Overview
Enable automatic minor version upgrades for your Amazon RDS databases so that patch releases are applied without manual intervention. This plan helps you inventory all relevant RDS DB instances and clusters, guide stakeholders through which resources should be updated, apply the configuration changes, and then validate that everything is correctly set and healthy.
By the end, your chosen RDS instances and clusters will have auto minor version upgrades enabled, aligned with your maintenance windows and organizational preferences.
Execution Details
Phase 1: Assessment
In the Assessment phase, the plan builds a complete view of your RDS landscape and current auto minor upgrade posture.
Inventory RDS DB instances
- Enumerate all in-scope standalone RDS DB instances.
- Capture key details for each instance: identifier, engine and engine version, instance class, status, whether it belongs to a cluster, associated parameter groups, preferred maintenance window, and the current AutoMinorVersionUpgrade setting.
- Produce a structured summary (such as a table or list) highlighting which instances already have auto minor version upgrades enabled and which do not.
Inventory RDS DB clusters and member instances
- Enumerate all in-scope RDS DB clusters, including Aurora and other supported engines.
- Capture cluster-level details: identifier, engine and engine version, status, associated cluster parameter groups, preferred maintenance window, and cluster-level AutoMinorVersionUpgrade (where supported).
- List all member DB instances per cluster and record their identifiers and AutoMinorVersionUpgrade settings.
- Generate a structured summary showing which clusters and member instances have auto minor version upgrades enabled and which require changes.
Guide user selection of resources to update
- Present the compiled instance inventory, including auto minor upgrade status and core attributes (identifier, engine, version, maintenance window, and cluster membership).
- Present the compiled cluster inventory, including auto minor upgrade status, core attributes, and member instances.
- Guide the user through selecting:
- Standalone DB instances to enable AutoMinorVersionUpgrade on.
- DB clusters to enable AutoMinorVersionUpgrade at the cluster level (where applicable).
- Cluster member instances that may need separate configuration.
- Capture the final, user-approved lists of DB instance and DB cluster identifiers to update, along with any resources that should be explicitly excluded, and record user approval of the scope.
Phase 2: Configuration
In the Configuration phase, the plan applies the chosen settings to the selected RDS resources.
Enable auto minor upgrades on standalone DB instances
- Use the approved list of standalone DB instances as the target scope.
- Confirm that each target instance is in a modifiable state.
- Enable AutoMinorVersionUpgrade for each selected instance.
- For each change, respect user or organizational preference on whether to apply immediately or during the next maintenance window.
- Verify that modification requests are accepted and that AutoMinorVersionUpgrade is now enabled (current or pending configuration).
- Record any instances that could not be updated, noting reasons such as unsupported engines or configuration constraints.
- Produce a summary of standalone instances where auto minor upgrades are now successfully enabled.
Enable auto minor upgrades on DB clusters and member instances
- Use the approved list of DB clusters as the target scope.
- Confirm that each target cluster is in a modifiable state.
- Enable AutoMinorVersionUpgrade at the cluster level for engines that support this setting.
- Evaluate whether member instances of each cluster also require their own AutoMinorVersionUpgrade configuration and, where needed and approved, enable it on those instances as well.
- For both cluster-level and instance-level changes, honor preferences for immediate application versus the next maintenance window.
- Verify that all modification requests succeed and that auto minor version upgrades are enabled in the current or pending configuration for clusters and applicable member instances.
- Document any clusters or members that could not be updated, with reasons, and summarize all clusters and member instances where auto minor upgrades are now successfully enabled.
Phase 3: Validation
In the Validation phase, the plan confirms that changes took effect as intended and that the environment remains healthy.
Validate auto minor upgrades on standalone DB instances
- Retrieve the latest configuration for all targeted standalone instances.
- Confirm that AutoMinorVersionUpgrade is enabled for each instance (current or pending configuration, as relevant).
- Check that each instance remains healthy and in an expected status (such as available or modifying).
- Ensure there are no associated errors or failed modification records related to these changes.
- Update a validation report indicating which instances successfully have auto minor upgrades enabled and which require follow-up.
- Document any discrepancies between intended and actual settings and outline any remediation actions needed.
Validate auto minor upgrades on DB clusters and member instances
- Retrieve the latest configuration for all targeted DB clusters.
- Confirm that AutoMinorVersionUpgrade is enabled at the cluster level where supported.
- Retrieve and review the configuration of all member instances that were targeted within these clusters.
- Confirm that AutoMinorVersionUpgrade is enabled (current or pending) on each targeted member instance.
- Verify that both clusters and member instances are in healthy, expected states after the configuration changes.
- Check for any errors or failures related to the recent modifications.
- Update the validation report with the status of each cluster and member instance, and identify any items needing follow-up or remediation.
- Document any mismatches between requested and actual configuration, along with recommended corrective steps.