All posts by Fred Wurden

Better performance for less: AWS continues to beat Azure on SQL Server price/performance

Post Syndicated from Fred Wurden original https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/compute/sql-server-runs-better-on-aws/

By Fred Wurden, General Manager, AWS Enterprise Engineering (Windows, VMware, RedHat, SAP, Benchmarking)

AWS R5b.8xlarge delivers better performance at lower cost than Azure E64_32s_v4 for a SQL Server workload

In this blog, we will review a recent benchmark that Principled Technologies published on 2/25. The benchmark found that an Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) R5b.8xlarge instance delivered better performance for a SQL Server workload at a lower cost when directly tested against an Azure E64_32s_v4 VM.

Behind the study: Understanding how SQL Server performed better, for a lower cost with an AWS EC2 R5b instance

Principled Technologies tested an online transaction processing (OLTP) workload for SQL Server 2019 on both an R5b instance on Amazon EC2 with Amazon Elastic Block Store (EBS) as storage and Azure E64_32s_v4. This particular Azure VM was chosen as an equivalent to the R5b instance, as both instances have comparable specifications for input/output operations per second (IOPS) performance, use Intel Xeon processors from the same generation (Cascade Lake), and offer the same number of cores (32). For storage, Principled Technologies mirrored storage configurations across the Azure VM and the EC2 instance (which used Amazon Elastic Block Store (EBS)), maxing out the IOPS specs on each while offering a direct comparison between instances.

Test Configurations

Source: Principled Technologies

When benchmarking, Principled Technologies ran a TPC-C-like OLTP workload from HammerDB v3.3 on both instances, testing against new orders per minute (NOPM) performance. NOPM shows the number of new-order transactions completed in one minute as part of a serialized business workload. HammerDB claims that because NOPM is “independent of any particular database implementation [it] is the recommended primary metric to use.”

The results: SQL Server on AWS EC2 R5b delivered 2x performance than the Azure VM and 62% less expensive 

Graphs that show AWS instance outperformed the Azure instance

Source: Principled Technologies

These test results from the Principled Technologies report show the price/performance and performance comparisons. The performance metric is New Orders Per Minute (NOPM); faster is better. The price/performance calculations are based on the cost of on-demand, License Included SQL Server instances and storage to achieve 1,000 NOPM performance, smaller is better.

An EC2 r5b.8xlarge instance powered by an Intel Xeon Scalable processor delivered better SQL Server NOPM performance on the HammerDB benchmark and a lower price per 1,000 NOPM than an Azure E64_32s_v4 VM powered by similar Intel Xeon Scalable processors.

On top of that, AWS’s storage price-performance exceeded Azure’s. The Azure managed disks offered 53 percent more storage than the EBS storage, but the EC2 instance with EBS storage cost 24 percent less than the Azure VM with managed disks. Even by reducing Azure storage by the difference in storage, something customers cannot do, EBS would have cost 13 percent less per storage GB than the Azure managed disks.

Why AWS is the best cloud to run your Windows and SQL Server workloads

To us, these results aren’t surprising. In fact, they’re in line with the success that customers find running Windows on AWS for over 12 years. Customers like Pearson and Expedia have all found better performance and enhanced cost savings by moving their Windows, SQL Server, and .NET workloads to AWS. In fact, RepricerExpress migrated its Windows and SQL Server environments from Azure to AWS to slash outbound bandwidth costs while gaining agility and performance.

Not only do we offer better price-performance for your Windows workloads, but we also offer better ways to run Windows in the cloud. Whether you want to rehost your databases to EC2, move to managed with Amazon Relational Database for SQL Server (RDS), or even modernize to cloud-native databases, AWS stands ready to help you get the most out of the cloud.

 

To learn more on migrating Windows Server or SQL Server, visit Windows on AWS. For more stories about customers who have successfully migrated and modernized SQL Server workloads with AWS, visit our Customer Success page. Contact us to start your migration journey today.

Learn why AWS is the best cloud to run Microsoft Windows Server and SQL Server workloads

Post Syndicated from Fred Wurden original https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/compute/learn-why-aws-is-the-best-cloud-to-run-microsoft-windows-server-and-sql-server-workloads/

Fred Wurden, General Manager, AWS Enterprise Engineering (Windows, VMware, RedHat, SAP, Benchmarking)

For companies that rely on Windows Server but find it daunting to move those workloads to the cloud, there is no easier way to run Windows in the cloud than AWS. Customers as diverse as Expedia, Pearson, Seven West Media, and RepricerExpress have chosen AWS over other cloud providers to unlock the Microsoft products they currently rely on, including Windows Server and SQL Server. The reasons are several: by embracing AWS, they’ve achieved cost savings through forthright pricing options and expanded breadth and depth of capabilities. In this blog, we break down these advantages to understand why AWS is the simplest, most popular and secure cloud to run your business-critical Windows Server and SQL Server workloads.

AWS lowers costs and increases choice with flexible pricing options

Customers expect accurate and transparent pricing so you can make the best decisions for your business. When assessing which cloud to run your Windows workloads, customers look at the total cost of ownership (TCO) of workloads.

Not only does AWS provide cost-effective ways to run Windows and SQL Server workloads, we also regularly lower prices to make it even more affordable. Since launching in 2006, AWS has reduced prices 85 times. In fact, we recently dropped pricing by and average of 25% for Amazon RDS for SQL Server Enterprise Edition database instances in the Multi-AZ configuration, for both On-Demand Instance and Reserved Instance types on the latest generation hardware.

The AWS pricing approach makes it simple to understand your costs, even as we actively help you pay AWS less now and in the future. For example, AWS Trusted Advisor provides real-time guidance to provision your resources more efficiently. This means that you spend less money with us. We do this because we know that if we aren’t creating more and more value for you each year, you’ll go elsewhere.

