How can I upgrade my EC2 Windows Server instance to a newer version?
I want to upgrade my Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) Windows Server instance to a newer Windows version.
Resolution
For Windows Server 2008 R2, you can choose between a server migration or an automated upgrade.
For Windows Server 2012 R2 or later, you can choose between a server migration, automated upgrade, or an in-place upgrade.
To minimize downtime, plan your upgrade before you start. It's a best practice to maintain backups of your instances and data. Before you upgrade, create a custom Windows AMI, or create snapshots of your Amazon Elastic Block Store (Amazon EBS) volumes.
Note: For in-place upgrades, make sure that you complete the requirements before you begin.
Server migration for EC2 Windows Server 2008 R2 or later
With a migration, you copy the data and configuration to a new server that already runs your preferred version of Windows. This process can result in fewer upgrade errors or issues, but can take longer than an in-place upgrade.
For instructions, see Upgrade and migrate roles and features in Windows Server on the Microsoft website.
In-place upgrade for EC2 Windows Server 2012 R2 or later
An in-place upgrade lets you keep your current configuration and data. This process can be faster, but errors can occur because of software incompatibilities.
For in-place upgrade instructions, see Perform an in-place upgrade.
Upgrade issues
If you experience upgrade issues, see Troubleshoot an upgrade.
Automated upgrade for EC2 Windows Server 2008 R2 and SQL Server 2008 R2
You can use AWS Systems Manager Automation runbooks to perform an automated upgrade. Two upgrade paths are available:
- Windows Server 2008 R2, 2012 R2, or 2016 to Windows Server 2012 R2, 2016, 2019, or 2022
- SQL Server 2008 R2 on Windows Server 2012 R2 to SQL Server 2016
For prerequisites and instructions, see Perform an automated upgrade.
Related information
Upgrade an Amazon EC2 Windows instance to a newer version of Windows Server
I have treid to perfrom upgrdae 2016 to 2022 but it got failed on below stpes
Execution detail - Step 8: serverUpgradeInstanceWithOriginalKeyPair
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When i try to do an in-place upgrade from 2019 Data Centre version to 2022 Data Centre version, option to keep file, folders. app is greyed out. Checked the both windows language and there is no change in edition. Any specific reason or what to debug or some solution to enable those options during upgrade?
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With an in-place upgrade, can I delete the volume created to load the new OS after the upgrade is complete, or does that volume need to stay attached? That is - AWS says to create a new volume from a public snapshot with the Windows Server edition desired. You then attach said volume, log into the instance, and use the volume to upgrade the server. After that is done, is it safe to detach and delete the volume or no? Thanks!
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