from SQL Server, the Launch Wizard also allows you to deploy:

• Active Directory
• Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service
• Exchange Server
• Internet Information Services
• Remote Desktop Gateway

Deployment Models of AWS Launch Wizard for SQL Server

AWS Launch Wizard supports SQL Server deployment on EC2 for Windows and Ubuntu and Red Hat Linux operating systems. The following list gives supported SQL Server versions, operating systems, license support, and storage requirements on Windows and Linux deployment models.

Windows Deployment Model

Linux Deployment Model

Deploy a Standalone SQL Server on Linux EC2 Instance Using AWS Launch Wizard

Using the AWS Launch Wizard console, let's deploy a standalone SQL Server instance on a Linux EC2 instance. Log in to the AWS portal and search for Launch Wizard.

Clicking on the Launch Wizard link takes you to the landing page of the AWS Launch Wizard. You can deploy various popular enterprise applications such as SQL Server and Active Directory.

Click on Choose application and select the application from the drop-down list. Choose SQL Server and click on Create deployment.

The configuration page opens to create SQL Server deployments.

Step 1: Review Permissions

The AWS Launch Wizard requires the Identity and Access Management (IAM) role for deploying resources on your behalf. It automatically creates a role name, AmazonEC2RoleForLaunchWizard, as shown below. To learn more about the IAM role, click on the documentation link from the Role policy section.

Step 2: Configure Application Settings

The Configure application settings interface requires the following input:

Operating system:

Choose the operating system – Windows, Ubuntu, or RedHat Enterprise Linux.

Deployment model:

As stated earlier, you can deploy a Standalone or HA SQL Server with multiple nodes. You can choose a Single instance or HA model based on the operating system type. For example, select a Single instance for this demonstration.

General configuration:

• Deployment name: You can specify a unique name for the deployment.
• Simple Notification Service (SNS): AWS uses the SNS topic for notifications and alerts. It is an optional field.
• Enable rollback on failed deployment: AWS Launch Wizard does not delete the resources in case of failure so that you can investigate the errors. Use the option, Enable rollback on failed deployment, to instruct AWS to delete resources immediately in case of deployment failure.

Connectivity:

The Connectivity field defines key-pair and the Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) network configuration.

• EC2 key pair: An EC2 key pair is required to connect with the EC2 instance. If you have an existing key pair, select it from the drop-down or create a new key pair. Click Create Key Pair to configure a new key pair for EC2 instance connectivity.

• Download and save the private key file in a safe place.

• Virtual Private Cloud (VPC): AWS Launch Wizard allows you to create a new VPC or choose an existing VPC. Let's create a new VPC, as shown below.

SQL Server configuration:

This section is specific to a SQL Server configuration.

• Username: Launch Wizard uses the default username SA as the system administrator account.
• Password: Enter the SA login credential.
• Amazon Machine Image (AMI): Choose the SQL Server version and edition from the available license including AMI. You can use custom AMI for your SQL Server license (BYOL model).

Step 3: Define Infrastructure Requirements

The AWS Launch Wizard recommends the infrastructure resources as per defined requirements. By default, it uses the following default values:

• Number of instance cores: 4
• Network performance: Up to 10 Gibs
• Memory (GB): 4
• Type of Storage Drive: SSD
• SQL Server throughput: Up to 250 MiB/s

Based on the requirements, it shows the recommended resources. For example, the default requirements suggest the following:

• Instance type: c6a.xlarge
• Volume type: gp2
• Volume size:
• Temporary database: 100 GB
• Data: 500 GB
• Backup: 500GB

You can define the infrastructure requirement based on Infrastructure suggestion or Instance type.

Estimated on-demand cost to deploy additional resources

You can review the estimated resource deployment cost using the AWS Launch Wizard. Note: The AWS Launch Wizard is free, and the price is associated with the deployed resources.

Step 4: Review and Deploy

On the Review and Deploy page, you can assess the SQL Server deployment configurations. Click on Deploy at the bottom of the page if you agree with the configuration and terms specified.

