SQL Server 2019 Developer on Linux - BYOL

This is a repackaged open source software product wherein additional charges apply for cloudimg support services.

## SQL Server 2019 Developer Edition on Linux - BYOL AMI by cloudimg

Deploy a fully configured SQL Server 2019 Developer Edition environment on your choice of Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, Rocky Linux 9, or AlmaLinux 9. This AMI eliminates hours of manual setup by delivering a production-ready development database with AWS native tooling, kernel I/O tuning, and 24/7 expert support from the cloudimg team.

## Why Choose This AMI Over Self-Installation?

Building a SQL Server on Linux environment from scratch requires installing the database engine, configuring monitoring agents, tuning kernel parameters for database I/O, hardening the instance, and validating driver compatibility. This AMI completes all of that before you launch. Compared to cloudimg's earlier AMIs on Ubuntu 18 and Rocky Linux 8, this version delivers updated OS kernels with long-term support, current security patches, and IMDSv2 enforcement as a default security baseline.

## Getting Started

1. Subscribe to the AMI and select your preferred Linux distribution (Ubuntu 22.04, Rocky Linux 9, or AlmaLinux 9).

2. Launch an EC2 instance - recommended instance types include r5.large or m5.xlarge for typical dev workloads.

3. Configure your security group to allow TCP port 1433 (SQL Server) and restrict SSH (port 22) to your IP range.

4. Ensure your IAM role includes the AmazonSSMManagedInstanceCore policy for Systems Manager access.

5. Connect via SSH or SSM Session Manager and verify SQL Server is running with: systemctl status mssql-server.

6. Apply your BYOL license key using: sudo /opt/mssql/bin/mssql-conf set-sa-password and configure your license with mssql-conf.

7. Connect from SQL Server Management Studio, Azure Data Studio, or sqlcmd to begin development.

## Security and Hardening

• IMDSv2 enforced - instance metadata requires session tokens, preventing SSRF-based credential theft
• EBS encryption support - enable encryption at rest for all database volumes using AWS KMS keys
• TLS for SQL connections - configure encrypted client connections to protect data in transit
• Kernel tuning - I/O scheduler and memory settings optimized for database workloads
• Latest security patches - each AMI build includes current CVE fixes for the OS and SQL Server
• Least-privilege defaults - SQL Server runs under a dedicated mssql service account with minimal system permissions
• Security group guidance - restrict port 1433 to application subnets only; avoid 0.0.0.0/0 exposure

## SQL Server 2019 Developer Edition Features

• Full Enterprise Edition feature set for development and testing (not licensed for production)
• Intelligent query processing for automatic performance tuning
• In-memory OLTP for latency-sensitive dev workloads
• JSON and graph data support with native T-SQL queries
• Full-text search and semantic search capabilities
• SQL Server Agent for scheduling and automation
• Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) for testing encrypted database workflows

## AWS Integration

• AWS CLI v2 - pre-installed for scripting, automation, and infrastructure management
• Amazon CloudWatch Agent - configured to surface CPU, memory, disk, and SQL Server-specific metrics
• AWS Systems Manager Agent - remote management without opening SSH ports
• ENA drivers - enhanced networking up to 100 Gbps for high-throughput workloads
• NVMe drivers - optimal performance for EBS and instance storage volumes

## Supported Linux Distributions

• Ubuntu Server 22.04 LTS - Canonical long-term support, widely adopted for cloud workloads
• Rocky Linux 9 - community-driven RHEL-compatible distribution for enterprise stability
• AlmaLinux 9 - CloudLinux-backed RHEL binary-compatible distribution

## Use Cases

SaaS Development Teams: Spin up isolated SQL Server instances per feature branch, enabling parallel development without shared database contention. Teams running microservices with T-SQL backends can mirror production schemas in cost-effective dev environments.

Financial Services Integration Testing: Run integration test suites against a production-mirror schema with full Enterprise features including columnstore indexes and in-memory tables, validating performance before promoting to licensed production instances.

Windows-to-Linux Migration Evaluation: Teams migrating from Windows SQL Server infrastructure can validate application compatibility on Linux without purchasing additional licenses, using their existing Developer Edition entitlement.

Database Training and Certification: Individual developers and training teams access the complete SQL Server feature set for learning T-SQL, performance tuning, and administration skills.

## Bring Your Own License (BYOL)

This AMI ships without a Microsoft license. You supply your own SQL Server 2019 Developer Edition entitlement.