Title

AWS re:Invent 2023 - Managing your commercial Linux workloads on Amazon EC2 (ENT218)

Summary

The session covered managing commercial Linux workloads on AWS, focusing on Red Hat Enterprise Linux, SUSE Linux, and Ubuntu Pro.
Mannan Gupta and Mark Baker discussed license management, system security, updates, and application deployment on AWS EC2.
They introduced AWS License Manager for discovering and governing commercial Linux workloads and optimizing costs.
Two subscription models were explained: Subscription Included (purchased from AWS) and Bring Your Own Subscription (BYOS, purchased from the OS vendor).
A demo of AWS License Manager showcased its capabilities in tracking and optimizing Linux subscriptions across accounts and regions.
Governance features like setting alarms for subscription limits and delegated administration were highlighted.
License type conversion was demonstrated, particularly for upgrading Ubuntu 18.04 to Ubuntu Pro for extended support.
Upcoming end-of-life events for Ubuntu LTS, RHEL 7, and CentOS 7 were discussed, with recommendations for migration and extended support options.
Attendees were encouraged to use AWS License Manager and consider savings plans for Ubuntu Pro to optimize costs.

AWS License Manager is a critical tool for managing licenses and subscriptions, offering cross-account and cross-region discovery without the need for agents.
The session emphasized the importance of governance in managing subscriptions, including setting alarms for thresholds and using delegated administration for role-based access.
Cost optimization strategies for commercial Linux on AWS include using savings plans and considering license type conversions for extended support.
Upcoming end-of-life events for popular Linux distributions necessitate planning for migrations or extended support purchases, with AWS providing tools and listings to facilitate these transitions.
The session highlighted the flexibility AWS provides in choosing and managing Linux distributions, catering to different organizational needs and long-term strategies.