This will start the deployment, and you can access the SQL Server in the AWS EC2 instance post-deployment.

Click on the application name – mssqldemo – to get details of individual components.

Refresh the deployment to see status changes. As a deployment phase finishes, it will be marked as Completed.

Cost Comparison on Windows and Linux SQL Server Deployments

As mentioned earlier, deploying on Linux can be much cheaper than on Windows. The following table shows the cost comparison between SQL Server on Windows vs. Linux for both standalone and cluster configurations. SQL Server on Linux is cheaper than Windows due to licensing costs. However, prices may vary depending on region and resources.

You can view the deployment cost in the AWS Launch Wizard or use the AWS pricing calculator to estimate the cost of SQL Server deployments on Windows and Linux.

View AWS CloudFormation Templates

The AWS Launch Wizard creates CloudFormation templates you can reuse for future deployments. In the AWS services, navigate to CloudFormation and view the stacks. To get details of a deployed SQL Server instance, click on Resources in the stack. You get a list of deployed resources such as EC2 instance, security group, and network interfaces.

Click on the EC2 instance and check the instance state, platform details, AMI name, Instance ID, Hostname, IP addresses, and VPC ID.

Clean Up Resources Deployed Using AWS Launch Wizard

Let's assume you deployed SQL Server resources using the AWS Launch Wizard for learning purposes and would like to remove what you created. Since the Launch Wizard creates multiple resources such as VPC, Storage, EC2 instance, and security group, it isn't easy to look for each resource and delete them. You want to delete them once you explore the deployment using the Launch Wizard.

You can remove all resources deployed using the AWS Launch Wizard with a single click. Go to the AWS CloudFormation stack and click on delete. As we saw earlier, Launch Wizard created the nested stacks. It is always advisable to delete resources through the root stack so that it can delete all resources with their dependency order.

Choose the option – Go to the root stack (recommended) and enter the phrase 'delete' in the confirm deletion box.

Click Delete stack. This deletes the resources deployed using the AWS Launch Wizard.

Benefits of Using the Launch Wizard

The AWS Launch Wizard has the following benefits for deploying SQL Server resources:

1. Simplified resource deployment: The AWS Launch Wizard guides you in deploying resources for standalone and HA configurations. It saves time in provisioning individual resources for the key applications.
2. Automated resource recommendations: The Launch Wizard recommends AWS resources such as instance type, memory, and disks based on the defined requirements. You can review the resources and their cost from the Launch Wizard and make configuration changes if required.
3. Reusable CloudFormation templates: AWS Launch Wizard generates AWS CloudFormation templates for future deployments. You can reuse the templates, customize them, and deploy the services without hassle.
4. Adhere to AWS best practices: The AWS Launch Wizard adheres to AWS security, application best practices, performance efficiency, and cost savings.

Windows to Linux Replatforming Assistant for Microsoft SQL Server Databases

AWS incorporates a Replatforming Assistant for migrating SQL Server workloads from Windows to the Linux operating system. It is a scripting tool that works with any Windows Server virtual machine hosted in the cloud or on-premises. You can use the replatforming tool to check incompatibilities, export databases from Windows, and import them into Linux EC2. If you deploy a Windows-based SQL Server using the AWS Launch Wizard, you can use the Replatforming Assistant to convert it to Linux.

Refer to AWS documentation for more details on the replatforming tool.

Summary

The AWS Launch Wizard is a straightforward way to create a new AWS SQL Server instance on EC2. The Launch Wizard guides you step-by-step by selecting the database engine, edition, size, and infrastructure requirements options that meet your business needs. Using this wizard, you can launch a new instance in standalone or high availability mode with minimal configurations for either Windows or Linux.

Next Steps

• Deploy SQL Server on Linux using the AWS Launch Wizard.
• Read the AWS Launch Wizard documentation for more details.
• Refer to these existing tips for AWS services.

About the author

Rajendra Gupta is a Consultant DBA with 14+ years of extensive experience in database administration including large critical OLAP, OLTP, Reporting and SharePoint databases.

View all my tips