{"id":191,"date":"2026-04-13T03:46:58","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T03:46:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/tutorials\/aws-amazon-rds-on-vmware-tutorial-architecture-pricing-use-cases-and-hands-on-guide-for-databases\/"},"modified":"2026-04-13T03:46:58","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T03:46:58","slug":"aws-amazon-rds-on-vmware-tutorial-architecture-pricing-use-cases-and-hands-on-guide-for-databases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/tutorials\/aws-amazon-rds-on-vmware-tutorial-architecture-pricing-use-cases-and-hands-on-guide-for-databases\/","title":{"rendered":"AWS Amazon RDS on VMware Tutorial: Architecture, Pricing, Use Cases, and Hands-On Guide for Databases"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Category<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Databases<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Introduction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Amazon RDS on VMware is an AWS offering that extends the Amazon Relational Database Service (Amazon RDS) operational model to on\u2011premises VMware vSphere environments. It lets you deploy and operate supported relational databases on your own VMware infrastructure while managing many lifecycle tasks using familiar AWS RDS workflows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In simple terms: you run database instances inside your datacenter (on VMware), but you manage them using AWS-style RDS constructs (databases\/instances, backups, patching operations, monitoring hooks) so your team gets a more standardized \u201cRDS-like\u201d experience on premises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Technically, Amazon RDS on VMware uses a hybrid control-plane\/data-plane approach. The AWS control plane (your AWS account, IAM, console\/API surfaces, and associated AWS service integrations) coordinates with an on\u2011premises RDS on VMware software appliance deployed into vSphere. The actual database compute and storage live on VMware, while the management plane integrates with AWS services for orchestration, identity, audit, and (optionally) backup destinations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The problem it solves is consistent database operations across hybrid environments. Many organizations still need databases to remain on premises (latency, data residency, legacy dependencies, or regulatory needs), but want cloud-style automation, repeatability, and governance. Amazon RDS on VMware targets that gap: a managed-operations pattern for on\u2011prem databases, aligned with AWS tooling and processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote>\n<p>Service status note (verify): AWS service availability and lifecycle can change. Before adopting, confirm the current status, supported engines\/versions, and onboarding requirements in the official documentation and with AWS Support\/AWS account team.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. What is Amazon RDS on VMware?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Official purpose<\/strong><br\/>\nAmazon RDS on VMware is intended to bring the managed database experience of Amazon RDS to VMware vSphere environments running on premises. You deploy RDS on VMware components into vSphere, then provision and operate supported database instances on that infrastructure while using AWS control-plane interfaces and integrations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Core capabilities (high level)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Provision database instances on VMware through AWS RDS-like workflows<\/li>\n<li>Automate common lifecycle actions (for example, patching\/maintenance operations and backups\u2014exact scope depends on engine\/version; verify in official docs)<\/li>\n<li>Centralize visibility using AWS integrations (for example, metrics\/audit trails\u2014verify exact supported integrations)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Major components (conceptual model)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>AWS control plane<\/strong>: Your AWS account and AWS service endpoints that provide APIs\/console, IAM enforcement, and audit logging.<\/li>\n<li><strong>On-premises RDS on VMware management components<\/strong>: Deployed into VMware vSphere (often delivered as appliance(s) and\/or installed components). These coordinate provisioning and operations inside your VMware environment.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Database instance VMs<\/strong>: The compute layer for the actual database engines, running as virtual machines on ESXi hosts.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Networking connectivity<\/strong>: Secure connectivity from your on\u2011prem environment to AWS endpoints (commonly via internet with TLS, or via private connectivity patterns like Site\u2011to\u2011Site VPN\/Direct Connect depending on your design and requirements).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Service type<\/strong><br\/>\nHybrid managed service (AWS control plane + on\u2011premises data plane on VMware).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Scope model (how to think about \u201cwhere it lives\u201d)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Control plane<\/strong>: scoped to your AWS account and the AWS Region(s) used by the service endpoints (verify which Regions are supported\/required).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Data plane<\/strong>: scoped to your VMware vSphere environment (vCenter + ESXi cluster(s) you register\/prepare for the service).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Operational boundary<\/strong>: your organization remains responsible for underlying VMware and datacenter dependencies (hardware, ESXi\/vCenter operations, networking, storage, physical security), while the service aims to standardize database lifecycle operations in an RDS-like manner.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How it fits into the AWS ecosystem<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Amazon RDS on VMware is positioned for hybrid database operations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Uses <strong>AWS IAM<\/strong> for identity and permissions around API-driven database operations.<\/li>\n<li>Can integrate with <strong>AWS audit\/monitoring services<\/strong> (for example, CloudTrail\/CloudWatch\u2014verify which telemetry is available for RDS on VMware specifically).<\/li>\n<li>Can use <strong>AWS key management<\/strong> and <strong>backup destinations<\/strong> (for example, S3\/KMS\u2014verify exact backup\/encryption behavior for your engine and deployment model).<\/li>\n<li>Coexists with cloud-native RDS in AWS Regions and with other hybrid offerings (for example, AWS Outposts and VMware Cloud on AWS), but it is specifically designed for <strong>customer-managed on-prem VMware<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Why use Amazon RDS on VMware?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Business reasons<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Standardize operations across hybrid<\/strong>: Use familiar RDS patterns for on\u2011prem databases, reducing process divergence between datacenter and cloud.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Meet data residency or latency needs<\/strong>: Keep data close to on\u2011prem apps\/users while improving manageability.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Reduce operational toil<\/strong>: Automate repeatable tasks that are otherwise manual in self-managed VM databases (patch windows, backups, instance lifecycle\u2014scope varies; verify).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Technical reasons<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>API-driven provisioning<\/strong>: Infrastructure teams can expose database provisioning as a service to internal teams while maintaining guardrails.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Consistency<\/strong>: More consistent instance configuration and lifecycle operations than ad hoc \u201cgolden VM templates.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><strong>Hybrid connectivity<\/strong>: Allows integration with AWS-based tooling without moving the database compute into AWS.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Operational reasons<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Familiar RDS operational model<\/strong>: Teams that already run Amazon RDS in AWS can apply similar runbooks and controls on premises.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Central governance<\/strong>: Use AWS identity\/auditing patterns and (often) centralized tagging\/metadata practices.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Security\/compliance reasons<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Centralized access control<\/strong>: IAM-based control over who can create\/modify database instances through the AWS control plane.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Auditability<\/strong>: CloudTrail-style API auditing for management actions (verify RDS on VMware CloudTrail event coverage in official docs).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Controlled egress<\/strong>: You can design and limit how on\u2011prem components reach AWS endpoints (proxy, firewall allowlists, private connectivity).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Scalability\/performance reasons<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Scale within your VMware capacity<\/strong>: Add ESXi hosts and storage to scale (subject to service constraints).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Local performance<\/strong>: Keep the database close to on-prem applications for predictable latency.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When teams should choose it<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>You must keep database workloads on premises (policy, latency, dependency) but want more standardized managed operations.<\/li>\n<li>You have strong VMware operational maturity (vCenter\/ESXi, storage, networking, backups).<\/li>\n<li>You want to align on-prem database management with AWS RDS tooling and governance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When teams should not choose it<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>You can fully move to <strong>Amazon RDS in AWS<\/strong> (simpler, broader feature set, less on-prem dependency).<\/li>\n<li>You need advanced cloud-only capabilities that may not apply on VMware (for example, tightly integrated AWS networking features like VPC-only services, or features that depend on AWS infrastructure primitives).<\/li>\n<li>You cannot commit to maintaining VMware prerequisites (vSphere versions, storage, network reliability, patching of vCenter\/ESXi, etc.).<\/li>\n<li>You need database engines or versions not supported by RDS on VMware (verify supported engines\/versions in official docs).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Where is Amazon RDS on VMware used?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Industries<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Financial services<\/strong>: Data locality requirements, low-latency trading\/branch systems, strict change control.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Healthcare\/life sciences<\/strong>: Data residency and compliance, integration with on-prem clinical systems.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Manufacturing\/industrial<\/strong>: Factory-floor systems needing local database access even during WAN interruptions.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Public sector<\/strong>: On-prem mandates and controlled connectivity requirements.