AWS slammed for PostgreSQL DBaaS migration downtime • The Register

AWS database downtime essential to execute a migration has been described as “an embarrassingly low bar” for a managed service after the cloud big introduced plans for getting off PostgreSQL 11.x.

Amazon’s cloud biz advised customers how it will now not help PostgreSQL 11.x variations in its Aurora database-as-a-service after January 31, 2024, giving customers a yr to get off older variations of the relational system.

Nevertheless, it was the downtime that irked critics.

“The improve course of will shut down the database occasion, carry out the improve, and restart the database occasion,” AWS stated in a missive to Aurora prospects dated 3 February. “The database situations could also be restarted a number of occasions throughout the period of the improve course of. Whereas main model upgrades sometimes full inside the usual upkeep window, the period of the improve will depend on the variety of objects throughout the database.”

It then recommends a snapshot course of to keep away from “unplanned unavailability” outdoors scheduled upkeep home windows.

Nevertheless, customers ought to count on extra from a managed service database, in keeping with Sam Lambert, CEO of PlanetScale, the proprietary database-as-a-service based mostly on distributed relational database Vitess.

“That is an embarrassingly low bar for a ‘managed service’,” he advised The Register. “The identical message has been going out for RDS MySQL as properly. Such a poor displaying for RDS throughout the board. It is a tangible motive as to why persons are leaving legacy suppliers and selecting serverless database suppliers.”

Lambert stated it was potential to automate the migration course of and keep away from downtime. “At PlanetScale, you’ll be able to migrate from RDS to us with out downtime and we are going to handle variations for you. Actually, you’ve got much less downtime by migrating out of AWS than doing what this electronic mail says.”

The Register has requested AWS to remark.

Charly Batista, PostgreSQL technical lead at open supply consultancy and software program firm Percona, stated it must be potential to hold out the PostgreSQL improve so it is kind of absolutely automated, with minimal to zero downtime. “From a service perspective, it’s handy for AWS to push this migration course of onto their customers, so that they carry the expense and burden of testing the improve course of,” he stated.

“To be truthful, the group model does not help bodily replication from totally different main variations, however it does help logical replication. For a corporation like AWS, which makes a number of revenue on prime of RDS merchandise, I’d count on a fuller skilled service to be in place that may help prospects extra effectively, no matter what the group model of the software program they’re promoting provides,” he stated. ®