Migrate to a new instance type by launching a new EC2 instance - Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud

Migrate to a new instance type by launching a new EC2 instance

You can change the instance type of an EC2 instance only if it is an EBS-backed instance with a configuration that is compatible with the new instance type that you want. Otherwise, if the configuration or your instance is not compatible with the new instance type, or it is an instance store-based instance, you must launch a replacement instance that is compatible with the instance type that you want. For more information about how compatibility is determined, see Compatibility for changing the instance type.

Overview of the migration process

  • Back up the data on the original instance.

  • Launch a new instance with a configuration that is compatible with the new instance type that you want, attaching any EBS volumes that were attached to your original instance.

  • Install your application on your new instance.

  • Restore any data.

  • If the original instance has an Elastic IP address, you must associate it with your new instance to ensure that your users can continue to use your application without interruption.

To migrate an instance to a new instance

  1. Open the Amazon EC2 console at https://console.aws.amazon.com/ec2/.

  2. Back up any data that you still need as follows:

    • Connect to your instance and copy the data on your instance store volumes to persistent storage.

    • Create snapshots of your EBS volumes so that you can create new volumes with the same data, or detach the volumes from the original instance so that you can attach them to the new instance.

  3. In the navigation pane, choose Instances.

  4. Choose Launch instances. When you configure the instance, do the following:

    1. Select an AMI that supports the instance type that you want. For example, you must select an AMI that supports the processor type of the new instance type. Also, current generation instance types require an HVM AMI.

    2. Select the new instance type that you want. If the instance type that you want isn't available, then it's not compatible with the configuration of the AMI that you selected.

    3. If you want to allow the same traffic to reach the new instance, select the same VPC and security group that are used with the original instance.

    4. When you're done configuring your new instance, complete the steps to select a key pair and launch your instance. It can take a few minutes for the instance to enter the running state.

  5. If you backed up data to an EBS snapshot, create a volume from the snapshot and then attach the volume to the new instance.

    To move an EBS volume from the original instance to the new instance, detach the volume from the original instance and then attach the volume to the new instance.

  6. Install your application and any required software on the new instance.

  7. Restore any data that you backed up from the instance store volumes of the original instance.

  8. If the original instance has an Elastic IP address, assign it to the new instance as follows:

    1. In the navigation pane, choose Elastic IPs.

    2. Select the Elastic IP address that is associated with the original instance and choose Actions, Disassociate Elastic IP address. When prompted for confirmation, choose Disassociate.

    3. With the Elastic IP address still selected, choose Actions, Associate Elastic IP address.

    4. For Resource type, choose Instance.

    5. For Instance, choose the new instance.

    6. (Optional) For Private IP address, specify a private IP address with which to associate the Elastic IP address.

    7. Choose Associate.

  9. (Optional) You can terminate the original instance if it's no longer needed. Select the instance, verify that you are about to terminate the original instance and not the new instance (for example, check the name or launch time), and then choose Instance state, Terminate instance.