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Retail<\/strong>: Store\/warehouse systems with local compute, intermittent connectivity, and centralized governance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Team types<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Platform engineering teams building an internal database platform.<\/li>\n<li>Infrastructure\/virtualization teams that own VMware and want standardized DB operations.<\/li>\n<li>DevOps\/SRE teams seeking repeatable provisioning and patching.<\/li>\n<li>Security and compliance teams requiring centralized auditing and access control.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Workloads<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Operational relational databases for on\u2011prem applications.<\/li>\n<li>Hybrid apps where application tiers can be on premises while management\/audit tooling is centralized in AWS.<\/li>\n<li>Migration stepping stones (on-prem managed first, then later move to AWS RDS when ready).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Architectures<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>On-prem 3\u2011tier apps (web\/app\/db) with RDS on VMware as the DB tier.<\/li>\n<li>Hybrid management plane: on-prem DB tier, AWS-based monitoring\/auditing.<\/li>\n<li>Multi-site datacenter designs where VMware clusters in one or more sites host DB instances (service constraints apply; verify).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Production vs dev\/test usage<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Production<\/strong>: Common where on-prem constraints are non-negotiable and teams want tighter operational controls than self-managed DB VMs.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Dev\/test<\/strong>: Useful to give developers consistent provisioning and teardown, but the overhead of running the hybrid management stack may be more than a small team wants\u2014many teams instead use AWS RDS in the cloud for dev\/test.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Top Use Cases and Scenarios<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Below are realistic scenarios where Amazon RDS on VMware can fit. For each, confirm engine\/version support and operational capabilities in the official docs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1) On-prem database platform with RDS-style self-service<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Problem<\/strong>: Developers request databases via tickets; provisioning is slow and inconsistent.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Why it fits<\/strong>: RDS-like workflows can standardize provisioning and lifecycle management on VMware.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Example<\/strong>: A platform team offers \u201ccreate database\u201d as a controlled workflow for internal product teams, while DBs run on existing vSphere clusters.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2) Data residency constraints with centralized governance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Problem<\/strong>: Databases must stay in-country\/on-prem, but security wants central auditing.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Why it fits<\/strong>: Control plane actions can be governed via IAM and audited (verify event coverage).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Example<\/strong>: A regulated organization keeps patient data on premises but uses AWS for centralized audit trails and operational visibility.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3) Low-latency database for factory\/edge sites<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Problem<\/strong>: Manufacturing systems require millisecond latency; WAN to cloud is too variable.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Why it fits<\/strong>: DB compute stays local on VMware; management remains standardized.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Example<\/strong>: MES systems in a plant connect to an on-prem DB; operators still use consistent RDS-style processes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4) Migration bridge: self-managed VMs \u2192 managed pattern \u2192 cloud<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Problem<\/strong>: You want to modernize operations first, then migrate later.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Why it fits<\/strong>: Introduces managed-style operational practices while retaining on-prem placement.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Example<\/strong>: A team standardizes backup\/patch processes using RDS on VMware, then later moves select apps to Amazon RDS in AWS.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5) Consolidation of \u201cpet\u201d databases into a governed fleet<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Problem<\/strong>: Many one-off database VMs exist with unknown patch levels and inconsistent backups.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Why it fits<\/strong>: Centralizes inventory and lifecycle workflows.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Example<\/strong>: A shared-services team consolidates 200 departmental MySQL VMs into a smaller set of governed RDS on VMware instances.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6) Separation of duties and change control<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Problem<\/strong>: Auditors require clear separation between VM admins, DB operators, and app teams.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Why it fits<\/strong>: IAM-driven access can enforce who can create\/modify DBs vs who can manage VMware.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Example<\/strong>: VM admins manage ESXi\/vCenter; DB platform admins manage RDS on VMware; app teams only have DB credentials.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">7) Hybrid monitoring strategy using AWS tooling<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Problem<\/strong>: You need consistent dashboards\/alerts across AWS and on-prem DBs.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Why it fits<\/strong>: Integrations with AWS monitoring services may unify observability (verify specifics).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Example<\/strong>: SREs alert on DB health metrics alongside AWS workloads in a common operational model.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">8) Standardized backup policy with offsite durability<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Problem<\/strong>: On-prem backups are inconsistent; you want offsite copies.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Why it fits<\/strong>: RDS on VMware can be designed to integrate with AWS storage targets for backups (verify supported backup destinations).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Example<\/strong>: Nightly backups are retained offsite to meet disaster recovery requirements and protect against onsite incidents.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">9) Controlled patching\/maintenance windows<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Problem<\/strong>: Patch drift creates security risk and unpredictable outages.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Why it fits<\/strong>: An RDS-like maintenance model can align patching to windows (verify how patching is implemented for your engine).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Example<\/strong>: Monthly maintenance windows apply engine patches consistently across all instances in the fleet.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">10) On-prem apps needing RDS-like lifecycle APIs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Problem<\/strong>: Internal tooling expects RDS APIs for automation, but databases are on-prem.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Why it fits<\/strong>: Where compatible, you can automate DB lifecycle in a consistent way (verify API coverage).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Example<\/strong>: CI\/CD tooling triggers creation of ephemeral databases for integration testing on a VMware-backed environment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6. Core Features<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Because Amazon RDS on VMware is a hybrid service with constraints that depend on engine\/version and your on-prem environment, treat the following as \u201ccore feature themes\u201d and verify exact behavior and supported engines\/versions in the official docs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">RDS-style provisioning and lifecycle management (on VMware)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>What it does<\/strong>: Enables provisioning of supported DB instances on VMware using an RDS-like workflow.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Why it matters<\/strong>: Standardization reduces manual VM builds and inconsistent configurations.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Practical benefit<\/strong>: Faster provisioning and fewer configuration errors.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Caveats<\/strong>: Supported engines\/versions and instance sizing models are constrained; verify compatibility.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Centralized control via AWS account and IAM<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>What it does<\/strong>: Uses AWS IAM permissions to control who can perform management actions.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Why it matters<\/strong>: You get consistent access governance across AWS and hybrid services.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Practical benefit<\/strong>: Least-privilege permissions and clear separation of duties.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Caveats<\/strong>: You still need VMware-level permissions for the on-prem components; plan for dual-control domains (AWS + VMware).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Monitoring and operational visibility (AWS-integrated)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>What it does<\/strong>: Exposes health\/metrics and operational state through AWS tooling (commonly CloudWatch\/console views\u2014verify specifics).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Why it matters<\/strong>: Visibility enables alerting, SLO tracking, and faster incident response.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Practical benefit<\/strong>: Unified monitoring approach across environments.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Caveats<\/strong>: Metric granularity and feature parity may differ from Amazon RDS in AWS; verify.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Backups and recovery workflows (hybrid-aware)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>What it does<\/strong>: Provides a structured backup and restore model for supported DB engines.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Why it matters<\/strong>: Backups are frequently the difference between an incident and a catastrophe.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Practical benefit<\/strong>: Policy-driven backups with retention and tested restores.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Caveats<\/strong>: Backup storage location, encryption behavior, and restore mechanics depend on configuration; verify.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Maintenance operations (patching\/updates)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>What it does<\/strong>: Offers a managed approach to applying updates within defined maintenance windows.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Why it matters<\/strong>: Reduces patch drift and improves security posture.