This topic describes the instance types and instance families that support instance type changes. Before you change the instance type of an Elastic Compute Service (ECS) instance, check whether the instance type can be changed and identify compatible instance types.
Impacts of instance type changes
The impacts of changing the instance type of an ECS instance vary based on the network type of the instance.
Instance that resides in the classic network:
For retired instance types, when a non-I/O optimized instance is changed into an I/O optimized instance, the private IP addresses, disk device names, and software authorization codes of the instance are changed together with the instance. On a Linux instance, basic disks (
cloud) are identified as xvd* such asxvdaandxvdb, and ultra disks (cloud_efficiency) and standard SSDs (cloud_ssd) are identified as vd* such asvdaandvdb.For available instance types, the private IP addresses of instances are changed.
Instance that resides in a virtual private cloud (VPC):
For retired instance types, when a non-I/O optimized instance is changed into an I/O optimized instance, the disk device names and software authorization codes of the instance are changed together with the instance. On a Linux instance, basic disks (
cloud) are identified as xvd* such asxvdaandxvdb, and ultra disks (cloud_efficiency) and standard SSDs (cloud_ssd) are identified as vd* such asvdaandvdb.
Instance families that do not support instance type changes
The instance types in the following instance families do not support instance type changes:
Enterprise-level instance families based on the x86 architecture:
Persistent memory-optimized instance families: re6p and re6p-redis
Security-enhanced instance families: g7t, c7t, and r7t
Big data instance families: d3s, d3c, d2c, d2s, d1, and d1ne
Instance families with local SSDs: i1, i2, i2g, i2ne, i2gne, i3, i3g, i4, i4g, i4r, and i4p
Enterprise-level heterogeneous computing instance families:
GPU-accelerated compute-optimized instance family: gn5
vGPU-accelerated instance family: vgn5i
FPGA-accelerated compute-optimized instance families: f1 and f3
ECS Bare Metal Instance families:
ebmgn7e, ebmgn7i, ebmgn7, ebmgn6ia, ebmgn6e, ebmgn6v, and ebmgn6i
ebmg6, ebmg5s, ebmg5, ebmc6me, ebmc6, ebmc5s, ebmc4, ebmre6p, ebmr6, eebmre6-6t, and ebmr5s
ebmhfg6, ebmhfg5, ebmhfc6, and ebmhfr6
High-performance computing instance families:
Super Computing Cluster (SCC) instance families:
sccgn6e and sccgn6
sccg5 and scch5
scchfg6, scchfc6, and scchfr6
Instance families that support instance type changes
All instance families support instance type changes except the instance families described in the Instance families that do not support instance type changes section of this topic. When you change the instance type of an ECS instance, take note of the limits on instance families, operating system versions, and cloud disk categories.
Instance family limits
Take note of the following limits on the compatibility between the new and original instance families.
The instance families that are compatible with the instance family of an ECS instance in a zone vary based on various factors, such as the inventory of ECS resources in the zone. The instance types and families displayed in the Change Instance Type dialog box prevail. You can also go to the Instance Types Available for Each Region page to query the available instance types in the current region and zone.
Table 1. Entry-level instance families
Original instance family | Compatible instance family |
t6 |
|
t5 |
|
e |
|
n4, mn4, xn4, and e4 |
|
Table 2. Enterprise-level instance families
Original instance family | Compatible instance family or instance type |
g8i, c8i, and r8i | g8i, c8i, and r8i |
g8a, c8a, and r8a |
|
g8ae, c8ae, and r8ae |
|
g8y, c8y, and r8y | g8y, c8y, and r8y |
g7se, c7se, and r7se | g7se, c7se, and r7se |
g7a, c7a, and r7a |
|
ebmg7a, ebmc7a, and ebmr7a | ebmg7a, ebmc7a, and ebmr7a |
ebmhfc7, ebmhfg7, and ebmhfr7 | ebmhfc7, ebmhfg7, and ebmhfr7 |
g7, c7, and r7 | g7, c7, r7, g7nex, c7nex, hfc7, hfg7, and hfr7 |
ebmg7, ebmc7, and ebmr7 | ebmg7, ebmc7, and ebmr7 |
g7ne |
|
g7nex |
Important The ecs.g7nex.32xlarge instance type can be changed only to the ecs.c7nex.32xlarge instance type. |
c7nex |
Important The ecs.c7nex.32xlarge instance type can be changed only to the ecs.g7nex.32xlarge instance type. |
g6r and c6r | g6r and c6r |
g6, c6, and r6 |
|
g6a, c6a, and r6a |
|
g6t and c6t | g6t and c6t |
g6e, c6e, and r6e |
|
ebmg6a, ebmc6a, and ebmr6a | ebmg6a, ebmc6a, and ebmr6a |
ebmg6e, ebmc6e, and ebmr6e | ebmg6e, ebmc6e, and ebmr6e |
g5, g5ne, r5, c5, and ic5 |
|
u1 | u1, g7, c7, and r7 |
sn1ne, sn2ne, and se1ne |
|
se1 |
|
re6 |
|
re4e | re4e and re4 |
re4 |
|
hfc7, hfg7, and hfr7 |
|
hfc6, hfg6, and hfr6 |
|
hfc5 and hfg5 |
|
sgn7i-vws | sgn7i-vws |
vgn7i-vws | vgn7i-vws |
gn7e | gn7e |
gn7s | gn7s |
gn7i | gn7i |
gn7 | gn7 |
vgn6i | vgn6i |
gn6i | gn6i |
gn5i | gn5i |
gn6e | gn6e |
gn6v | gn6v |
t1, s1, s2, s3, m1, m2, c1, and c2 | sn1, sn2, n1, n2, e3, se1, sn1ne, sn2ne, se1ne, hfc5, hfg5, g5, r5, c5, ic5, re4, t5, n4, mn4, xn4, and e4 |
n1, n2, and e3 | n1, n2, e3, sn1, sn2, se1, sn1ne, sn2ne, se1ne, hfc5, hfg5, g5, r5, c5, ic5, re4, t5, n4, mn4, xn4, and e4 |
sn1 and sn2 | sn1, sn2, n1, n2, e3, se1, sn1ne, sn2ne, se1ne, hfc5, hfg5, g5, r5, c5, ic5, re4, t5, n4, mn4, xn4, and e4 |
c4, ce4, and cm4 | hfc6, hfg6, hfr6, hfc5, hfg5, g5, r5, c5, ic5, sn1ne, sn2ne, se1ne, re4, t5, n4, mn4, xn4, and e4 |
Operating system limits
Take note of the following limits on the compatibility between the new instance type and the operating system:
The operating system is incompatible with the processors of the new instance type
Specific ECS instance types, such as the eighth-generation ECS instance types, have requirements for the supported operating systems. For more information, see the following topics:
Compatibility between AMD instance types and operating systems
Compatibility between Intel instance types and operating systems
If the operating system of the ECS instance is incompatible with the new instance type, you cannot change the instance type of the instance to the new instance type.
