Starting July 1, 2022, Alibaba Cloud is discontinuing the standard SSD storage type for select ApsaraDB RDS database engines. ESSD PL1 uses a next-generation distributed block storage architecture that delivers higher IOPS, higher throughput, and lower, more consistent I/O latency than standard SSDs — at the same price in most regions. ESSD PL1 is suitable for production workloads that require consistently low latency and high I/O throughput.
Discontinuation schedule
| Discontinued offering | End-of-sale date |
|---|---|
| standard SSD for ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL | July 1, 2022 |
| standard SSD for ApsaraDB RDS for MariaDB | July 1, 2022 |
| standard SSD for ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL | July 6, 2022 |
| standard SSD for ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server | August 8, 2022 |
This discontinuation applies only to the standard SSD storage type. local SSDs are not affected.
Impact on new instances
After the end-of-sale date, standard SSD is no longer available as a storage type when creating instances for the following database engines:
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ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL
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ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL
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ApsaraDB RDS for MariaDB
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ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server
Select ESSD PL1 when creating new instances.
Due to phased retirement, the standard SSD option may still be available after July 1, 2022. Select ESSD PL1 for all new instances.
Impact on existing instances
The storage type of existing instances is not changed automatically. If your instance uses standard SSDs, upgrade to ESSD PL1 to get higher read and write performance.
Upgrading the storage type may incur a fee that varies by region. The exact fee is displayed when you change instance configurations.
Upgrade paths
ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL and ApsaraDB RDS for MariaDB
To upgrade to ESSD PL1, use one of the following approaches:
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Manual upgrade: Change the storage type to ESSD PL1 directly. For instructions, see Change instance configurations.
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Automatic upgrade: The storage type is automatically upgraded to ESSD PL1 when you perform any of the following operations:
If ESSD PL1 is unavailable in your instance's current zone due to resource constraints or a temporary sales suspension, upgrade the minor engine version first. Then perform a cross-zone migration and upgrade the storage type.
ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL
To upgrade to ESSD PL1, use one of the following approaches:
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Manual upgrade: Change the storage type to ESSD PL1 directly. For instructions, see Change instance configurations.
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Combined with a version upgrade: When upgrading the major database version for an instance that uses standard SSDs, change the storage type to ESSD PL1 as part of the process. For instructions, see Upgrade the major database version.
If ESSD PL1 is unavailable in your instance's current zone due to resource constraints or a temporary sales suspension, perform a cross-zone migration first, then upgrade the storage type.
ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server
To upgrade to ESSD PL1, use one of the following approaches:
-
Manual upgrade: Change the storage type to ESSD PL1 directly. For instructions, see Change instance configurations.
-
Automatic upgrade: The storage type is automatically upgraded to ESSD PL1 when you upgrade the major database version or upgrade an instance from Basic Edition to High-availability Edition. For instructions, see Upgrade the major database version and Upgrade an instance from Basic Edition to High-availability Edition.
If ESSD PL1 is unavailable in your instance's current zone due to resource constraints or a temporary sales suspension, perform a cross-zone migration first, then upgrade the storage type.
Performance comparison
ESSD PL1 and standard SSDs are priced the same in most regions. The following table compares their performance.
| Performance metric | ESSD PL1 (recommended) | Standard SSD (end of sale) |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum capacity per disk (GiB) | 20 to 32,768 | 32,768 |
| Maximum IOPS | 50,000 | 25,000 |
| Maximum throughput (MB/s) | 350 | 300 |
| IOPS formula per disk | min{1,800 + 50 × Capacity, 50,000} | min{1,800 + 30 × Capacity, 25,000} |
| Throughput formula per disk (MB/s) | min{120 + 0.5 × Capacity, 350} | min{120 + 0.5 × Capacity, 300} |
| Average random write latency (ms) | 0.2 | 0.5 to 2 |