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Practical benefit<\/strong>: More predictable change scheduling and automation.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Caveats<\/strong>: Exact patching scope (engine vs OS vs appliance components) depends on the implementation; verify in docs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Inventory and governance (naming\/tagging\/ownership)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>What it does<\/strong>: Lets you track databases as managed resources with metadata.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Why it matters<\/strong>: Helps cost allocation, ownership assignment, and lifecycle management.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Practical benefit<\/strong>: Cleaner fleet management and auditing.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Caveats<\/strong>: Tagging support and enforcement mechanisms vary; verify.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Hybrid connectivity model (on-prem to AWS endpoints)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>What it does<\/strong>: Allows on-prem management components to call AWS service endpoints securely.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Why it matters<\/strong>: Enables AWS control-plane functionality without moving data plane into AWS.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Practical benefit<\/strong>: Central governance with localized compute.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Caveats<\/strong>: Requires reliable connectivity, DNS\/time sync, and firewall\/proxy configuration.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">7. Architecture and How It Works<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">High-level architecture<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Amazon RDS on VMware splits responsibilities:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>AWS control plane<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Receives API\/console calls from operators<\/li>\n<li>Applies IAM authorization<\/li>\n<li>Records management actions in audit logs (for example, CloudTrail\u2014verify)<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Coordinates with the on-prem management appliance(s)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><strong>On-premises VMware data plane<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>Hosts the RDS on VMware management components (appliances\/services)<\/li>\n<li>Provisions database instance VMs onto ESXi hosts<\/li>\n<li>Manages local storage, compute, and networking for DB runtime<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Request\/data\/control flow (conceptual)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>An operator initiates a database lifecycle action (create\/modify\/delete\/backup\/restore) using AWS console or API.<\/li>\n<li>AWS control plane authorizes via IAM and logs the action.<\/li>\n<li>The on-prem management components receive orchestration instructions.<\/li>\n<li>vCenter\/ESXi deploy or modify DB instance VMs.<\/li>\n<li>The database becomes available on the on-prem network for applications.<\/li>\n<li>Metrics\/health and status are reported back to AWS-integrated views (verify exact telemetry paths).<\/li>\n<li>Backups may be stored locally and\/or sent to AWS storage services depending on configuration (verify).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Integrations with related AWS services (verify specifics)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>AWS IAM<\/strong>: permission boundaries and operator access.<\/li>\n<li><strong>AWS CloudTrail<\/strong>: audit logs for control-plane API calls.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Amazon CloudWatch<\/strong>: metrics\/alarms\/logs integration (capabilities vary).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Amazon S3<\/strong>: potential backup target and artifact storage (verify).<\/li>\n<li><strong>AWS KMS<\/strong>: key management for encrypting supported artifacts (verify how\/where encryption is applied).<\/li>\n<li><strong>AWS Support<\/strong>: troubleshooting and service-limit questions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Dependency services (on-prem)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>VMware vSphere<\/strong>: ESXi hosts and vCenter.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Networking<\/strong>: stable L3 connectivity, DNS, NTP\/time sync, firewall rules.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Storage<\/strong>: datastore capacity and performance for database workloads.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Backup infrastructure<\/strong> (optional): depending on your hybrid backup strategy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Security\/authentication model (conceptual)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>AWS side<\/strong>: IAM identities (users\/roles), policies, and MFA\/SSO integration.<\/li>\n<li><strong>On-prem side<\/strong>: vCenter identities\/roles for the appliance\/components to interact with vSphere.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Database access<\/strong>: DB-native authentication (usernames\/passwords, TLS). Some cloud-native auth patterns may not apply the same way on premises\u2014verify.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Networking model<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Database clients typically connect over the <strong>on-prem network<\/strong> to DB instance endpoints (IP\/DNS within your datacenter).<\/li>\n<li>On-prem management components connect outbound to AWS endpoints using TLS.<\/li>\n<li>For higher assurance, many enterprises use <strong>Site\u2011to\u2011Site VPN<\/strong> or <strong>Direct Connect<\/strong> for private connectivity patterns, plus strict firewall allowlisting and proxying.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Monitoring\/logging\/governance considerations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Establish:<\/li>\n<li>Clear runbooks for DB instance lifecycle actions<\/li>\n<li>Alerting on DB health, storage capacity, and VMware cluster capacity<\/li>\n<li>Change management for maintenance windows and patch cycles<\/li>\n<li>Tagging\/naming standards to map DB instances to owners and cost centers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Simple architecture diagram (Mermaid)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<pre><code class=\"language-mermaid\">flowchart LR\n  subgraph AWS[AWS Control Plane]\n    IAM[IAM]\n    RDSAPI[Amazon RDS APIs \/ Console]\n    CT[CloudTrail]\n    CW[CloudWatch]\n    S3[(Amazon S3 - optional backups)]\n  end\n\n  subgraph DC[On-Prem Datacenter (VMware vSphere)]\n    VC[vCenter]\n    MGMT[RDS on VMware Management Appliance\/Components]\n    ESXi[ESXi Cluster]\n    DBVM[(DB Instance VM)]\n  end\n\n  RDSAPI --&gt; IAM\n  RDSAPI --&gt; CT\n  RDSAPI --&gt; MGMT\n  MGMT --&gt; VC\n  VC --&gt; ESXi\n  ESXi --&gt; DBVM\n  MGMT --&gt; CW\n  MGMT --&gt; S3\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Production-style architecture diagram (Mermaid)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<pre><code class=\"language-mermaid\">flowchart TB\n  subgraph AWS[AWS Account \/ Region]\n    IdP[SSO\/IdP -&gt; IAM Roles]\n    IAM[IAM Policies + SCPs (optional)]\n    CT[CloudTrail Logs]\n    CW[CloudWatch Metrics\/Alarms]\n    KMS[AWS KMS (optional)]\n    S3[(S3 Backup Bucket (optional))]\n    SNS[SNS\/Email\/Pager notifications (optional)]\n  end\n\n  subgraph OnPrem[On-Prem VMware Environment]\n    FW[Firewall\/Proxy\/DNS\/NTP]\n    VC[vCenter (HA\/Backup)]\n    subgraph ClusterA[ESXi Cluster]\n      MGMT1[RDS on VMware Mgmt Components]\n      DB1[(DB Instance VM A)]\n      DB2[(DB Instance VM B)]\n    end\n    Storage[(Shared Storage \/ Datastores)]\n    Apps[On-Prem Applications]\n  end\n\n  IdP --&gt; IAM\n  IAM --&gt; CT\n  MGMT1 --&gt;|TLS outbound| FW\n  FW --&gt;|Allowlisted endpoints| CW\n  FW --&gt;|Allowlisted endpoints| S3\n  FW --&gt;|Allowlisted endpoints| CT\n  S3 --- KMS\n  CW --&gt; SNS\n\n  MGMT1 --&gt; VC\n  VC --&gt; ClusterA\n  ClusterA --- Storage\n  Apps --&gt; DB1\n  Apps --&gt; DB2\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">8. Prerequisites<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Because Amazon RDS on VMware is a hybrid deployment, prerequisites span AWS and your VMware environment. Confirm exact supported versions and requirements in the official docs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">AWS requirements<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>An AWS account<\/strong> with billing enabled.<\/li>\n<li><strong>AWS Region selection<\/strong>: Confirm which Regions support the control-plane endpoints for Amazon RDS on VMware (verify in docs).<\/li>\n<li><strong>IAM permissions<\/strong>:<\/li>\n<li>Ability to manage Amazon RDS resources relevant to RDS on VMware.<\/li>\n<li>Ability to create or manage IAM roles\/policies used by the on-prem components.<\/li>\n<li>Ability to configure CloudTrail\/CloudWatch\/S3\/KMS if you will use them.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Networking<\/strong>:<\/li>\n<li>Connectivity from on-prem to AWS service endpoints (internet egress or private connectivity).<\/li>\n<li>Firewall\/proxy rules to allow required AWS endpoints (verify list in docs).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">VMware \/ on-prem requirements (typical categories; verify exacts)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>VMware vSphere<\/strong>:<\/li>\n<li>Supported ESXi and vCenter versions (strictly check the compatibility matrix in official docs).<\/li>\n<li>vCenter privileges\/roles for appliance deployment and VM lifecycle operations.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Compute and capacity<\/strong>:<\/li>\n<li>CPU\/memory headroom for management components and DB instance VMs.<\/li>\n<li>Capacity planning for growth and maintenance operations.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Storage<\/strong>:<\/li>\n<li>Datastores with adequate IOPS\/latency for database workloads.<\/li>\n<li>Space for backups\/snapshots depending on your strategy.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Networking<\/strong>:<\/li>\n<li>DNS resolution and stable NTP\/time synchronization.<\/li>\n<li>Routed connectivity between applications and DB instance networks.<\/li>\n<li>Outbound connectivity to AWS endpoints.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Security<\/strong>:<\/li>\n<li>Ability to enforce TLS where supported.<\/li>\n<li>Secure admin access paths to management components (jump host\/bastion).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tools<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>AWS CLI<\/strong> (helpful for verification and automation): https:\/\/docs.aws.amazon.com\/cli\/latest\/userguide\/getting-started-install.html<\/li>\n<li><strong>vSphere Client<\/strong> access for vCenter.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Database client tools<\/strong> for validation:<\/li>\n<li>MySQL client (<code>mysql<\/code>) and\/or PostgreSQL client (<code>psql<\/code>) as appropriate.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Quotas\/limits<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Expect limits around:<\/li>\n<li>Number of instances per environment<\/li>\n<li>Supported instance sizes<\/li>\n<li>Storage sizing<\/li>\n<li>Backup retention and throughput<\/li>\n<li>Always check AWS documentation and service quotas pages where applicable. If quotas are not published, confirm with AWS Support.