Deployment guide

SQL Server 2019 Developer

Overview

This guide shows you how to deploy and configure SQL Server 2019 Developer on Linux, using the SecureAnyCloud AMI from the AWS Marketplace. Developer edition includes all the features of Enterprise edition, but it is licensed for development and test databases only. That makes it a good fit for building and testing applications without production licensing costs.

What you get:

SQL Server 2019 Developer edition installed at /opt/mssql
SQL Server database port 1433 preconfigured and listening on boot
An SA (System Administrator) account with a randomly generated password
The sqlcmd command-line tool for database interaction
An OS package update script for keeping the system current
AWS CLI v2 for AWS service integration
Systems Manager Agent (SSM) for remote management
CloudWatch Agent for monitoring
Latest security patches applied at build time
24/7 SecureAnyCloud support with a guaranteed 24-hour response SLA

Edition notes. SQL Server 2019 Developer includes every feature available in Enterprise edition, including advanced analytics, in-memory technologies and Always On availability groups. It is free to use for development, testing and QA environments. Do not use it in a production environment.

Prerequisites

Before you launch this AMI, make sure you have:

An active AWS account
An active subscription to the SQL Server 2019 Developer listing on AWS Marketplace
An EC2 key pair for SSH access
Familiarity with EC2 instance management and SSH

Recommended instance type. Use t3.medium (2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM) or larger. SQL Server benefits from additional memory for caching and query performance.

Minimum requirements. 1 vCPU, 2 GB RAM and 6 GB of disk space.

Launch the AMI

Go to the AWS Marketplace and search for "SQL Server 2019 Developer SecureAnyCloud".
Choose Continue to Subscribe, accept the terms, then choose Continue to Configuration.
Select your preferred Region and Software Version.
Choose Continue to Launch.
Choose Launch through EC2 for full control over instance configuration.
Select your instance type (t3.medium is recommended).
Configure storage, and make sure there is enough disk space for your database workloads.
Configure your Security Group with the inbound rules below.

Add these inbound rules:

Port 22, TCP, source: your IP. Purpose: SSH access.
Port 1433, TCP, source: your IP. Purpose: SQL Server database port.

Important: Restrict port 1433 to trusted application servers or your IP only. Never expose the SQL Server port to the public internet.

Finally, select your EC2 key pair and launch the instance.

Connect via SSH

When your instance is running and has passed both status checks (2/2), connect over SSH:

ssh -i your-key.pem ec2-user@<public-ip-address>

To switch to the root user:

sudo su -

Important: Wait for the EC2 instance to reach 2/2 successful status checks before you connect. Early connection attempts can fail with "Permission denied" errors while the instance is still initializing.

Retrieve the SA Password

The SA (System Administrator) password is randomly generated at build time and stored in a log file on the instance. Retrieve it with:

cat /stage/scripts/mssql_admin_password.log

Save this password securely. You need it to connect to SQL Server.

Connect to SQL Server

Use the sqlcmd command-line tool to connect to the local SQL Server instance:

sqlcmd -S localhost -U SA

When prompted, enter the SA password you retrieved in Step 3.

Expected output:

1>

You are connected to SQL Server and can run T-SQL queries.

Create a Database and Table

Create a new database:

CREATE DATABASE MyAppDB; GO

Switch to the new database:

USE MyAppDB; GO

Create a table:

CREATE TABLE Users ( UserID INT IDENTITY(1,1) PRIMARY KEY, Name NVARCHAR(100), Email NVARCHAR(255), CreatedAt DATETIME DEFAULT GETDATE() ); GO

Insert data:

INSERT INTO Users (Name, Email) VALUES ('John Doe', 'john@example.com'); GO

Query data:

SELECT * FROM Users; GO

Type QUIT to exit the sqlcmd shell.

Server Components

The image includes one server component: SQL Server 2019 Developer, with its software home at /opt/mssql.

Note: On first boot, the automatic OS package update script can update component versions if it finds newer versions in the system package repositories.

Filesystem Layout

The image uses these mount points:

/ (38 GB): the root filesystem
/boot (2 GB): operating system kernel files
/opt/mssql (9.8 GB): the SQL Server installation directory

Managing the SQL Server Service

systemd manages SQL Server, and the service starts automatically on boot.

Check the service status:

systemctl status mssql-server

Stop SQL Server:

systemctl stop mssql-server

Start SQL Server:

systemctl start mssql-server

Restart SQL Server:

systemctl restart mssql-server

Scripts and Log Files

All of these files are in /stage/scripts:

initial_boot_update.sh updates the OS with the latest packages on first boot.
initial_boot_update.log is the output log for the boot update script.
mssql_admin_password.log contains the randomly generated SA password.

On Startup

An OS package update script runs on first boot to bring the image fully up to date. To disable it, remove the script and its crontab entry:

rm -f /stage/scripts/initial_boot_update.sh crontab -e
# Delete the following line, save and exit: @reboot /stage/scripts/initial_boot_update.sh

Troubleshooting

Cannot connect over SSH

Wait for the EC2 instance to reach 2/2 status checks.
Verify that your security group allows port 22 from your IP.
Confirm that you are using the correct key pair and connecting as ec2-user.
Check the instance system log in the AWS Console for boot errors.

SQL Server service is not running

Check the service status: systemctl status mssql-server
Review the SQL Server error log: cat /var/opt/mssql/log/errorlog
Verify that there is enough disk space: df -h /opt/mssql
Make sure the instance has at least 2 GB RAM.

Cannot connect to SQL Server on port 1433

Verify that the service is running: systemctl status mssql-server
Check that the security group allows port 1433 from your IP.
Test local connectivity: sqlcmd -S localhost -U SA
Check that SQL Server is listening: ss -tlnp | grep 1433

SA password does not work

Retrieve the password again: cat /stage/scripts/mssql_admin_password.log
Make sure you copy the entire password, without extra whitespace.
If needed, reset the SA password with mssql-conf:

sudo systemctl stop mssql-server
sudo /opt/mssql/bin/mssql-conf set-sa-password
sudo systemctl start mssql-server

High memory usage

SQL Server is designed to use available memory for caching.
Configure memory limits with mssql-conf:

sudo /opt/mssql/bin/mssql-conf set memory.memorylimitmb 2048
sudo systemctl restart mssql-server

Security Recommendations

Restrict port access. Allow SQL Server port 1433 only from trusted application servers or specific IP addresses.
Change the SA password. After your first login, replace the generated password with a strong, unique one.
Create application-specific logins. Do not use the SA account for application connections. Create dedicated logins with the minimum required permissions.
Enable encrypted connections. Configure SQL Server to use TLS/SSL for client connections.
Keep SQL Server updated. Apply cumulative updates and security patches when they are available.
Monitor access. Review the SQL Server error logs regularly for failed login attempts.
Use AWS security features. Use VPC security groups, NACLs and private subnets to restrict network access.
Secure the password file. After you retrieve the SA password, consider removing or restricting access to /stage/scripts/mssql_admin_password.log.

Support

If you have any issues with this product, contact SecureAnyCloud support:

Email: sales@secureanycloud.com
Website: secureanycloud.com
Support hours: 24/7, with a guaranteed 24-hour response SLA

Deploy on AWS

Launch SQL Server 2019 Developer with 24/7 support from SecureAnyCloud.

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Need Help?

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sales@secureanycloud.com