# Default AWS DRS launch settings
<a name="default-drs-launch-settings"></a>

 AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery (AWS DRS) allows you to configure the default launch settings and change them at any time.

The default launch settings apply to any new source server added to AWS DRS. You are prompted to configure your default launch settings upon your first use of AWS DRS. 

 Launch settings can also be edited manually for individual servers. 

# Editing the default AWS DRS launch settings
<a name="editing-launch-settings"></a>

The default launch settings are applied to every newly launched source server in AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery (AWS DRS). You can change these settings for a single or multiple servers whenever you choose.

 To edit these settings, follow these steps:

1. Select **Default launch** from the left-hand navigation menu (under **Settings**).

1. select **Edit** in the **Default DRS launch settings** section.

1. Change the settings according to your preferences.

1. select **Save**.

## Launch settings parameters
<a name="edit-launch-settings-parameters"></a>

AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery (AWS DRS) launch settings include:
+ **Instance type right sizing –** Allow the service to automatically update the instance type on the EC2 launch template, based on the CPU and RAM of the source server. If this setting is active (default), any modification you make to the instance type in the EC2 launch template are overwritten by the service.
+  **Start instance upon launch –** Configure how the EC2 recovery instance should be launched – running or in a stopped state. 
+  **Copy private IP –** Define whether the private IP should be copied from the source server’s primary network interface to EC2 launch template. If this setting is on, make sure that the subnet defined in the EC2 launch template includes that IP in its range. 
+  **Transfer server tags –** Define if the launched EC2 instance should have the same tags as the source server resource. 
+  **Launch into source instance -** Define whether DRS automatically assigns the ID of the source instances to the **Launch into instance ID** field in the Launch Settings of newly added source servers in this region. A source instance is the EC2 instance in this region that was the source of the data before replication was reversed to this region or availability zone. The EC2 instance to launch into must have a tag with key *AWSDRS* and value *AllowLaunchingIntoThisInstance*, and it must be stopped before launching into it. If **Launch into instance ID** is automatically set for a source server, the **Transfer server tags**, and **Copy private IP** settings need to be deactivated for that server, as they cannot apply to an already launched instance. 
**Note**  
 Note that for the instance to appear as a recovery instance in DRS, it needs to have an instance profile that includes the policy **AWSElasticDisasterRecoveryRecoveryInstancePolicy**. The role **AWSElasticDisasterRecoveryRecoveryInstanceRole**, which is added to an account when initializing the service, contains this policy and can be used as an instance profile. 

   [Learn more about Launch into source instance](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/drs/latest/userguide/default-drs-launch-into-source-instance). 
+  **OS** ** licensing – ** Choose the launched instance’s license type for Windows Servers – License-included or Bring Your Own License (BYOL). Linux servers and Windows Home are automatically launched as BYOL. If you launch a Windows Server or Windows Home as BYOL, you must select Dedicated host for the Tenancy setting in the advance settings of the EC2 launch template.

# Launch into source instance
<a name="default-drs-launch-into-source-instance"></a>

 This setting is only valid when the replication and recovery are done in-AWS, between 2 AWS regions or availability zones. This default setting applies to newly added source servers. Such servers have their **Launch into instance ID** field in the Launch Settings set to the EC2 instance ID of the source instance, that was the source of the data in the same region or availability zone. See the examples below for more details. 

## Pre-requisites
<a name="launch-into-source-instance-pre-requisites"></a>

 **Start reversed replication** or **Protect recovered instance** fails to create a source server if this setting is active and one of these conditions is not met: 

1. The instance to launch into must have the required tag with key *AWSDRS* and value *AllowLaunchingIntoThisInstance*. 

1. The instance to launch into must have the same operating systems platform (Linux or Windows) as that of the recovery instance the **Start reversed replication** or **Protect recovered instance** was called on. 

1. If the instance to launch into is a Linux it must have the BIOS boot mode and if this Windows, it must have the same boot mode as that of the recovery instance the **Start reversed replication** or **Protect recovered instance** was called on. 

1. The instance to launch into must have the x86\$164 architecture, HVM virtualization and an EBS root device.

1. **OS licensing** in **Default DRS launch settings** can only be **Bring Your Own License (BYOL)** if the instance’s platform is Linux or if the instance’s **tenancy** is **dedicated host**. 

1. **Transfer server tags** and **Copy private IP** must be deactivated in **Default DRS launch settings**. 

## Cross-region
<a name="launch-into-source-instance-cross-region"></a>

 With this setting active, customers who replicate their EC2 instances between two AWS regions, launch in the second region from an instance in the first region, and call **Start reversed replication** to go back to the first region will have their source servers in the first region automatically set **Launch into instance ID** to the instance ID of the instance in the first region they initially launched from. 

 Using the diagram below as an example, the setting applies to source servers such as Source Server **S1** and automatically set the **Launch into instance ID** to the instance ID of EC2 instance **EI1** (marked by the dotted green arrow in the diagram). 

This only happens if:

1. **Launch into source instance** was set to be active in the **Default DRS launch settings** on region 1. 

1. EC2 instance **EI1** (on AWS region 1) replicated into region 2 (replication handled through source server **S2** on AWS region 2), and was launched in AWS region 2 (launch handled through source server **S2** on AWS region 2), creating recovery instance **RI2**. 

1.  Source server **S1** was created by calling **Start reversed replication** in region 2 on recovery instance **RI2** (marked by the solid green arrow), replicating the data of EC2 instance **EI2**. 

![\[AWS multi-region setup with EC2 instances and DRS servers for disaster recovery.\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/drs/latest/userguide/images/recover-into-source-instance-cross-regions.png)


## Cross Availability Zone
<a name="launch-into-source-instance-cross-az"></a>

 With this setting active, customers who replicate their EC2 instances into the same region (and if following our recommendation, into a different availability zone within that region), launch in the region (recommended to launch into the other availability zone) from an instance in the first availability zone, and perform **Protect recovered instance** on the source server after this launch, will have the source server automatically set **Launch into instance ID** to the instance ID of the instance in the first availability zone. 

 Using the diagram below as an example, the setting applies to source servers such as Source Server **S** and automatically set the **Launch into instance ID** to the instance ID of EC2 instance **EI1** (marked by the dotted green arrow in the diagram). 

This only happens if:

1. **Launch into source instance** was set to be active in the **Default DRS launch settings** on this region. 

1. EC2 instance **EI1** (on AWS region 1) replicated into availability zone 2 (replication handled through source server **S**), and was launched in availability zone 2 (launch handled through source server **S**), creating recovery instance **RI**. 

1.  Source server **S** was then updated to protect recovery instance **RI** (marked by the solid green arrow), by calling Protect recovered instance, replicating the data of EC2 instance EI2. 

![\[AWS Region diagram showing DRS Source Server S, Recovery Instance RI, and EC2 instances in two Availability Zones.\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/drs/latest/userguide/images/recover-into-source-instance-cross-az.png)