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Microsoft, Amazon Offer SQL Server 2012 Testing in the Cloud
A collaboration between Microsoft and Amazon would allow developers to test SQL Server 2012, previously code-named "Denali," in Amazon's Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2).
The deal would make evaluating SQL Server 2012 cheaper and easier than if developers were to use local implementations. Developers would only pay standard Amazon Web Services (AWS) rates -- which range from 12 cents to 96 cents per hour for "standard on-demand instances" --- to test SQL Server 2012, currently in its third community technology preview (CTP).
An AWS site promises easy deployment in five minutes. "With AWS, companies can utilize the Cloud to easily test the new functionality and features of 'Denali,' without having to purchase and manage hardware," the site says. "This provides customers with faster time to evaluation, without any of the complexity related to setting up and configuring a test lab for beta software."
The Denali program is part of a broader initiative in which Microsoft has developed Amazon Machine Images (AMI) for testing of Web-based products such as WebMatrix and database-related software -- basically SQL Server 2008 R2 -- all running on Windows Server 2008 R2. The Denali AMI was created just a few weeks ago.
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David Ramel is an editor and writer at Converge 360.