MSFTPERF03-BP01 Consider Amazon EBS gp3 volumes for general workloads
Amazon EBS's newest and most cost-effective SSD option, General Purpose SSD (gp3) volumes, strikes an optimal balance between price and performance for a wide range of applications. A key advantage of gp3 volumes is the ability to adjust performance independently of storage capacity, allowing users to meet specific performance requirements without unnecessarily increasing block storage. Moreover, gp3 volumes offer significant cost savings, with prices 20% lower per GiB compared to their predecessor, General Purpose SSD (gp2) volumes.
Desired outcome: Optimize storage performance and cost efficiency for Microsoft workloads by leveraging gp3 volumes that provide independent scaling of IOPS and throughput from storage capacity, enabling right-sized storage configurations that meet performance requirements while minimizing costs.
Common anti-patterns:
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Continuing to use gp2 volumes without evaluating gp3 benefits, missing opportunities for cost savings and performance optimization through independent IOPS and throughput scaling.
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Over-provisioning storage capacity to meet IOPS requirements when using gp2 volumes, leading to unnecessary storage costs that could be avoided with gp3's independent performance scaling.
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Choosing high-performance storage options like io1/io2 for workloads that could be adequately served by gp3 with appropriate IOPS configuration, resulting in unnecessary costs.
Benefits of establishing this best practice:
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Significant cost savings through 20% lower per-GiB pricing compared to gp2 volumes while maintaining or improving performance characteristics for Microsoft workloads.
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Enhanced flexibility through independent scaling of IOPS and throughput from storage capacity, enabling optimal resource allocation without over-provisioning storage.
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Improved performance predictability through consistent baseline performance and the ability to provision additional IOPS and throughput as needed for specific workload requirements.
Level of risk exposed if this best practice is not established: Low
Implementation guidance
Implementing gp3 volumes for Microsoft workloads requires understanding your storage performance requirements and migrating from existing volume types where appropriate. Focus on workloads that can benefit from independent IOPS and throughput scaling while achieving cost savings.
Implementation steps
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Analyze current storage performance requirements for Microsoft workloads including IOPS, throughput, and capacity needs.
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Identify existing gp2 volumes and other storage types that could benefit from migration to gp3 for cost and performance optimization.
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Plan gp3 volume configurations with appropriate baseline performance and additional provisioned IOPS or throughput based on workload requirements.
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Test gp3 performance in non-production environments to validate performance characteristics for your specific Microsoft applications.
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Implement migration procedures for existing volumes using EBS volume modification or snapshot-based migration approaches.
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Monitor storage performance and costs after migration to validate expected benefits and optimize configurations as needed.
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Establish policies for new volume provisioning that default to gp3 unless specific requirements dictate alternative storage types.
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Document gp3 configuration standards and include in storage provisioning procedures for consistent implementation across environments.
Resources
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