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">9. Pricing \/ Cost<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Amazon RDS on VMware pricing can be nuanced because it blends AWS control-plane usage with on-prem infrastructure costs. Do not assume it matches standard Amazon RDS (cloud) pricing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pricing dimensions (what you may pay for)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>AWS-side costs (typical categories)<\/strong>\n&#8211; <strong>RDS on VMware service charges<\/strong> (if applicable): The pricing model may be based on DB instance sizing\/time (for example, vCPU-hour) and\/or subscription constructs. <strong>Verify on the official pricing page<\/strong>.\n&#8211; <strong>Amazon S3<\/strong> (if used for backups): storage GB-month, requests, lifecycle transitions.\n&#8211; <strong>AWS KMS<\/strong> (if used): key\/month and API requests.\n&#8211; <strong>CloudWatch<\/strong> (if used): metrics, logs ingestion\/retention, alarms.\n&#8211; <strong>CloudTrail<\/strong>: management events are generally available; data events and log delivery to S3 incur S3 costs. (CloudTrail pricing depends on configuration.)\n&#8211; <strong>Data transfer<\/strong>: outbound from AWS to on-prem, and on-prem to AWS (internet egress from your ISP, Direct Connect port and data charges, etc.) depending on architecture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>On-prem costs (often the biggest drivers)<\/strong>\n&#8211; VMware licensing\/subscriptions and support.\n&#8211; Datacenter hardware depreciation (servers, storage, networking).\n&#8211; Power\/cooling\/rack space.\n&#8211; Operations staffing (vSphere admins, storage admins, network\/security).\n&#8211; Backup tooling and offsite storage (if separate from AWS S3 strategy).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Free tier<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Amazon RDS on VMware is <strong>not typically associated with the AWS Free Tier<\/strong> in the way many AWS services are. Treat it as a production-grade hybrid service and plan costs accordingly. Verify on the official pricing page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Cost drivers to watch<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Instance sizing and count<\/strong>: More\/larger DB instances increase both any service charges and on-prem capacity needs.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Backup retention<\/strong>: Long retention + frequent backups increases storage and transfer.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Network path<\/strong>: Using Direct Connect improves predictability but adds recurring costs; internet egress might be cheaper but less deterministic.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Observability retention<\/strong>: CloudWatch logs\/metrics retention can quietly add cost.<\/li>\n<li><strong>VMware cluster headroom<\/strong>: Databases need spare capacity for maintenance, failover\/HA at the VMware layer, and performance bursts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Hidden\/indirect costs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Connectivity engineering<\/strong>: firewalls, proxies, TLS inspection considerations, endpoint allowlisting maintenance.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Compliance overhead<\/strong>: audit evidence, access reviews, key management processes.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Operational dual-stack<\/strong>: teams must operate both AWS governance and VMware infrastructure.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Cost optimization tips<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Right-size DB instances based on actual load (CPU, memory, storage IOPS).<\/li>\n<li>Use lifecycle policies for S3 backups (if supported) to control retention cost.<\/li>\n<li>Keep CloudWatch logs only as long as needed for incident response\/compliance.<\/li>\n<li>Separate dev\/test from prod; do not overprovision on-prem clusters for ephemeral workloads if AWS RDS (cloud) is acceptable for non-sensitive dev\/test.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Example low-cost starter estimate (non-numeric)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A \u201cstarter\u201d setup might include:\n&#8211; A small VMware cluster you already own (so incremental cost is primarily capacity use).\n&#8211; 1 small DB instance for a sandbox workload.\n&#8211; Minimal backup retention and basic metrics only.\n&#8211; Internet egress with strict allowlisting (no Direct Connect).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your monthly bill will depend on:\n&#8211; Any Amazon RDS on VMware service charges (verify)\n&#8211; S3 storage for backups (if configured)\n&#8211; Monitoring\/logging footprint<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Example production cost considerations (non-numeric)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A production deployment usually adds:\n&#8211; Redundant VMware hosts and storage (N+1 or N+2 capacity)\n&#8211; Higher IOPS storage tiers\n&#8211; Offsite backups with longer retention\n&#8211; Direct Connect\/VPN redundancy\n&#8211; Strong monitoring and alerting (CloudWatch + on-prem monitoring)\n&#8211; More rigorous change control and maintenance windows<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Official pricing references<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>AWS Pricing landing page: https:\/\/aws.amazon.com\/pricing\/<\/li>\n<li>Amazon RDS pricing (cloud RDS; not a substitute\u2014use for comparison only): https:\/\/aws.amazon.com\/rds\/pricing\/<\/li>\n<li>AWS Pricing Calculator: https:\/\/calculator.aws\/<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>For Amazon RDS on VMware, <strong>use the specific official pricing page for \u201cAmazon RDS on VMware\u201d<\/strong> (if published separately) and confirm any prerequisites or private pricing with your AWS account team. If you cannot find a public pricing page, treat pricing as \u201cverify with AWS.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">10. Step-by-Step Hands-On Tutorial<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This lab is designed to be realistic and executable, but it assumes you already have access to a VMware vSphere environment and that Amazon RDS on VMware is available for your AWS account\/Region. Some steps depend on your network\/security standards and the exact RDS on VMware installer workflow. Where specifics vary, the lab tells you exactly what to verify in official docs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Objective<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Deploy Amazon RDS on VMware management components into a VMware vSphere environment, register\/connect them to your AWS account, provision a small database instance, connect to it from an on-prem client, and then clean up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Lab Overview<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>You will:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Prepare AWS-side prerequisites (IAM, S3 optional).<\/li>\n<li>Prepare VMware prerequisites (compute\/network\/DNS\/NTP).<\/li>\n<li>Deploy and register the RDS on VMware appliance\/components.<\/li>\n<li>Create a DB instance (for example, MySQL or PostgreSQL\u2014engine depends on what your environment supports).<\/li>\n<li>Validate connectivity and basic operations.<\/li>\n<li>Troubleshoot common issues.<\/li>\n<li>Clean up resources to avoid ongoing cost\/capacity use.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 1: Confirm service availability and supported versions (do this first)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Open the official Amazon RDS documentation and navigate to the <strong>Amazon RDS on VMware<\/strong> section (start here and follow current links):<br\/>\n   https:\/\/docs.aws.amazon.com\/AmazonRDS\/latest\/UserGuide\/Welcome.html<br\/>\n   Then find \u201cRDS on VMware\u201d in the left navigation (if present).<\/li>\n<li>Confirm:\n   &#8211; Supported AWS Regions\n   &#8211; Supported VMware vSphere versions\n   &#8211; Supported database engines and versions\n   &#8211; Networking requirements (endpoints\/ports\/DNS\/NTP)\n   &#8211; Any onboarding constraints (for example, whether you must request access)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Expected outcome:<\/strong> You have a written checklist of requirements that match your lab environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 2: Prepare AWS IAM access for operators and the on-prem components<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>You need two permission sets:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Operator permissions<\/strong>: who can create\/modify\/delete DB instances via AWS.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Appliance\/component permissions<\/strong>: what the on-prem RDS on VMware components use to call AWS APIs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Because the exact IAM policies and role trust relationships can change, <strong>create IAM roles\/policies using the official RDS on VMware documentation<\/strong>. The high-level flow typically looks like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In the AWS Console, go to <strong>IAM \u2192 Roles \u2192 Create role<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Choose the role type required by RDS on VMware (often a service role or a role assumed by an on-prem component using AWS credentials\u2014<strong>verify<\/strong>).<\/li>\n<li>Attach the least-privilege policy recommended by the official docs.<\/li>\n<li>Record:\n   &#8211; Role ARN(s)\n   &#8211; External ID requirements (if any)\n   &#8211; Any access key handling method required (avoid long-lived keys if possible; verify supported approach)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Expected outcome:<\/strong> You have IAM roles\/policies created exactly as required by the official RDS on VMware setup guide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Verification (optional):<\/strong>\n&#8211; Confirm your operator identity can call read-only RDS APIs:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre><code class=\"language-bash\">aws sts get-caller-identity\naws rds describe-db-instances --max-items 10\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p>If you get <code>AccessDenied<\/code>, fix operator permissions before continuing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 3: (Optional) Create an S3 bucket for backups\/log exports (if required)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If your RDS on VMware configuration supports or requires S3 for backups, create a dedicated bucket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Choose a globally unique bucket name and Region that matches the service guidance.<\/li>\n<li>Create bucket (example):<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<pre><code class=\"language-bash\">aws s3api create-bucket \\\n  --bucket my-rdsonvmware-backups-123456789 \\\n  --region us-east-1\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p>For other Regions, you may need <code>--create-bucket-configuration LocationConstraint=...<\/code>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\" start=\"3\">\n<li>Apply security best practices:\n   &#8211; Block public access\n   &#8211; Enable versioning (optional)\n   &#8211; Enable default encryption (SSE-S3 or SSE-KMS depending on requirements)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Expected outcome:<\/strong> An S3 bucket exists and is private.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Verification:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre><code class=\"language-bash\">aws s3api get-public-access-block --bucket my-rdsonvmware-backups-123456789\naws s3api get-bucket-encryption --bucket my-rdsonvmware-backups-123456789\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 4: Prepare the VMware environment (vCenter\/ESXi\/networking)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Minimum preparation checklist:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>vCenter access<\/strong>: Ensure you can deploy OVAs\/templates and create\/modify VMs.