ENA queues

ENA queues are allocated to network interfaces with default static limits based on the instance type and size. On supported instance types, you can dynamically allocate these queues across Elastic Network Interfaces (ENIs). While the total queue count per instance depends on its type and size, you can configure multiple ENIs with ENA queues until you meet the maximum queue count for the ENI and the instance.

Flexible ENA queue allocation optimizes resource distribution, enabling maximum vCPU utilization. High network performance workloads typically require multiple ENA queues. You can fine-tune network performance and packets per second (PPS) by adjusting queue counts according to your specific workload needs. For example, network-intensive applications may require more queues compared to CPU-intensive applications.

Supported instances

The following instances support dynamic allocation of multiple ENA queues.

General purpose

Compute optimized

Memory optimized

Modify the number of queues

You can modify the number of ENA queues using AWS Management Console or AWS CLI. In the AWS Management Console, the ENA queues configuration is available under each Network interface setting.

To modify the number of ENA queues using the AWS CLI, use either one of the following commands. Before modifying the queue count, use the following command to check your current queue count.

aws ec2 describe-instances --instance-id i-1234567890abcdef0

attach-network-interface

In the following example, 32 ENA queues are configured on an ENI.

aws ec2 attach-network-interface \
  --network-interface-id eni-001aa1bb223cdd4e4 \
  --instance-id i-1234567890abcdef0 \
  --device-index 1 \
  --ena-queue-count 32

run-instances

In the following example, 2 ENA queues each are configured on 3 ENIs.

aws ec2 run-instances \
  --image-id ami-12ab3c30 \
  --instance-type c6i.large \
  --min-count 1 \
  --max-count 1 \
  --network-interfaces \
    "[{\"DeviceIndex\":0,\"SubnetId\":\"subnet-123456789012a345a\",\"EnaQueueCount\":2},
      {\"DeviceIndex\":1,\"SubnetId\":\"subnet-123456789012a345a\",\"EnaQueueCount\":2},
      {\"DeviceIndex\":2,\"SubnetId\":\"subnet-123456789012a345a\",\"EnaQueueCount\":2}]"

modify-network-interface-attribute

In the following example, 32 ENA queues are configured on an ENI.

aws ec2 modify-network-interface-attribute \
--network-interface-id eni-1234567890abcdef0 \
--attachment AttachmentId=eni-attach-12345678,EnaQueueCount=32

In the following example, the ENA count is reset to the default value.

aws ec2 modify-network-interface-attribute \
--network-interface-id eni-1234567890abcdef0 \
--attachment AttachmentId=eni-attach-12345678,DefaultEnaQueueCount=true