Solution:
If you do not have special requirements for the operating system or instance type of an ECS instance, you only need to select an image whose operating system is compatible with the instance type that you select.
To select an image that is incompatible with the instance type that you select on the ECS instance buy page, you can request to lift the operating system compatibility restriction and display the images that are incompatible with the instance type.
You can request to lift the operating system compatibility restriction for the following ECS instance families:
Intel: ecs.g8i, ecs.c8i, ecs.r8i, ecs.hfg8i, ecs.hfc8i, ecs.hfr8i, ecs.g8ise, ecs.c8ise, and ecs.r8ise
AMD: ecs.c8ae, ecs.g8ae, ecs.r8ae, ecs.c8a, ecs.g8a, ecs.r8a, and ecs.hpc8ae
You can perform the following steps to request to lift the operating system compatibility restriction for the instance type that you select:
On the ECS instance buy page, click the Custom Images tab and click checks.
Select the option that is used to lift the operating system compatibility restriction and display the images that are incompatible with the selected instance type.
ImportantOnce you select and apply above option, it will take effect across all the regions with no option to revoke.
Click OK. Wait for a period of time and refresh the image list on the Custom Images tab.
The features of the operating system are incompatible with the features of the new instance type
Common cause of incompatibility
Solution
The Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) attributes of the image on the ECS instance are incompatible with the NVMe attributes of the new instance type.
If the new instance type supports NVMe, the image on the ECS instance must support NVMe. Otherwise, you cannot change the instance type of the ECS instance to the new instance type.
If a custom image is used on the ECS instance, make sure that the NVMe driver is installed on the image and the image is set to support the NVMe driver. For more information, see How do I install the NVMe driver for a custom image?
NoteFor more information about NVMe, see NVMe protocol.
You can call the DescribeInstanceTypes operation for instance types and the DescribeImages operation for images and check whether the instance types and images support NVMe based on the
NvmeSupportparameter in the responses.
The boot mode of the image on the ECS instance is incompatible with the boot mode of the new instance type.
For example, if you want to change the instance type of an ECS instance to a security-enhanced instance type that supports only the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) boot mode, the image on the instance must be of the UEFI version. Otherwise, you cannot change the instance type of the ECS instance to the new instance type.
If a custom image is used on the ECS instance, you can change the boot mode of the image to a boot mode that is compatible with the new instance type. For more information, see the Change the boot mode of a custom image section in the "Best practices for ECS instance boot modes" topic.
Windows operating systems have limits on the number of vCPUs and memory size of instances
If your ECS instance runs a Windows operating system, the operating system has limits on the number of vCPUs and memory size. For information about the limits, see Memory Limits for Windows and Windows Server Releases.
Solution: Select an instance type that is compatible with the operating system of the ECS instance.
Red Hat operating systems are compatible only with instance types that are certified by Red Hat
If your ECS instance runs a Red Hat operating system, the Red Hat operating system is compatible only with instance types that are certified by Red Hat. For more information, see Instance families supported by Red Hat images
Solution: Select an instance type that is certified by Red Hat.
The new instance type has limits on the drivers and kernels of the operating system
Specific instance types, such as ECS Bare Metal Instance types and instance types with local SSDs, have limits on the drivers and kernels of the operating system. For more information, see the following topics:
Compatibility between the i4 instance types and operating systems
Operating systems supported by the ebmc7a compute-optimized ECS Bare Metal Instance family
Solution: Select an instance type that is compatible with the operating system of the ECS instance.
Cloud disk category limits
Take note of the following limits on the compatibility between the new instance type and the cloud disk categories of the ECS instance:
Specific instance families support only specific cloud disk categories. For example, instance families such as g7 and c7 support only Enterprise SSDs (ESSDs) and ESSD AutoPL disks. If the ECS instance has cloud disks that are not supported by the new instance type, you cannot change the instance type of the instance to the new instance type.
Solution: Change the categories of the cloud disks that are attached to the ECS instance, and then change the instance type. For more information, see Change the category of a disk.