You can create an ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instance in the ApsaraDB RDS console or by using the ApsaraDB RDS API. This topic describes how to create an ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instance in the ApsaraDB RDS console.

Note You receive a discount on your first purchase of an RDS instance. For more information, visit the ApsaraDB RDS promotion page.

Prerequisites

You have an Alibaba Cloud account. For more information, see Sign up with Alibaba Cloud.

Procedure

  1. Go to the ApsaraDB RDS buy page.
  2. Select a billing method.
    • Subscription: A subscription instance is an instance that you can subscribe to for a specified period of time and pay for up front. If you plan to use the RDS instance for a long period of time, we recommend that you select the Subscription billing method. In this case, you also need to specify the Duration parameter in the lower section of the page. The subscription billing method is more cost-effective than the pay-as-you-go billing method. You can receive larger discounts for longer commitments.
    • Pay-As-You-Go: A pay-as-you-go instance is charged per hour based on your actual resource usage. If you plan to use the RDS instance for a short period of time, we recommend that you select the Pay-As-You-Go billing method. If you no longer need the RDS instance, you can release the instance to reduce costs.
    Note
    • You can create a pay-as-you-go RDS instance. Then, after you confirm that the created RDS instance meets your business requirements, you can change the billing method of the RDS instance to subscription.
    • If you want to manage the host on which the RDS instance is deployed, you must select Dedicated Cluster (Subscription) to create a host. Then, you can create the RDS instance on the host.
  3. Configure the following parameters.
    Parameter Description
    Region The region where the RDS instance resides.
    • If your application is deployed on an Elastic Compute Service (ECS) instance, the RDS instance must reside in the same region as the ECS instance. For example, the RDS instance and the ECS instance can both reside in the China (Hangzhou) region. If the RDS instance and the ECS instance reside in different regions, they cannot communicate over an internal network and therefore they cannot deliver optimal performance.
    • If your application is deployed on an on-premises server or computer, we recommend that you select a region that is in close proximity to the on-premises server or computer.
    Database Engine The database engine and version that the RDS instance runs. Select Microsoft SQL Server. The supported SQL Server versions are 2008 R2, 2012, 2016, 2017, and 2019.
    Note The available database engines and versions vary based on the region that you select.
    Edition
    • Basic: The database system consists of only a primary RDS instance. Computing is separated from storage to increase cost-effectiveness.
    • High-availability: The database system consists of a primary RDS instance and a secondary RDS instance. These instances work in the high-availability architecture.
    • Cluster: The database system consists of a primary RDS instance, a secondary RDS instance, and up to seven read-only RDS instances. The read capability of the database system improves with the number of read-only RDS instances.
    Note The available RDS editions vary based on the region and database engine version that you select. For more information, see Overview of ApsaraDB RDS editions.
    Storage Type
    • Local SSD: A local SSD resides on the same host as the database engine. You can store data on local SSDs to reduce I/O latency.
    • ESSD: Enhanced SSDs (ESSDs) come in three performance levels (PLs).
      • ESSD PL1: An ESSD of PL1 is a regular ESSD.
      • ESSD PL2: An ESSD of PL2 delivers IOPS and throughput that are approximately twice higher than the IOPS and throughput delivered by an ESSD of PL1.
      • ESSD PL3: An ESSD of PL3 delivers IOPS that is up to 20 times higher than the IOPS delivered by an ESSD of PL1. An ESSD of PL3 also delivers throughput that is up to 11 times higher than the throughput delivered by an ESSD of PL1. ESSDs of PL3 are suitable for business scenarios in which highly concurrent requests must be processed with high I/O performance and at low read and write latencies.
    • Standard SSD: A standard SSD is an elastic block storage device that is built on top of the distributed storage architecture. You can store data on standard SSDs to separate computing from storage.
    Note
    • The available storage types vary based on the instance type and RDS edition that you select.
    • If you select the ESSD or standard SSD storage type, you can select the Disk Encryption option. Disk encryption improves data security. For more information, see Configure disk encryption for an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance.
    • For more information about the storage types that are supported by ApsaraDB RDS, see Storage types.
    Zone of Primary Node

