DBeaver

Prerequisites

Have the following in place before you launch the DBeaver AMI.

• AWS account. Use an account with permission to launch EC2 instances, manage security groups and access AWS Marketplace.
• EC2 key pair. Create a key pair, or choose an existing one, in the region where you will launch the instance. You need it to decrypt the Windows Administrator password after launch.
• Security group. Prepare a group that allows inbound RDP: protocol TCP, port 3389, for Remote Desktop access. Restrict the source to your own IP addresses or corporate CIDR blocks. Do not allow 0.0.0.0/0.
• Remote Desktop client. Install an RDP client on your local machine, such as Microsoft Remote Desktop (Windows and macOS), Remmina (Linux) or any other RDP-compatible client.
• Minimum instance size. 1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM and 30 GB of disk.

A t3.small or larger instance type is recommended for comfortable use. For large datasets or complex queries, choose a t3.medium or larger.

Step by Step Setup

Follow these steps to launch your DBeaver instance and connect to it.

Step 1 - Launch the instance

• Log in to your AWS account and open AWS Marketplace.
• Search for the SecureAnyCloud DBeaver AMI.
• Select an instance type. t3.small or larger is recommended.
• Choose your region and VPC configuration.
• Select the EC2 key pair from the prerequisites.
• Assign the security group that allows RDP on port 3389.
• Configure storage with at least 30 GB on the root volume.
• Launch the instance.

Step 2 - Wait for status checks

Open the EC2 console and wait until the instance shows 2/2 status checks passed. This confirms the instance has booted and Windows has finished its initial setup. It typically takes 3 to 10 minutes.

Step 3 - Retrieve the Administrator password

• Open the EC2 console in the AWS region where you launched the instance.
• Choose Instances in the left navigation panel, then select your new instance.
• Choose Actions at the top of the page.
• Choose Security, then Get Windows password.
• Choose Browse and upload the private key file (.pem) from the key pair you selected at launch.
• Choose Decrypt password.
• Copy the decrypted password and store it securely. This is your Administrator password.

Step 4 - Connect with Remote Desktop

• Open your Remote Desktop client.
• Create a connection to the public IP address of your EC2 instance. Use the private IP if you connect through a VPN or from within the same VPC.
• Enter these credentials when prompted. Username: Administrator. Password: the decrypted value from Step 3.
• If a certificate warning appears, choose Continue. This is expected for a new connection.
• The Windows Server desktop opens.

Step 5 - Launch DBeaver

On the desktop, double-click the DBeaver shortcut. DBeaver is preinstalled and ready to use immediately.

Server Components

The AMI is built on Windows Server and includes DBeaver Community Edition, preinstalled and configured. The DBeaver version is Latest.

DBeaver ships with JDBC drivers for most popular databases. It downloads additional drivers on demand when you create a new connection.

Filesystem Layout

The instance uses a single volume. Drive C:\ holds the operating system and the application, and needs at least 30 GB.

Key locations on the instance:

• C:\Program Files\DBeaver\: DBeaver installation directory.
• C:\Users\Administrator\Desktop\: the desktop, which holds the DBeaver shortcut.
• C:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Roaming\DBeaverData\: user workspace, connections and preferences.
• C:\Users\Administrator.dbeaver\: driver cache and configuration files.

To export large datasets or run data-intensive operations, attach an additional EBS volume in the AWS console and use it as the output directory.

Managing the Application

Create a database connection

• Open DBeaver from the desktop shortcut.
• Choose New Database Connection in the toolbar, or choose Database, then New Database Connection.
• Select your database type, such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle or SQL Server. Many more are supported.
• Enter the hostname, port, database name, username and password.
• Choose Test Connection to verify connectivity. DBeaver downloads the required JDBC driver if it is not already present.
• Choose Finish to save the connection.

Connect to Amazon RDS

Use the RDS endpoint as the hostname. You can find it in the RDS console under the instance details. Make sure the security group on the RDS instance allows inbound connections from this EC2 instance's security group or private IP address.

Connect to Amazon Aurora

Use the cluster endpoint for read/write operations and the reader endpoint for read-only connections. Both are listed in the RDS console under your Aurora cluster details.

Connect to Amazon Redshift

Select Amazon Redshift as the database type when you create the connection. Enter the cluster endpoint, port (default 5439), database name and credentials. Make sure the Redshift cluster's security group allows inbound access from this instance.

Use the SQL editor

• Double-click a connection in the Database Navigator panel to open it.
• Right-click the connection and choose SQL Editor, then Open SQL Script.
• Type your SQL in the editor window.
• Press Ctrl+Enter to run the current query, or Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Enter to run the entire script.
• Read the results in the panel below the editor.

Browse database objects

Expand a connection in the Database Navigator to browse schemas, tables, views, stored procedures, functions and other objects. Double-click a table to view its data, structure or DDL.

Export data

• Right-click a table or query result set.
• Choose Export Data.
• Choose the export format, such as CSV, JSON, XML, SQL inserts or Excel.
• Configure the export options and the destination file path.
• Choose Proceed to export the data.