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Compute<\/strong>: Reserve capacity for:\n   &#8211; RDS on VMware management components\n   &#8211; At least one DB instance VM<\/li>\n<li><strong>Networking<\/strong>:\n   &#8211; A port group\/VLAN where DB instance VMs will live\n   &#8211; A management network for the appliance (often same network in labs; separated in production)\n   &#8211; DNS that can resolve required AWS endpoints and internal hostnames\n   &#8211; NTP configured and consistent across vCenter\/ESXi and management components<\/li>\n<li><strong>Firewall\/proxy<\/strong>:\n   &#8211; Allow outbound TLS to the required AWS endpoints for RDS on VMware (endpoint list in official docs)\n   &#8211; Ensure return traffic is allowed\n   &#8211; If using an HTTP proxy, confirm whether the components support it (verify)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Expected outcome:<\/strong> vSphere is ready, and you can successfully resolve AWS endpoints from the management network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Verification idea:<\/strong> From a management-network VM, test DNS and outbound connectivity:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre><code class=\"language-bash\">nslookup aws.amazon.com\ncurl -I https:\/\/signin.aws.amazon.com\/\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p>If you use strict egress, test specific endpoints from the RDS on VMware documentation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 5: Deploy the Amazon RDS on VMware appliance\/components into vSphere<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Follow the official \u201cInstall\/Deploy\u201d steps exactly. The workflow commonly involves:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Downloading the installer package \/ OVA(s) from an AWS-provided source (verify where and how you obtain it).<\/li>\n<li>In vCenter:\n   &#8211; <strong>Deploy OVF Template<\/strong>\n   &#8211; Select the downloaded OVA\/OVF\n   &#8211; Choose compute resource (cluster\/host)\n   &#8211; Choose datastore\n   &#8211; Choose networks\/port groups\n   &#8211; Set appliance properties (IP, DNS, NTP, admin credentials) as required<\/li>\n<li>Power on the management appliance VM(s).<\/li>\n<li>Complete any first-boot configuration steps (web UI\/CLI), per official docs.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Expected outcome:<\/strong> RDS on VMware management components are running and reachable on the management network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Verification:<\/strong>\n&#8211; You can log in to the appliance admin interface (UI\/SSH\u2014depending on what is documented).\n&#8211; Appliance health checks (if provided) show \u201cready.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 6: Register\/connect the on-prem environment with your AWS account<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This step links the VMware-based management plane to your AWS control plane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Typical actions (verify exact steps\/commands):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Provide the appliance with:\n   &#8211; AWS Region\n   &#8211; IAM role\/credentials method required\n   &#8211; Any required identifiers for the environment registration<\/li>\n<li>Confirm successful registration from:\n   &#8211; The appliance interface (shows connected\/registered)\n   &#8211; The AWS Console (RDS on VMware section shows your environment as available)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Expected outcome:<\/strong> The AWS Console recognizes your RDS on VMware environment and shows it as healthy\/available for provisioning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Verification:<\/strong>\n&#8211; In AWS Console: navigate to Amazon RDS \u2192 RDS on VMware (or relevant section).\n&#8211; Ensure the environment status is \u201cAvailable\/Ready\u201d (exact wording varies).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 7: Create a small DB instance (MySQL or PostgreSQL) on VMware<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Use the AWS Console for the most reliable first run (CLI parameters for RDS on VMware can differ).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Go to <strong>Amazon RDS<\/strong> in the AWS Console.<\/li>\n<li>Choose the <strong>RDS on VMware<\/strong> area (if separate) or the workflow documented for on-prem instances.<\/li>\n<li>Click <strong>Create database<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Choose:\n   &#8211; <strong>Engine<\/strong>: MySQL or PostgreSQL (supported versions only; verify)\n   &#8211; <strong>Instance size\/class<\/strong>: pick the smallest supported for lab\n   &#8211; <strong>Storage<\/strong>: small initial size with room for growth\n   &#8211; <strong>Credentials<\/strong>: set a strong master username\/password\n   &#8211; <strong>Networking<\/strong>: choose the on-prem network settings as documented (this will map to your vSphere networking)\n   &#8211; <strong>Backups<\/strong>: set minimal retention for lab\n   &#8211; <strong>Maintenance window<\/strong>: choose a safe lab window<\/li>\n<li>Create the database.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Expected outcome:<\/strong> A DB instance VM is automatically deployed into vSphere and the database becomes \u201cAvailable\u201d in the AWS Console.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Verification (AWS side):<\/strong>\n&#8211; The DB instance shows status \u201cAvailable\u201d in the console.\n&#8211; You can see its endpoint\/connection information (often an IP\/DNS reachable from on-prem).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Verification (vSphere side):<\/strong>\n&#8211; A new VM appears for the DB instance.\n&#8211; VM has expected CPU\/memory\/storage and is powered on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 8: Connect to the database from an on-prem client<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>From a VM on the same network (or with routed access), connect using the appropriate client.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>MySQL example:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre><code class=\"language-bash\">mysql -h &lt;db-endpoint-or-ip&gt; -u &lt;master_user&gt; -p\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>PostgreSQL example:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre><code class=\"language-bash\">psql \"host=&lt;db-endpoint-or-ip&gt; port=5432 dbname=postgres user=&lt;master_user&gt;\"\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p>Run a simple query:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>MySQL:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre><code class=\"language-sql\">SELECT VERSION();\nCREATE DATABASE labdb;\nSHOW DATABASES;\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>PostgreSQL:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre><code class=\"language-sql\">SELECT version();\nCREATE DATABASE labdb;\n\\l\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Expected outcome:<\/strong> You can authenticate and run queries successfully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 9: Perform one operational action (backup\/maintenance\/modify) and observe behavior<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Choose one action supported by your engine and your deployment (verify in docs):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Trigger a manual backup (if supported)<\/li>\n<li>Modify instance storage (if supported)<\/li>\n<li>Change backup retention (low impact)<\/li>\n<li>Review monitoring metrics in AWS<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Expected outcome:<\/strong> The action completes successfully, and you can see the change reflected in both AWS Console status and, where relevant, in vSphere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Validation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Use this checklist:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>AWS Console shows the environment and DB instance as healthy\/available.<\/li>\n<li>vCenter shows:<\/li>\n<li>management appliance VM(s) running<\/li>\n<li>DB instance VM running<\/li>\n<li>DB client connectivity works from an on-prem client.<\/li>\n<li>At least one lifecycle operation (modify\/backup) succeeds.<\/li>\n<li>Audit\/monitoring:<\/li>\n<li>CloudTrail has events for your management actions (if configured\/available; verify)<\/li>\n<li>CloudWatch metrics\/alarms (if configured) show expected data<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Troubleshooting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Common issues and fixes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\n<p><strong>DB instance stuck in \u201cCreating\u201d<\/strong>\n   &#8211; Check vSphere tasks\/events for provisioning errors.\n   &#8211; Confirm datastore capacity and permissions.\n   &#8211; Confirm ESXi hosts have sufficient CPU\/memory headroom.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><strong>Appliance cannot register with AWS<\/strong>\n   &#8211; Verify DNS resolution and NTP\/time sync (clock skew breaks TLS).\n   &#8211; Confirm outbound firewall rules allow required endpoints\/ports.\n   &#8211; Confirm IAM role\/policy matches official docs and that credentials are correctly configured.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><strong>Cannot connect to DB from client<\/strong>\n   &#8211; Confirm routing and firewall rules between client network and DB VM network.\n   &#8211; Confirm DB is listening on expected port.\n   &#8211; Confirm you used the correct endpoint\/IP from the console.\n   &#8211; Validate credentials and any TLS requirements.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><strong>Backups fail<\/strong>\n   &#8211; If using S3: confirm bucket policy, encryption settings, and IAM permissions.\n   &#8211; Confirm network path to S3 endpoints is allowed.\n   &#8211; Review appliance logs (per official docs) for error details.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><strong>Performance is poor<\/strong>\n   &#8211; Check datastore latency and IOPS.\n   &#8211; Confirm VM CPU ready time and memory contention.\n   &#8211; Right-size the DB instance and validate storage tier suitability.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Cleanup<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>To avoid ongoing costs and reclaim on-prem capacity:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In AWS Console:\n   &#8211; Delete the DB instance.\n   &#8211; Confirm final snapshots\/backups settings (for lab, disable final snapshot if you don\u2019t need it\u2014follow your policy).<\/li>\n<li>Remove\/tear down:\n   &#8211; Any S3 buckets created for the lab (empty first).\n   &#8211; Any CloudWatch log groups\/alarms created for the lab.<\/li>\n<li>In vCenter:\n   &#8211; Power off and delete the DB instance VM if it remains (normally deletion should be orchestrated; only do manual cleanup if the official docs recommend it for failed states).\n   &#8211; Power off and delete RDS on VMware management appliance(s) if you are not keeping the environment.<\/li>\n<li>In IAM:\n   &#8211; Remove lab-only roles\/policies if not needed.