    The zone where the RDS instance resides. Each zone is an independent physical location within a region. For example, the China (Hangzhou) region contains Zone H, Zone I, and Zone J. ApsaraDB RDS supports the following two deployment methods:

    • Multi-zone Deployment: The primary RDS instance and the secondary RDS instance reside in different zones to provide zone-disaster recovery. This is the recommended deployment method.
    • Single-zone Deployment: The primary RDS instance and the secondary RDS instance reside in the same zone.
    Note If you select the RDS Basic Edition, you can select only the Single-zone Deployment method.
    Instance Type
    • General-purpose (Entry-level): specifies the general-purpose instance family. A general-purpose instance exclusively occupies the allocated memory and I/O resources. However, it shares CPU and storage resources with the other general-purpose instances that are deployed on the same server.
    • Dedicated (Enterprise-level): specifies the dedicated instance family or the dedicated host instance family. A dedicated instance exclusively occupies the allocated CPU, memory, storage, and I/O resources. The dedicated host instance family is the highest configuration of the dedicated instance family. A dedicated host instance exclusively occupies all the CPU, memory, storage, and I/O resources of the server on which the instance is deployed.
    Note For more information, see Primary ApsaraDB RDS instance types.
    Capacity The storage capacity that is provided for the RDS instance to store data files, system files, binary log files, and transaction files. You can adjust the storage capacity in increments of 5 GB.
    Note Dedicated instances are allocated exclusive resources. Therefore, the storage capacity of a dedicated instance that is equipped with local SSDs varies based on the instance type. For more information, see Primary ApsaraDB RDS instance types.
  4. In the lower-right corner of the page, click Next: Instance Configuration.
  5. Configure the following parameters.
    Parameter Description
    Network Type Set the network type.
    • Classic Network: the traditional type of network.
    • VPC: the recommended type of network. A virtual private cloud (VPC) is an isolated virtual network that provides higher security and higher performance than the classic network.

      After you select the VPC network type, you must specify the VPC and VSwitch of Primary Node parameters. If you set the Deployment Method parameter in the previous step to Multi-zone deployment, you must also specify the VSwitch of Secondary Node parameter.

    Note If your application runs on an Elastic Compute Service (ECS) instance, the ECS instance and the RDS instance must both reside in the classic network or in the same VPC. Otherwise, the ECS instance and the RDS instance cannot communicate over an internal network.
  6. In the lower-right corner of the page, click Next: Confirm Order.
  7. Confirm the configuration of the RDS instance in the Parameters section, specify the Purchase Plan and Duration parameters, read and select Terms of Service, and then click Pay Now. You need to specify the Duration parameter only when you select the subscription billing method for the RDS instance.
    Note If you select the subscription billing method for the RDS instance, we recommend that you select Auto-Renew Enabled. This prevents interruptions to your workloads even if you forget to review the RDS instance.

Return to the ApsaraDB RDS homepage. In the left-side navigation pane, click Instances. In the top navigation bar, select the region where the RDS instance resides. Then, you can find the created RDS instance based on the value of Creation Time.

What to do next

FAQ

  • After I submit the order for purchasing an RDS instance, why does the ApsaraDB RDS console not respond and why am I unable to find the created RDS instance?

    The issue may occur due to the following reasons:

    • The RDS instance does not reside in the region that you selected.

      In the top navigation bar, select the region where the RDS instance resides. Then, you can find the RDS instance.

    • The zone that you selected cannot provide sufficient resources.

      Resources in zones are dynamically allocated. After you submit the purchase order, the zone that you selected may be unable to provide sufficient resources. As a result, the RDS instance cannot be created. We recommend that you select a different zone and try again. If the RDS instance still cannot be created, you can go to the the Orders page in the Billing Management console to view the refunded fee.

  • How do I authorize a RAM user to manage my RDS instance?

    For more information, see Use RAM to manage ApsaraDB RDS permissions.

References