Here is a detailed summary of the video transcription in markdown format, with the key takeaways broken down into sections:
Modernizing Windows Applications with Amazon EKS
Current State of Windows Applications
- Many Windows applications have become legacy, but not all Windows applications are legacy
- Customers face both business and technical challenges with their legacy Windows applications
Business Challenges
- Pressure to innovate with velocity, but legacy applications are hard to maintain
- Difficulty scaling monolithic Windows applications
- Lack of resources to support and maintain legacy applications
Technical Challenges
- Technical debt in legacy applications
- Security issues due to outdated third-party packages or .NET Frameworks
- Difficulty integrating legacy Windows applications with cloud-native technologies
The Codeless Approach
- The goal is to "replatform" existing Windows applications into cloud-native containers without changing any code
- This involves containerizing the Windows applications and running them on container orchestrators like Amazon EKS
- Centralizing the orchestration of Windows and Linux applications on a common platform (e.g., EKS) enables better management, shared architecture patterns, and maximized resiliency
Moody's Journey with Windows Applications on EKS
- Moody's was an early adopter of running Windows applications on EKS, with a journey spanning the last 5 years
- Moody's had several legacy .NET Framework-based applications that they successfully migrated to EKS without any code changes
Benefits of Running Windows Apps on EKS
- Faster time-to-market for new features and updates
- Modernization through containerization and cloud-native technologies
- Pay-as-you-go pricing model
- Improved operational efficiency and reduced overhead
- Automated patching and security updates
- Improved stability, reliability, and scalability
Challenges
- Complexity of setting up and managing Windows clusters compared to Linux
- Higher costs for Windows compared to Linux
- Some feature parity gaps between Windows and Linux in Kubernetes
- Higher resource overhead for Windows containers
Strategies for Optimizing Windows Containers on EKS
- Leveraging Amazon EC2 Image Builder to cache common Windows layers and dependencies in a custom AMI
- Enabling Fast Launch to reduce the boot time of Windows EC2 instances by pre-running the Sysprep process
- Utilizing tools like Karpenter for automated node lifecycle management and cost optimization
Conclusion
- Running Windows applications on Amazon EKS provides a path to modernization without the need for extensive code changes
- Moody's has successfully adopted this approach, realizing benefits in terms of speed, cost, and operational efficiency
- There are strategies available to address the unique challenges of running Windows containers, allowing customers to leverage the power of Kubernetes and the AWS ecosystem