Converting an RDS for SQL Server instance from license included to Bring Your Own Media (BYOM)
Database Blog
This article provides a step-by-step guide to convert existing RDS for SQL Server instances from license-included to Bring Your Own Media (BYOM) licensing model using your own SQL Server licenses.
- Upload SQL Server installation media to S3 and create a BYOM engine version for validation
- Modify existing license-included instances to use BYOM licensing without database migration
- Multi-AZ instances undergo rolling in-place conversion with minimal failover time; Single-AZ instances require downtime
- Conversion is irreversible; BYOM engine versions cannot be shared across regions or AWS accounts
- Use AWS License Manager to track vCPU consumption of BYOM instances per region
- Supported on SQL Server Enterprise and Standard editions 2019 and 2022 with license mobility
Converting to BYOM allows organizations to leverage existing Microsoft licensing agreements on AWS while maintaining fully managed RDS benefits like automated backups, patching, and high availability.
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