In addition, we have several other industry-leading initiatives to help lower customer costs, including AWS Compute Optimizer, Amazon CodeGuru, and AWS Windows Optimization and Licensing Assessments (AWS OLA). AWS Compute Optimizer recommends optimal AWS Compute resources for your workloads by using machine learning (ML) to analyze historical utilization metrics. Customers who use Compute Optimizer can save up to 25% on applications running on Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2). Machine learning also plays a key role in Amazon CodeGuru, which provides intelligent recommendations for improving code quality and identifying an application’s most expensive lines of code. Finally, AWS OLA helps customers to optimize licensing and infrastructure provisioning based on actual resource consumption (ARC) to offer cost-effective Windows deployment options.

Cloud pricing shouldn’t be complicated

Other cloud providers bury key pricing information when making comparisons to other vendors, thereby incorrectly touting pricing advantages. Often those online “pricing calculators” that purport to clarify pricing neglect to include hidden fees, complicating costs through licensing rules (e.g., you can run this workload “for free” if you pay us elsewhere for “Software Assurance”). At AWS, we believe such pricing and licensing tricks are contrary to the fundamental promise of transparent pricing for cloud computing.

By contrast, AWS makes it straightforward for you to run Windows Server applications where you want. With our End-of-Support Migration Program (EMP) for Windows Server, you can easily move your legacy Windows Server applications—without needing any code changes. The EMP technology decouples the applications from the underlying OS. This enables AWS Partners or AWS Professional Services to migrate critical applications from legacy Windows Server 2003, 2008, and 2008 R2 to newer, supported versions of Windows Server on AWS. This allows you to avoid extra charges for extended support that other cloud providers charge.

Other cloud providers also may limit your ability to Bring-Your-Own-License (BYOL) for SQL Server to your preferred cloud provider. Meanwhile, AWS improves the BYOL experience using EC2 Dedicated Hosts and AWS License Manager. With EC2 Dedicated Hosts, you can save costs by moving existing Windows Server and SQL Server licenses do not have Software Assurance to AWS. AWS License Manager simplifies how you manage your software licenses from software vendors such as Microsoft, SAP, Oracle, and IBM across AWS and on-premises environments. We also work hard to help our customers spend less.

How AWS helps customers save money on Windows Server and SQL Server workloads

The first way AWS helps customers save money is by delivering the most reliable global cloud infrastructure for your Windows workloads. Any downtime costs customers in terms of lost revenue, diminished customer goodwill, and reduced employee productivity.

With respect to pricing, AWS offers multiple pricing options to help our customers save. First, we offer AWS Savings Plans that provide you with a flexible pricing model to save up to 72 percent on your AWS compute usage. You can sign up for Savings Plans for a 1- or 3-year term. Our Savings Plans help you easily manage your plans by taking advantage of recommendations, performance reporting and budget alerts in AWS Cost Explorer, which is a unique benefit only AWS provides. Not only that, but we also offer Amazon EC2 Spot Instances that help you save up to 90 percent on your compute costs vs. On-Demand Instance pricing.

Customers don’t need to walk this migration path alone. In fact, AWS customers often make the most efficient use of cloud resources by working with assessment partners like Cloudamize, CloudChomp, or Migration Evaluator (formerly TSO Logic), which is now part of AWS. By running detailed assessments of their environments with Migration Evaluator before migration, customers can achieve an average of 36 percent savings using AWS over three years. So how do you get from an on-premises Windows deployment to the cloud? AWS makes it simple.

AWS has support programs and tools to help you migrate to the cloud

Though AWS Migration Acceleration Program (MAP) for Windows is a great way to reduce the cost of migrating Windows Server and SQL Server workloads, MAP is more than a cost savings tool. As part of MAP, AWS offers a number of resources to support and sustain your migration efforts. This includes an experienced APN Partner ecosystem to execute migrations, our AWS Professional Services team to provide best practices and prescriptive advice, and a training program to help IT professionals understand and carry out migrations successfully. We help you figure out which workloads to move first, then leverage the combined experience of our Professional Services and partner teams to guide you through the process. For customers who want to save even more (up to 72% in some cases) we are the leaders in helping customers transform legacy systems to modernized managed services.

Again, we are always available to help guide you in your Windows journey to the cloud. We guide you through our technologies like AWS Launch Wizard, which provides a guided way of sizing, configuring, and deploying AWS resources for Microsoft applications like Microsoft SQL Server Always On, or through our comprehensive ecosystem of tens of thousands of partners and third-party solutions, including many with deep expertise with Windows technologies.

Why run Windows Server and SQL Server anywhere else but AWS?

Not only does AWS offer significantly more services than any other cloud, with over 48 services without comparable equivalents on other clouds, but AWS also provides better ways to use Microsoft products than any other cloud. This includes Active Directory as a managed service and FSx for Windows File Server, the only fully managed file storage service for Windows. If you’re interested in learning more about how AWS improves the Windows experience, please visit this article on our Modernizing with AWS blog.

Bring your Windows Server and SQL Server workloads to AWS for the most secure, reliable, and performant cloud, providing you with the depth and breadth of capabilities at the lowest cost. To learn more, visit Windows on AWS. Contact us today to learn more on how we can help you move your Windows to AWS or innovate on open source solutions.

About the Author
Fred Wurden is the GM of Enterprise Engineering (Windows, VMware, Red Hat, SAP, benchmarking) working to make AWS the most customer-centric cloud platform on Earth. Prior to AWS, Fred worked at Microsoft for 17 years and held positions, including: EU/DOJ engineering compliance for Windows and Azure, interoperability principles and partner engagements, and open source engineering. He lives with his wife and a few four-legged friends since his kids are all in college now.