Microsoft Workloads on AWS

Category: Amazon FSx for Windows File Server

Optimizing large-scale migration of SQL Server databases to Amazon EC2 using backup metadata

In this blog post, we explore how the Microsoft SQL Server backup metadata, known as backup headers, can be leveraged when migrating from on premises to Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2). This technique is particularly useful when access to source database information is non-existent or only backup files are available with no access to […]

Scaling SQL Server performance beyond 1M transactions per minute with Amazon FSx

In this blog post, we introduce a strategy for scaling Microsoft SQL Server deployments on Amazon Web Services (AWS) that uses Amazon FSx, a service that provides fully managed, high-performance file systems in the cloud. This strategy increases SQL Server performance on AWS, providing 2 to 3 times as many Transactions per Minute (TPM) as […]

Do AWS customers benefit from 64KB block size for SQL Server storage?

In this blog post, we will share results of Microsoft SQL Server performance testing using Amazon FSx for Windows File Server (Amazon FSx) and Amazon Elastic Block Store (Amazon EBS) with block sizes in the range of 16 KB to 64 KB to prove or disprove the common opinion that SQL Server requires 64KB block […]

Automate the Upgrade of an Amazon FSx for Windows File Server to a Multi-AZ deployment

For many workloads, customers use Amazon FSx for Windows File Server (Amazon FSx), a fully managed storage service based on Windows File Server. For non-production workloads, a single Availability Zone (AZ) deployment may be sufficient. But sometimes, the need arises to add high availability to the storage in an environment. Customers need a simple way […]

Using SMB CSI Driver on Amazon EKS Windows nodes

Back in 2020, we first published a blog post on how Windows pods on Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Services (Amazon EKS) could access Amazon FSx for Windows File Server as persistent storage. This was accomplished by using AWS Systems Manager to automate the domain join. In the background, a feature from SMB protocol called “SMB Global […]

Amazon FSx for Windows File Server and AWS Managed Microsoft AD Multi-Administrator Deployment

In this blog post, I will demonstrate how to configure your Amazon FSx for Windows File Server and AWS Managed Microsoft Active Directory (AD) to give separate teams administrative control over each individual Amazon FSx for Windows File Server. I was working with a customer that deployed Amazon FSx for Windows File Server with AWS […]

Automating Amazon FSx for Windows File Server configuration for more efficient enforcement of security controls

Modern data security strategies require enforcing multiple security controls – including encryption, end-user access control, monitoring, and auditing – to meet internal security policies and compliance goals. Automating the configuration and enforcement of these controls not only reduces the risk of human error and mismanagement, but also reduces management cost and overhead, especially for complex […]

Implementing security notifications for end user activity on Amazon FSx for Windows File Server

Security is job zero at AWS. Logging end user access to customer data is a key component of many customers’ internal security policies and compliance needs. End user access audit logs can be used to conduct periodic security audits and forensic investigations for security incidents. However, customers often need to learn about potentially anomalous behavior […]

Join Windows on AWS at re:Invent 2020

Join us at re:Invent 2020 for live, online presentations led by AWS solutions architects and engineers. During these presentations and ask-the-expert sessions, you have the unique opportunity to engage on 1-on-1 conversations with Windows Server, .NET, and SQL Server experts. This year, re:Invent is a free online event, giving you unlimited access to hundreds of […]