关于AWS上自动停止Microsoft SQL Server 2019 Web（基于Windows Server 2019）虚拟服务器的技术问询及相关概念咨询

Hey there! Let's break down your questions one by one to help you cut down those AWS costs and clear up the confusion between AMIs and EC2 instances.

First off: Yes, AWS absolutely supports auto-stopping EC2 instances—including the Windows Server/SQL Server one you're planning from the Marketplace. Here are the most reliable, cost-effective methods to set this up:

Method 1: Amazon EventBridge + AWS Systems Manager Automation (Recommended) #

This is the go-to serverless approach, no extra running instances needed:

• Open the AWS EventBridge console and create a new rule.
• Set a schedule using a cron expression (for example, 0 18 * * ? * to stop the instance at 6 PM UTC every day—adjust the time to fit your needs).
• Choose "EC2 Stop Instance" as the target, or use the pre-built SSM Automation document AWS-StopEC2Instance.
• Select your target EC2 instance and complete the rule setup.

Method 2: EC2 Instance Scheduler (For Complex Schedules) #

If you need more granular control (like different stop times for weekdays vs weekends), the EC2 Instance Scheduler is perfect:

• It's a pre-built CloudFormation template you can deploy, which uses Lambda and EventBridge to manage instance start/stop schedules.
• Tag your EC2 instance with specific schedule tags, and the scheduler will automatically apply the rules.

Method 3: On-Instance Scheduled Task (Quick Fix) #

You can also set up a scheduled task directly on the Windows EC2 instance to stop itself:

• Install the AWS Tools for PowerShell on the instance.
• Create a scheduled task that runs this script (replace the region with your instance's region):

  # Get the instance's own ID via metadata service
  $instanceId = Invoke-RestMethod -Uri http://169.254.169.254/latest/meta-data/instance-id
  # Stop the instance
  Stop-EC2Instance -InstanceId $instanceId -Region us-east-1
  

• Assign an IAM role to the instance with the ec2:StopInstances permission so it can perform this action.
• Note: This only works if the instance is running to execute the task, so it's less reliable than the serverless methods—but it's a quick solution if you don't want to use external services.

Let me explain this in plain language:

• An AMI (Amazon Machine Image) is a blueprint or template for an EC2 instance. It includes the operating system, pre-installed software (like SQL Server in your case), and any custom configurations. Think of it as a snapshot of a server's state that you can use to spin up new identical instances whenever you want.
• An EC2 Instance is the actual running virtual server created from an AMI. It's the live, usable resource you connect to, run your database on, and get charged for based on hourly compute usage.

When you launch the Marketplace instance you're looking at, you're essentially using AWS's pre-built AMI (with Windows Server 2019 + SQL Server 2019 Web) to create a running EC2 instance. You can also create your own AMIs from existing EC2 instances if you want to replicate a specific setup.

Stopping an EC2 instance pauses hourly compute charges, but you'll still be billed for any attached EBS volumes (since they store your SQL Server data). If you want to cut those costs too, you could take a snapshot of the volume and detach/delete it when stopping—but that adds extra steps. For most cases, just stopping the instance will give you the biggest cost reduction.

内容的提问来源于stack exchange，提问作者him