Amazon EVS FAQs

Amazon EVS is a native AWS service that allows you to run VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) directly within your Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (Amazon VPC), alongside other applications. It simplifies and automates the deployment of a ready-to-use VCF environment on AWS.

With Amazon EVS, you can quickly migrate VMware-based virtual machines to AWS while keeping the same familiar VCF stack you already use on premises. Take advantage of cloud benefits such as scalability, resilience, and security — without re-platforming or re-architecting your workloads.

Amazon EVS helps you unlock the cost and scale benefits of the cloud without needing to re-platform or re-factor your VMware-based workloads. Set up a fully functional VCF stack in just a few hours through guided workflows and automated deployment. This allows you to quickly move, extend, and scale your applications on AWS.

With Amazon EVS, you can retain control and gain flexibility to configure a highly-optimized infrastructure for your specific workloads. You have the freedom to extend your on-premises networks and migrate workloads without changing IP addresses, retraining staff, or rewriting operational runbooks. You can continue using the same VCF features and tools for management, monitoring, and automation that you use on -premises, including familiar third-party tools for backup, disaster recovery, storage, and more.

Amazon EVS is currently available in the following Regions:

• US East (N. Virginia)
• US East (Ohio)
• US West (N. California)
• US West (Oregon)
• Asia Pacific (Hyderabad)
• Asia Pacific (Malaysia)
• Asia Pacific (Mumbai)
• Asia Pacific (Singapore)
• Asia Pacific (Sydney)
• Asia Pacific (Tokyo)
• Canada (Central)
• Canada West (Calgary)
• Europe (Frankfurt)
• Europe (Ireland)
• Europe (London)
  
• Europe (Milan)
• Europe (Paris)
• Mexico (Central)
• South America (São Paulo) 

You retain complete architectural control over your VMware workloads with Amazon EVS. You get root access to vSphere, NSX Manager, and SDDC Manager, allowing you to configure and optimize your virtualization infrastructure to meet your specific business requirements. You can also seamlessly integrate the add-ons and third-party solutions you're already using— including external storage options like Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP or Pure Cloud Block Store, and backup solutions from Veeam.

For technical specifications, see the Amazon EVS user guide on the AWS Documentation page. 

You will be required to bring your own VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) license to AWS. You can purchase this from VMware by Broadcom or a qualified VCF reseller.

Amazon EVS cost components include your hourly usage of Amazon EC2 instances, VPC Route Server Endpoints, and the Amazon EVS control plane. You only pay for the AWS resources you use, as you use them—no minimum fees or upfront commitments.

You can consume Amazon EVS on-demand and on 1-year and 3-year terms to match the requirements of your workloads.

For more information on pricing, visit the. Amazon EVS pricing page.

Amazon EVS supports VCF 5.2.1. You can purchase your VCF licenses from Broadcom and leverage VCF licensing portability to migrate your workloads to Amazon EVS.

Yes, Amazon EVS is eligible for MAP. Connect with your AWS representative or your AWS partner to learn more.

One of the key considerations when running VMware workloads on AWS with Amazon EVS is Windows Server licensing. Depending on your case, there are two options available:

• Bring Your Own License (BYOL): If you hold eligible Windows Server licenses with portability rights (for example, Windows Server 2016 or 2019 licenses purchased before October 1, 2019), you can bring those licenses to your EVS environment running on dedicated hosts. This lets you continue using licenses you've already invested in.

• Entitle your Windows Server VMs on Amazon EVS: For VMs where you don't have portability rights, such as those running Windows Server 2022 or 2025, you can now entitle those VMs directly through Amazon EVS. Licensing is billed on a per-vCPU-hour basis, and you can add or remove entitlement at any time, giving you flexibility to manage costs as your environment evolves.

Yes. Amazon EVS offers you the choice to self-manage or leverage the AWS Partner Network for managing and operating your VCF environment. Work with the broadest community of partners including systems integrators who specialize in AWS services along with ISVs who adapt their technology to work on AWS.

You can work with AWS Partners offering managed services and migration expertise. These partners include Pellera Technologies, Kyndryl, DXC Technology, Xtravirt, Accenture, AHEAD, Effectual, Presidio, CDW, Fujisoft, and many others who specialize in helping you run your workloads in the cloud. Connect with your preferred Partner for more information.

Amazon EVS currently supports Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) i4i.metal instances. Powered by third-generation Intel Xeon Scalable Processors and featuring up to 30 TB of local AWS Nitro SSD storage, i4i instances provide high performance, low latency, and security with always-on encryption. 

Minimum environment size is 4 nodes with a maximum of 16 nodes.

Amazon EVS provides flexible storage options to meet your workload requirements. Your local instance storage is powered by VMware's vSAN solution, which pools local disks across multiple ESXi hosts into a single distributed datastore.

To scale your storage beyond local capacity, there are third-party ISV offerings that you can leverage. You can leverage Network File System (NFS) or block storage solutions to scale storage.

To get started with Amazon EVS, there are a few key items you'll want to have ready before deploying your environment. Some of the prerequisites include an active AWS account with the proper AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) permissions configured. Your Domain Name System (DNS) settings should also be properly configured to allow traffic to these systems. You'll also need to establish an Amazon VPC that has adequate CIDR space and includes two Route Server endpoints, each with its own peer configuration.

Before beginning deployment, gather your VMware Cloud Foundation license keys and secure Amazon EC2 capacity reservations for i4i.metal instances. You should also plan out your VLAN subnet configuration in advance.

We've created a Getting Started hub accessible from the EVS homepage, along with detailed documentation to guide you through the process. Taking care of these preparation items upfront will help prevent deployment issues and ensure your environment launches smoothly.

Amazon EVS offers multiple connectivity options to connect your on-premises and Amazon EVS VCF environments. Establish dedicated private connectivity using VPN or AWS Direct Connect that terminates into AWS Transit Gateway or migrate and stretch your layer 2 networks over the public internet.

This flexibility allows you to choose the connectivity path that best fits your network requirements, whether through private dedicated connections or public internet-based migration.

AWS provides support for EVS and associated services, including VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF). Customers may also choose to contact Broadcom support directly for VCF-related troubleshooting and advanced configuration guidance. 

Yes. While Amazon EVS currently supports VCF version 5.2.1 and runs on i4i.metal instances, future releases will expand VCF versions, and additional instance type support to provide even more flexibility for your deployments.

Yes. We are working to make Amazon EVS available in other Regions as soon as possible.

All environments deployed during public preview carry forward without redeployment now that Amazon EVS is generally available.

Customers are encouraged to plan their capacity requirements if they intend to use Amazon EVS. Connect with your AWS representative or reach out to AWS through this link for support. Learn more about the capacity reservations on this blog and user guide.