New Deal Allows SQL to Run in Amazon Cloud -- Visual Studio Magazine

New Deal Allows SQL to Run in Amazon Cloud

Microsoft and Amazon have agreed on a deal that will allow cheap use of Amazon's cloud resources for SQL Server 2012, formerly code-named "Denali."

By David Ramel
11/03/2011

Looking for a way to test the new version of SQL Server in a cloud environment? How about the biggest cloud environment out there? That's now possible with a new Amazon/Microsoft partnership.

The tech giants have agreed on a deal that will allow cheap use of Amazon's cloud resources for SQL Server 2012, formerly code-named "Denali."

The collaboration of Microsoft SQL Server 2012 and the Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) means developers only have to pay standard Amazon Web Services (AWS) rates to test the beta database software, currently in Community Technology Preview 3. AWS pricing for "standard on-demand instances" ranges from 12 cents to 96 cents per hour.

An AWS site promises easy deployment in five minutes. "With AWS, companies can utilize the Cloud to easily test the new functionality and features of 'Denali,' without having to purchase and manage hardware," the site says. "This provides customers with faster time to evaluation, without any of the complexity related to setting up and configuring a test lab for beta software."

The SQL Server 2012 program is part of a broader initiative in which Microsoft has developed Amazon Machine Images (AMI) for testing of Web-based products such as WebMatrix and database-related software -- basically SQL Server 2008 R2 -- all running on Windows Server 2008 R2. Denali AMI was created just a couple of weeks ago.

Last month, Microsoft announced that "Denali" had been renamed to SQL Server 2012.

About the Author

David Ramel is an editor and writer at Converge 360.

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