Amazon EC2 – Consider Upgrading HS1 Instances to D2

Amazon EC2 d2 instances provide superior performance and cost-efficiency compared to older HS1 instances. By upgrading, organizations can significantly reduce infrastructure costs while improving computational capabilities.

Detailed Explanation

Performance and Cost Benefits

D2 instances offer substantial improvements over HS1 instances:

• Enhanced Compute Power: Higher clock frequency and improved computational capabilities
• Increased Memory: Over twice the memory compared to HS1 instances
• Networking Improvements: EC2 Enhanced Networking support
• Expanded Storage Options: More flexible storage configurations

Cost Savings Analysis

Comparative Instance Example:

• HS1.8xlarge
  • Memory: 117 GiB
  • vCPUs: 16
  • Monthly Cost: $3,358
• D2.4xlarge
  • Memory: 122 GiB
  • vCPUs: 16
  • Monthly Cost: $2,014
  • Cost Savings: Approximately 40%

Key Advantages

• Lowest Price per Disk Throughput: D2 instances offer the most cost-effective disk performance
• Better Resource Utilization: More efficient computational resources
• Modern Infrastructure: Access to latest AWS technological improvements

Implementation Guide

Infrastructure-as-Code Example (Terraform)

resource "aws_instance" "example" {
  # Change from hs1.8xlarge to d2.4xlarge
  instance_type = "d2.4xlarge"
 
  # Retain other configuration parameters
  ami           = "ami-12345abc"
  subnet_id     = var.subnet_id
}

Manual Migration Steps

1. Assessment
   • Inventory current HS1 instances
   • Analyze workload requirements
   • Verify compatibility with D2 instances
2. Planning
   • Create migration strategy
   • Schedule minimal downtime window
   • Prepare backup and rollback mechanisms
3. Migration
   • Stop current HS1 instances
   • Launch equivalent D2 instances
   • Migrate data and configurations
   • Update associated networking rules

Best Practices

• Gradual Migration: Upgrade instances incrementally
• Performance Testing: Validate workload performance post-migration
• Cost Monitoring: Use Infracost to track and validate cost savings
• Regular Review: Continuously assess instance type efficiency

Tools for Implementation

• Infracost: Automatically detect and recommend instance type optimizations
• AWS Cost Explorer: Analyze historical instance usage
• AWS Migration Hub: Assist with complex migration scenarios

Example Scenarios

Scenario 1: Big Data Processing

A media company running large-scale data analytics workloads migrates from HS1 to D2, reducing monthly infrastructure costs by 40% while maintaining computational capacity.

Scenario 2: Archival Storage

An enterprise transitioning storage infrastructure leverages D2’s enhanced disk throughput for more efficient data management.

Considerations and Caveats

• Compatibility: Verify application compatibility with new instance type
• Data Migration: Potential data transfer complexities
• Licensing: Check software licensing implications
• Performance Testing: Mandatory before full production deployment

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)