MySQL users, buckle up! A groundbreaking feature is now at your fingertips: the AWS RDS Snapshot Upgrade. That's right – your snapshots can now undergo upgrades. This game-changing functionality is live for MySQL RDS across all AWS commercial regions. In this blog, we'll delve into the details of this new capability, exploring how it works and what it means for your MySQL databases.

Snapshot Upgrade Explained

A snapshot upgrade in Amazon RDS involves enhancing the functionality of backups, known as snapshots. These snapshots capture a point-in-time backup of the entire RDS instance, securely stored in the backend S3 storage.

The exciting news is that RDS now introduces snapshot upgrades. This means you can seamlessly upgrade your snapshots created with MySQL 5.7 to MySQL 8.0 without the need for restoration – a convenient way to elevate your backups to the latest MySQL version.

AWS announcement

Supported Versions

 
Source versions  - MySQL 5.7.16 to 5.7.43

Destination Versions - MySQL 8.0.28 to 8.0.34
	

Note: Currently RDS snapshot version mysql 5.7.44 is not supported.

Now, let's put this feature to the test.

Lab Setup

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Manual Snapshot Upgrade

Manual snapshots are on-demand point-in-time backups of your MySQL RDS instance. Manual snapshots are retained until they are manually deleted. Let's see how to upgrade a manual snapshot.

Step 1 : Manual Snapshot

Select your corresponding RDS >>> Actions >>> Take Snapshot

Considerations during manual snapshot creation

• Ensure Sync_binlog=1 & innodb_flush_log_at_trx_commit=1 for backup consistency.
• Backup time may vary depending on the data set size.
• Slight IO disruption with Single AZ instances.

Step 2: Upgrading the manual snapshot

Once it becomes available, select the Snapshot >>> Actions >>> Upgrade snapshot

Then choose your destination version. I am choosing 8.0.34 and proceed to “Save”.

Now, the snapshot upgrade begins

If you choose an inappropriate version combination, you will get error message as below.

The time taken for this test upgrade was 18 Mins exactly for a dataset of 20GB, Upgrade time may depend on multiple factors such as data size,  data types, and compatibility.

Snapshot is now available post the upgrade process.

Snapshot details: As you can see, the version has been changed to 8.0.34.

Automatic Snapshot Upgrade

RDS supports automatic backups (snapshots) within the defined backup window for up to 35 days. These backups are categorized as System snapshots and are deleted based on the retention period.

Direct upgrade of the automatic backup is not allowed, as shown below.

To upgrade Automatic snapshot, it needs to converted to a “Manual snapshot” by copying it and then proceed with the same steps mentioned above.

Select Auto snapshot >>> Copy snapshot >>> Upgrade snapshot

The same can be done via cli as below.

# aws rds modify-db-snapshot --db-snapshot-identifier mysnapshot --engine-version 8.0.34

Upgraded Snapshot Restoration

Now let's proceed with the restoration testing by selecting "Upgraded snapshot' --> "Restore snapshot".

Restoration is now completed and the instance is up as below with the intended version.

Check out our video tutorial for a step-by-step guide on how to perform the AWS RDS Snapshot Upgrade, presented by Kabilesh PR, Co-Founder, Mydbops

Watch the video

The AWS RDS Snapshot Upgrade for MySQL emerges as a groundbreaking feature, offering MySQL users the ability to elevate their snapshots seamlessly. This functionality simplifies the transition from MySQL 5.7 to 8.0, eliminating the need for restoration. Our test scenario demonstrated the efficiency of this upgrade, taking just 18 minutes for a 20GB dataset. The enhanced snapshot details confirm the successful version change to 8.0.34.

Notably, this feature becomes particularly valuable with the recent End of Life (EOL) of MySQL 5.7, providing a practical solution for testing the compatibility of your backups. MySQL users can now leverage this capability across all AWS commercial regions, ensuring a smooth and efficient upgrade process for their databases.

Upgrade your MySQL snapshots seamlessly with the groundbreaking AWS RDS Snapshot Upgrade. Experience the convenience of transitioning from MySQL 5.7 to 8.0 without the need for restoration.

Ready to upgrade your MySQL snapshots with AWS RDS Snapshot Upgrade? Try it now