Generate ER diagrams

Right-click a schema or a set of tables and choose View Diagram. DBeaver creates an Entity Relationship diagram that shows table relationships, foreign keys and column types.

Scripts and Logs

DBeaver log files

DBeaver writes log files that help you diagnose application issues.

• C:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Roaming\DBeaverData.metadata.log: main DBeaver workspace log.
• C:\Users\Administrator.dbeaver\drivers\: downloaded JDBC driver cache.

Query history

DBeaver keeps a history of executed queries. Choose Window, then Query Manager, to review earlier queries, their execution times and their results.

Windows event logs

For system-level diagnostics, open the Windows Event Viewer. Press the Windows key, search for Event Viewer and open it to review application and system logs.

Troubleshooting

You cannot connect over RDP

• Check that the instance has passed 2/2 status checks in the EC2 console.
• Confirm that your security group allows inbound TCP on port 3389 from your IP address.
• Use the correct public IP address. If you stopped and started the instance, the public IP may have changed unless you use an Elastic IP.
• Check that your local firewall or corporate network does not block outbound RDP.

Password decryption fails

• Upload the .pem file that matches the key pair you selected at launch.
• After the first launch, the password can take up to 15 minutes to become available. If the option is greyed out, wait and try again.

DBeaver cannot connect to a database

• Check the database hostname, port, username and password.
• Make sure the security group on the target database allows inbound connections from this EC2 instance.
• For an RDS instance, confirm the database is in the Available state.
• Make sure outbound traffic is allowed from this instance on the database port: 3306 for MySQL, 5432 for PostgreSQL, 1521 for Oracle, 1433 for SQL Server and 5439 for Redshift.
• Use Test Connection in DBeaver to diagnose connectivity issues.

The JDBC driver download fails

• Make sure the instance has outbound internet access so DBeaver can download drivers from its repository.
• If the instance is in a private subnet, configure a NAT gateway, or download and install the JDBC driver manually.
• To add a driver manually, choose Database, then Driver Manager, and specify a local driver JAR file.

DBeaver runs slowly or freezes

• Move to a larger instance type with more CPU and RAM.
• Increase the heap memory for DBeaver by editing the dbeaver.ini file in the installation directory. Raise the -Xmx parameter.
• Close unused database connections and SQL editor tabs to free resources.
• For large result sets, use query limits or pagination so you do not load millions of rows at once.

You run out of disk space

• Monitor C: drive usage in Windows Explorer.
• Attach an additional EBS volume for data exports and temporary files.
• Clear the DBeaver log files and driver cache periodically.

The RDP session disconnects frequently

• Check that your network connection is stable.
• Reduce bandwidth use in your RDP client settings by lowering the display quality or disabling visual effects.
• Make sure the instance is not running out of memory, which can make Windows unresponsive.

Security Recommendations

Change the Administrator password

After your first login, replace the Administrator password with a strong, unique one. Open the Windows command prompt or PowerShell and run:

net user Administrator YourNewStrongPassword

After you change the password, the original decrypted password from the AWS console is no longer valid.

Restrict RDP access

Limit the security group rule for port 3389 to your own IP addresses or a trusted CIDR range. Do not use 0.0.0.0/0, which exposes the instance to RDP brute-force attacks from the whole internet.

Protect saved database credentials

DBeaver stores connection credentials locally. Use its built-in master password feature to encrypt saved database passwords. Find it under Window, then Preferences, then General, then Security.

Use IAM database authentication

For Amazon RDS and Aurora, consider IAM database authentication instead of static database passwords. It issues temporary authentication tokens, so you do not store long-term database credentials.

Secure database connections on the network

Launch this instance in the same VPC as your database servers whenever possible. Use security group rules to allow database access only from this instance's security group. Keep database connections on private subnets that are not reachable from the internet.

Configure Windows Firewall

Review the Windows Firewall and restrict inbound and outbound traffic to what your database management workflows need.

Keep software updated

Update DBeaver and Windows Server regularly to get the latest security patches and bug fixes. DBeaver has a built-in update checker in the Help menu.

Use an Elastic IP

Assign an Elastic IP to keep a consistent IP address across stop and start cycles. This also lets you keep stable security group rules on your database instances.

Enable CloudWatch monitoring

Use Amazon CloudWatch to monitor instance metrics such as CPU utilization, memory usage and disk space. Set alarms that notify you when resources run low.

Back up connection configurations

Export your DBeaver connection configurations regularly with File, then Export. You can then restore them if you need to recreate the instance.

Support

If you hit an issue this guide does not cover, the SecureAnyCloud support team can help.

• Email: sales@secureanycloud.com
• Phone: (+44) 02045382725
• Website: secureanycloud.com
• Address: 3rd Floor, 86 90 Paul Street, London, EC2A 4NE

Support covers issues related to the AMI, including connectivity problems, software configuration and general guidance on using the preconfigured environment.

When you contact support, include your EC2 instance ID, the AWS region, a description of the issue and any relevant error messages or screenshots.

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