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Expected outcome:<\/strong> No DB instance remains, lab artifacts are removed, and AWS\/on-prem costs stop accruing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">11. Best Practices<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Architecture best practices<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Design for clear separation between:<\/li>\n<li><strong>Control plane (AWS)<\/strong> governance and auditing<\/li>\n<li><strong>Data plane (on-prem VMware)<\/strong> compute\/storage\/networking<\/li>\n<li>Use dedicated VMware clusters or resource pools for database workloads to avoid noisy neighbors.<\/li>\n<li>Treat storage as first-class:<\/li>\n<li>Choose datastore tiers appropriate for DB latency\/IOPS.<\/li>\n<li>Monitor latency and queue depths.<\/li>\n<li>Plan capacity headroom for:<\/li>\n<li>VMware HA events<\/li>\n<li>Maintenance operations<\/li>\n<li>Growth<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">IAM\/security best practices<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Use least privilege for:<\/li>\n<li>Operators (who can create\/modify\/delete DB instances)<\/li>\n<li>On-prem components (only required API calls)<\/li>\n<li>Prefer short-lived credentials and strong identity controls (SSO, MFA).<\/li>\n<li>Log all management actions with CloudTrail (and store logs securely in S3 with restricted access).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Cost best practices<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Right-size DB instances based on real metrics.<\/li>\n<li>Avoid long retention for lab\/dev environments.<\/li>\n<li>Use S3 lifecycle policies (if backups go to S3 and policy allows).<\/li>\n<li>Keep observability data retention aligned with business needs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Performance best practices<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Benchmark storage performance before onboarding critical databases.<\/li>\n<li>Monitor at minimum:<\/li>\n<li>CPU utilization and CPU ready time (VMware)<\/li>\n<li>Memory pressure<\/li>\n<li>Disk latency\/IOPS<\/li>\n<li>DB engine metrics (connections, cache hit rate, slow queries)<\/li>\n<li>Use connection pooling at the application layer. (AWS-native RDS Proxy is a VPC service and may not apply directly; verify.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Reliability best practices<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Use VMware HA and validated recovery procedures.<\/li>\n<li>Test restore procedures regularly (not just backups).<\/li>\n<li>Document RTO\/RPO assumptions for on-prem incidents (power\/storage failure) and for connectivity to AWS endpoints.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Operations best practices<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Define runbooks for:<\/li>\n<li>Provisioning approvals<\/li>\n<li>Patch\/maintenance windows<\/li>\n<li>Backup\/restore workflows<\/li>\n<li>Incident response and escalation<\/li>\n<li>Integrate with ticketing\/ChatOps for change management and incident management.<\/li>\n<li>Maintain a compatibility matrix:<\/li>\n<li>vSphere versions<\/li>\n<li>DB engine versions<\/li>\n<li>Any appliance component versions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Governance\/tagging\/naming best practices<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Use consistent naming conventions:<\/li>\n<li><code>env-app-owner-engine<\/code> patterns (for example, <code>prod-payments-platform-mysql<\/code>)<\/li>\n<li>Tag resources (where supported) for:<\/li>\n<li>Owner\/team<\/li>\n<li>Cost center<\/li>\n<li>Data classification<\/li>\n<li>Environment (dev\/test\/stage\/prod)<\/li>\n<li>Enforce resource lifecycle:<\/li>\n<li>Expiration policies for non-prod<\/li>\n<li>Approval gates for prod<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">12. Security Considerations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Identity and access model<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>AWS IAM<\/strong> governs who can perform RDS on VMware management actions via AWS APIs\/console.<\/li>\n<li><strong>VMware access controls<\/strong> govern who can operate vCenter\/ESXi and access the appliance VMs.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Database credentials<\/strong> (master user and app users) must be handled as secrets.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Recommendations:\n&#8211; Use SSO with MFA for AWS access.\n&#8211; Use dedicated IAM roles for automation and operations.\n&#8211; Separate VMware admin duties from DB operator duties where possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Encryption<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>In transit<\/strong>: Use TLS for:<\/li>\n<li>Appliance-to-AWS endpoint communications<\/li>\n<li>Client-to-database connections (where supported and required)<\/li>\n<li><strong>At rest<\/strong>: Depends on:<\/li>\n<li>How database storage is implemented on VMware<\/li>\n<li>Whether underlying datastore encryption is used<\/li>\n<li>Whether backups stored in S3 use SSE-S3 or SSE-KMS<br\/>\n  Verify at-rest encryption support and configuration options in official docs and your VMware storage stack.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Network exposure<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Place DB instances on dedicated subnets\/VLANs with strict ACLs.<\/li>\n<li>Restrict inbound access to DB ports (3306 for MySQL, 5432 for PostgreSQL) to only application hosts and admin jump hosts.<\/li>\n<li>Restrict outbound access from management components to only required AWS endpoints.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Secrets handling<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Store DB credentials in a secrets manager suitable for your environment (AWS Secrets Manager is commonly used in AWS; verify whether\/how you want to integrate in a hybrid-only app).<\/li>\n<li>Rotate credentials on a schedule.<\/li>\n<li>Never embed passwords in scripts or VM templates.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Audit\/logging<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Enable CloudTrail (and secure S3 log bucket).<\/li>\n<li>Capture on-prem logs:<\/li>\n<li>vCenter events<\/li>\n<li>Appliance logs (per official docs)<\/li>\n<li>OS-level logs for jump hosts and admin workstations<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Compliance considerations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Map your controls to:<\/li>\n<li>Data residency<\/li>\n<li>Change control (maintenance windows, approvals)<\/li>\n<li>Access reviews (IAM + vCenter + DB accounts)<\/li>\n<li>Key management (KMS \/ on-prem HSM if required)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Common security mistakes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Allowing unrestricted outbound internet from appliance components.<\/li>\n<li>Weak separation of duties (same admin controls AWS, vSphere, and DB credentials).<\/li>\n<li>No NTP\/time sync leading to TLS failures and insecure \u201cworkarounds.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Storing backups in S3 without encryption, lifecycle policies, or access controls.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Secure deployment recommendations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Use private connectivity (VPN\/Direct Connect) when required by policy.<\/li>\n<li>Use allowlists for AWS endpoints and strict egress firewall rules.<\/li>\n<li>Implement a hardened admin path (bastion\/jump host, no direct admin access from user desktops).<\/li>\n<li>Regularly test incident response and restore procedures.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">13. Limitations and Gotchas<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Because feature parity with cloud Amazon RDS is not guaranteed, treat the following as likely constraints and confirm in official docs for your version.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Known limitation categories (verify exacts)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Engine\/version support is limited<\/strong> compared to Amazon RDS in AWS.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Region availability<\/strong> for the control plane may be limited.<\/li>\n<li><strong>RDS features may not apply<\/strong> or may differ on VMware (for example, features tightly coupled to AWS VPC networking).<\/li>\n<li><strong>VMware prerequisites are strict<\/strong>: supported vSphere versions, networking, DNS, NTP, and permissions.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Operational dual-dependency<\/strong>:<\/li>\n<li>VMware incidents (storage latency, HA events) directly impact DB availability.<\/li>\n<li>Loss of connectivity to AWS endpoints can affect management operations and reporting; define what happens during WAN outage.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Quotas and scaling gotchas<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Instance counts and sizes may be limited by:<\/li>\n<li>published service quotas<\/li>\n<li>appliance constraints<\/li>\n<li>your VMware cluster capacity<\/li>\n<li>Storage resizing and backup throughput may be constrained; test performance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pricing surprises<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>S3 retention and CloudWatch logs can grow quietly.<\/li>\n<li>Direct Connect adds recurring cost.<\/li>\n<li>On-prem storage performance upgrades can dwarf AWS-side charges.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Compatibility issues<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>vSphere upgrades can break compatibility if you move outside the supported matrix.<\/li>\n<li>Strict TLS inspection proxies can interfere with AWS endpoint connectivity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Migration challenges<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Moving an existing self-managed on-prem DB into RDS on VMware may still require planning and downtime windows.<\/li>\n<li>Moving from RDS on VMware to Amazon RDS (cloud) later requires engine\/version compatibility checks and migration tooling (DMS, native replication, logical dumps\u2014choose based on constraints).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">14. Comparison with Alternatives<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Amazon RDS on VMware compares<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Amazon RDS on VMware is best viewed as a hybrid operational model. Alternatives may be simpler depending on where you can run the database and what operational model you want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Option<\/th>\n<th>Best For<\/th>\n<th>Strengths<\/th>\n<th>Weaknesses<\/th>\n<th>When to Choose<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Amazon RDS on VMware<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>On-prem VMware databases with AWS-style governance<\/td>\n<td>Hybrid managed workflow; AWS IAM\/audit integration; on-prem data locality<\/td>\n<td>Requires VMware ops maturity; limited engine\/version\/features vs cloud RDS; hybrid connectivity complexity<\/td>\n<td>You must keep DBs on VMware on premises but want standardized operations<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Amazon RDS (in AWS Regions)<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Most cloud-native workloads<\/td>\n<td>Broad feature set; tight AWS integration; managed HA options<\/td>\n<td>Data plane in AWS (may violate residency\/latency constraints)<\/td>\n<td>You can run DBs in AWS and want maximum RDS capability<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Amazon RDS on AWS Outposts<\/strong> (if applicable; verify current offering)<\/td>\n<td>On-prem AWS infrastructure (Outposts) with RDS experience<\/td>\n<td>AWS-managed infrastructure on-prem; consistent AWS operations<\/td>\n<td>Requires Outposts procurement; limited engine\/Region constraints<\/td>\n<td>You want on-prem placement but are willing to use AWS hardware<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Self-managed DB on VMware<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Full control and customization<\/td>\n<td>Maximum flexibility; no hybrid control-plane dependency<\/td>\n<td>High ops burden; inconsistent processes; patch\/backup toil<\/td>\n<td>You need features not supported by RDS on VMware or prefer full control<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Kubernetes operator-based DB (on-prem)<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Teams standardized on Kubernetes<\/td>\n<td>Declarative workflows; portability<\/td>\n<td>Operational complexity; performance\/storage tuning required<\/td>\n<td>You already run stateful workloads on Kubernetes and accept its DB tradeoffs<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Azure SQL Managed Instance \/ Google Cloud SQL<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Cross-cloud standardization<\/td>\n<td>Managed DB services in those clouds<\/td>\n<td>Doesn\u2019t solve on-prem VMware requirement; different IAM\/networking<\/td>\n<td>Choose when your strategy is cloud-specific to those providers<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">15. Real-World Example<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Enterprise example: regulated healthcare provider<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Problem<\/strong>: Clinical applications require on-prem databases due to data residency and legacy integration. Auditors require strong access control and audit trails.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Proposed architecture<\/strong>:<\/li>\n<li>VMware vSphere cluster dedicated to databases<\/li>\n<li>Amazon RDS on VMware management components deployed in a management network<\/li>\n<li>Strict egress allowlisting to AWS endpoints<\/li>\n<li>CloudTrail logging to a locked-down S3 bucket<\/li>\n<li>S3-based backup copies for offsite durability (if supported)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Why this service was chosen<\/strong>:<\/li>\n<li>Keeps data on premises while standardizing management and audit controls via AWS.<\/li>\n<li>Reduces manual provisioning and patch drift.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Expected outcomes<\/strong>:<\/li>\n<li>Faster provisioning (days \u2192 hours)<\/li>\n<li>Better compliance evidence (central audit trail + standardized runbooks)<\/li>\n<li>Reduced operational risk from inconsistent backups<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Startup\/small-team example: manufacturing SaaS with on-prem edge<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Problem<\/strong>: A small team ships an on-prem appliance to factories. Each site needs a local DB for low-latency ingestion; the company wants consistent operations without hiring a large DB team.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Proposed architecture<\/strong>:<\/li>\n<li>Small VMware cluster at each factory site (or a central on-prem site)<\/li>\n<li>Amazon RDS on VMware provides consistent provisioning and maintenance workflows<\/li>\n<li>Central AWS account used by SREs for management actions and monitoring (subject to connectivity constraints)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Why this service was chosen<\/strong>:<\/li>\n<li>The team wants an RDS-like model but must keep DB local.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Expected outcomes<\/strong>:<\/li>\n<li>More repeatable deployments across sites<\/li>\n<li>Simpler operations playbooks<\/li>\n<li>Centralized visibility into fleet health<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">16. FAQ<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\n<p><strong>Is Amazon RDS on VMware the same as Amazon RDS in AWS?<\/strong><br\/>\n   No. Amazon RDS on VMware runs the database compute on your VMware infrastructure, with AWS used as the control plane. Feature parity with cloud RDS is not guaranteed; verify supported features.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><strong>Which database engines are supported?<\/strong><br\/>\n   Support depends on the current release. Check the official RDS on VMware documentation for the definitive list of supported engines and versions.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><strong>Does Amazon RDS on VMware require internet access?<\/strong><br\/>\n   The on-prem components generally need connectivity to AWS endpoints. Many enterprises use controlled egress or private connectivity (VPN\/Direct Connect). Verify endpoint requirements in official docs.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><strong>Where does the data live?<\/strong><br\/>\n   The database data lives on your VMware datastores (on premises). Backups may also be stored offsite depending on configuration (for example, S3), if supported and enabled.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><strong>Can I use Multi-AZ like Amazon RDS?<\/strong><br\/>\n   Multi-AZ is an AWS Region\/AZ construct. On VMware, availability is typically achieved using VMware HA and your on-prem architecture. Verify what HA options exist within RDS on VMware.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><strong>Do I manage the OS of the database VM?<\/strong><br\/>\n   The degree of OS access is service-specific. Follow official guidance; avoid manual changes unless explicitly supported, as it can break managed operations.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><strong>How do I monitor performance?<\/strong><br\/>\n   Combine database-native monitoring (slow query logs, engine stats) with VMware metrics (CPU ready, datastore latency) and AWS-integrated monitoring if supported (verify CloudWatch metrics availability).<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><strong>How are patches applied?<\/strong><br\/>\n   RDS on VMware typically provides structured maintenance operations; exact patch scope and cadence depend on engine\/version. Verify in the official maintenance documentation.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><strong>Can I back up to S3?<\/strong><br\/>\n   Potentially, depending on the supported backup model. Verify backup targets, encryption, and retention behavior.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><strong>What happens if my datacenter loses connectivity to AWS?<\/strong><br\/>\n   Databases may continue serving application traffic locally, but management operations and telemetry may be impacted. Validate offline behavior in a controlled test.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><strong>Can I automate provisioning with Terraform?<\/strong><br\/>\n   Possibly, if the necessary APIs are supported and your provider versions include the required resources. Many teams start with AWS CLI\/SDK and later add IaC once the workflow is proven.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><strong>How do I control who can create databases?<\/strong><br\/>\n   Use AWS IAM policies for control-plane actions and enforce naming\/tagging and approvals through your process.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><strong>Is this the best option for dev\/test databases?<\/strong><br\/>\n   Not always. If data residency is not a constraint, cloud Amazon RDS is often simpler and cheaper for ephemeral dev\/test workloads.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><strong>How do I estimate capacity?<\/strong><br\/>\n   Plan VMware capacity (CPU, RAM, storage IOPS\/latency) based on workload benchmarks and growth, plus headroom for failover and maintenance.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><strong>Where should I start if I\u2019m new?<\/strong><br\/>\n   Start by reading the official RDS on VMware documentation end-to-end, then run a non-production pilot with one engine and one application, and document operational runbooks.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">17. Top Online Resources to Learn Amazon RDS on VMware<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Resource Type<\/th>\n<th>Name<\/th>\n<th>Why It Is Useful<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Official documentation<\/td>\n<td>Amazon RDS User Guide (start here; navigate to RDS on VMware section) \u2013 https:\/\/docs.aws.amazon.com\/AmazonRDS\/latest\/UserGuide\/Welcome.html<\/td>\n<td>Canonical source for setup, requirements, and operations<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Official documentation<\/td>\n<td>AWS CLI for Amazon RDS \u2013 https:\/\/docs.aws.amazon.com\/cli\/latest\/reference\/rds\/<\/td>\n<td>Helps with verification, scripting, and automation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Official pricing<\/td>\n<td>AWS Pricing \u2013 https:\/\/aws.amazon.com\/pricing\/<\/td>\n<td>Entry point to confirm pricing model and related service costs<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Official pricing<\/td>\n<td>Amazon RDS Pricing (cloud RDS; for comparison) \u2013 https:\/\/aws.amazon.com\/rds\/pricing\/<\/td>\n<td>Useful baseline to compare with hybrid options (not a substitute)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Cost estimation<\/td>\n<td>AWS Pricing Calculator \u2013 https:\/\/calculator.aws\/<\/td>\n<td>Estimate AWS-side costs (S3\/KMS\/CloudWatch\/data transfer)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Architecture guidance<\/td>\n<td>AWS Architecture Center \u2013 https:\/\/aws.amazon.com\/architecture\/<\/td>\n<td>Patterns for hybrid connectivity, security, and operations<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Security\/audit<\/td>\n<td>AWS CloudTrail User Guide \u2013 https:\/\/docs.aws.amazon.com\/awscloudtrail\/latest\/userguide\/<\/td>\n<td>Audit logging concepts and configuration<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Monitoring<\/td>\n<td>Amazon CloudWatch User Guide \u2013 https:\/\/docs.aws.amazon.com\/AmazonCloudWatch\/latest\/monitoring\/<\/td>\n<td>Metrics\/alarms\/logs practices relevant to hybrid monitoring<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Storage backups<\/td>\n<td>Amazon S3 User Guide \u2013 https:\/\/docs.aws.amazon.com\/AmazonS3\/latest\/userguide\/Welcome.html<\/td>\n<td>Backup storage, encryption, lifecycle policies<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Community (trusted)<\/td>\n<td>AWS re:Post \u2013 https:\/\/repost.aws\/<\/td>\n<td>Practical Q&amp;A validate answers against official docs<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">18. Training and Certification Providers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\n<p><strong>DevOpsSchool.com<\/strong>\n   &#8211; <strong>Suitable audience<\/strong>: DevOps engineers, SREs, platform teams, cloud engineers\n   &#8211; <strong>Likely learning focus<\/strong>: AWS operations, DevOps tooling, cloud architecture fundamentals\n   &#8211; <strong>Mode<\/strong>: check website\n   &#8211; <strong>Website<\/strong>: https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><strong>ScmGalaxy.com<\/strong>\n   &#8211; <strong>Suitable audience<\/strong>: Beginners to intermediate practitioners in DevOps\/automation\n   &#8211; <strong>Likely learning focus<\/strong>: SCM, CI\/CD, DevOps foundations, tooling ecosystems\n   &#8211; <strong>Mode<\/strong>: check website\n   &#8211; <strong>Website<\/strong>: https:\/\/www.scmgalaxy.com\/<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><strong>CLoudOpsNow.in<\/strong>\n   &#8211; <strong>Suitable audience<\/strong>: Cloud operations engineers, sysadmins moving to cloud, NOC\/SOC-adjacent roles\n   &#8211; <strong>Likely learning focus<\/strong>: Cloud operations, monitoring, incident response, operational readiness\n   &#8211; <strong>Mode<\/strong>: check website\n   &#8211; <strong>Website<\/strong>: https:\/\/www.cloudopsnow.in\/<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><strong>SreSchool.com<\/strong>\n   &#8211; <strong>Suitable audience<\/strong>: SREs, reliability engineers, platform teams\n   &#8211; <strong>Likely learning focus<\/strong>: SRE practices, SLIs\/SLOs, monitoring\/alerting, production operations\n   &#8211; <strong>Mode<\/strong>: check website\n   &#8211; <strong>Website<\/strong>: https:\/\/www.sreschool.com\/<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><strong>AiOpsSchool.com<\/strong>\n   &#8211; <strong>Suitable audience<\/strong>: Operations teams exploring AIOps, monitoring at scale, automation\n   &#8211; <strong>Likely learning focus<\/strong>: AIOps concepts, event correlation, automated remediation patterns\n   &#8211; <strong>Mode<\/strong>: check website\n   &#8211; <strong>Website<\/strong>: https:\/\/www.aiopsschool.com\/<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">19. Top Trainers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\n<p><strong>RajeshKumar.xyz<\/strong>\n   &#8211; <strong>Likely specialization<\/strong>: DevOps and cloud training (verify offerings on site)\n   &#8211; <strong>Suitable audience<\/strong>: Students and working professionals seeking hands-on guidance\n   &#8211; <strong>Website URL<\/strong>: https:\/\/rajeshkumar.xyz\/<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><strong>devopstrainer.in<\/strong>\n   &#8211; <strong>Likely specialization<\/strong>: DevOps tooling and practices (verify course listings)\n   &#8211; <strong>Suitable audience<\/strong>: DevOps engineers and sysadmins transitioning to DevOps\n   &#8211; <strong>Website URL<\/strong>: https:\/\/www.devopstrainer.in\/<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><strong>devopsfreelancer.com<\/strong>\n   &#8211; <strong>Likely specialization<\/strong>: Freelance DevOps consulting\/training resources (verify services)\n   &#8211; <strong>Suitable audience<\/strong>: Teams seeking short engagements, practical implementations\n   &#8211; <strong>Website URL<\/strong>: https:\/\/www.devopsfreelancer.com\/<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><strong>devopssupport.in<\/strong>\n   &#8211; <strong>Likely specialization<\/strong>: DevOps support and operational troubleshooting (verify scope)\n   &#8211; <strong>Suitable audience<\/strong>: Ops\/DevOps teams needing guided support\n   &#8211; <strong>Website URL<\/strong>: https:\/\/www.devopssupport.in\/<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">20. Top Consulting Companies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\n<p><strong>cotocus.com<\/strong>\n   &#8211; <strong>Likely service area<\/strong>: Cloud\/DevOps consulting (verify exact portfolio)\n   &#8211; <strong>Where they may help<\/strong>: Hybrid architecture planning, DevOps processes, operational readiness\n   &#8211; <strong>Consulting use case examples<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Hybrid connectivity design review (on-prem to AWS endpoints)<\/li>\n<li>Observability baseline and alerting strategy for databases on VMware<\/li>\n<li><strong>Website URL<\/strong>: https:\/\/cotocus.com\/<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><strong>DevOpsSchool.com<\/strong>\n   &#8211; <strong>Likely service area<\/strong>: DevOps and cloud consulting\/training (verify consulting offerings)\n   &#8211; <strong>Where they may help<\/strong>: Platform engineering enablement, automation pipelines, governance practices\n   &#8211; <strong>Consulting use case examples<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Design a database provisioning workflow aligned with IAM and approvals<\/li>\n<li>Create runbooks for patching, backups, and restores<\/li>\n<li><strong>Website URL<\/strong>: https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><strong>DEVOPSCONSULTING.IN<\/strong>\n   &#8211; <strong>Likely service area<\/strong>: DevOps consulting (verify services)\n   &#8211; <strong>Where they may help<\/strong>: CI\/CD, infrastructure automation, operations improvement\n   &#8211; <strong>Consulting use case examples<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Implement monitoring and incident response playbooks for hybrid databases<\/li>\n<li>Standardize tagging, naming, and change control around DB lifecycle<\/li>\n<li><strong>Website URL<\/strong>: https:\/\/www.devopsconsulting.in\/<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">21. Career and Learning Roadmap<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What to learn before this service<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>AWS fundamentals<\/strong>: IAM, Regions, CloudTrail, CloudWatch, S3, KMS basics<\/li>\n<li><strong>Amazon RDS fundamentals<\/strong>: DB instance concepts, backups, maintenance windows (cloud RDS concepts help, but verify differences)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Networking<\/strong>: DNS, NTP, TLS, firewall rules, routing, VPN\/Direct Connect fundamentals<\/li>\n<li><strong>VMware vSphere fundamentals<\/strong>: vCenter, ESXi clusters, datastores, networking (port groups\/VLANs), HA\/DRS concepts<\/li>\n<li><strong>Database basics<\/strong>: MySQL\/PostgreSQL operations, backups\/restores, performance basics<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What to learn after this service<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Hybrid operations<\/strong>: incident management across cloud + datacenter, SLOs\/SLIs<\/li>\n<li><strong>Migration tooling<\/strong>:<\/li>\n<li>AWS Database Migration Service (DMS): https:\/\/aws.amazon.com\/dms\/<\/li>\n<li>Native replication approaches and cutover planning<\/li>\n<li><strong>Infrastructure as Code<\/strong>: Terraform\/CloudFormation patterns for governance<\/li>\n<li><strong>Advanced security<\/strong>: key management, secrets rotation, zero trust admin access<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Job roles that use it<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Cloud engineer (hybrid)<\/li>\n<li>Platform engineer<\/li>\n<li>SRE \/ operations engineer<\/li>\n<li>Database engineer (with hybrid ops responsibilities)<\/li>\n<li>Solutions architect (hybrid infrastructure)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Certification path (if available)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>There is no widely known, standalone certification for \u201cAmazon RDS on VMware.\u201d A practical certification path is typically:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>AWS Certified Solutions Architect \u2013 Associate\/Professional (verify current cert names): https:\/\/aws.amazon.com\/certification\/<\/li>\n<li>AWS Certified SysOps Administrator \u2013 Associate<\/li>\n<li>Database specialty certifications (AWS has offered database-focused certifications; verify current availability)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Project ideas for practice<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Build a \u201cdatabase as a service\u201d request workflow (approval + provisioning) for on-prem DB instances.<\/li>\n<li>Implement a backup verification pipeline: scheduled restore into a test instance and run integrity checks.<\/li>\n<li>Create a capacity dashboard: VMware cluster capacity + DB instance resource usage + backup growth trends.<\/li>\n<li>Run a game day: simulate loss of AWS connectivity and document operational impacts and mitigations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">22. Glossary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Amazon RDS<\/strong>: AWS managed relational database service in AWS Regions.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Amazon RDS on VMware<\/strong>: Hybrid offering to run supported RDS-managed database instances on on-prem VMware vSphere with AWS control-plane management.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Control plane<\/strong>: Management layer (APIs, IAM, auditing) that orchestrates resources.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Data plane<\/strong>: Where the actual workload runs and where data is stored (VMware VMs and datastores here).<\/li>\n<li><strong>vCenter<\/strong>: VMware management platform for administering ESXi hosts and clusters.<\/li>\n<li><strong>ESXi<\/strong>: VMware hypervisor installed on physical servers.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Datastore<\/strong>: VMware storage container backed by SAN\/NAS\/local storage.<\/li>\n<li><strong>NTP<\/strong>: Network Time Protocol; essential for correct time and TLS operations.<\/li>\n<li><strong>TLS<\/strong>: Transport Layer Security; encrypts network traffic.<\/li>\n<li><strong>IAM<\/strong>: Identity and Access Management in AWS.<\/li>\n<li><strong>CloudTrail<\/strong>: AWS service that records API activity for auditing.<\/li>\n<li><strong>CloudWatch<\/strong>: AWS monitoring service for metrics, logs, and alarms.<\/li>\n<li><strong>KMS<\/strong>: AWS Key Management Service for managing encryption keys.<\/li>\n<li><strong>S3<\/strong>: AWS object storage service commonly used for backups\/log archival.<\/li>\n<li><strong>RTO\/RPO<\/strong>: Recovery Time Objective \/ Recovery Point Objective.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">23. Summary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Amazon RDS on VMware (AWS, Databases category) is a hybrid service that brings an RDS-like operational model to on-premises VMware environments. It matters when you must keep databases on VMware for latency, residency, or legacy reasons but still want standardized provisioning, governance, and (where supported) automated lifecycle operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Architecturally, it splits control and data planes: AWS provides identity, APIs, and audit\/monitoring integrations, while VMware hosts the actual database VMs and storage. Cost is a combination of AWS-side service usage (plus S3\/KMS\/CloudWatch\/data transfer if used) and on-prem VMware infrastructure costs\u2014so capacity planning and retention policies are key cost levers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Security requires disciplined IAM, strict outbound endpoint control, careful secrets management, and a clear operational model spanning AWS + vSphere. Use Amazon RDS on VMware when hybrid constraints are real and you want RDS-style governance; prefer cloud Amazon RDS when you can run the data plane in AWS for simpler operations and broader feature depth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Next step: read the official RDS on VMware documentation end-to-end, validate compatibility (vSphere + engine versions), and run a small pilot that includes provisioning, monitoring, backup\/restore testing, and a simulated connectivity disruption game day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Databases<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-191","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-aws","category-databases"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/tutorials\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/tutorials\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/tutorials\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/tutorials\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/tutorials\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=191"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/tutorials\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/tutorials\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=191"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/tutorials\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=191"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/tutorials\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=191"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}