Amazon Offers MySQL Cloud Service, Cuts Server Fees

Amazon is adding a relational database and “high memory” options to Amazon Web Services, and cutting the per-hour fees it charges for Linux and Windows servers on its popular Elastic Compute Cloud. The moves come a few weeks in advance of Microsoft’s launch of competing cloud services.

Amazon’s new Relational Database Service makes available MySQL database instances of up to 1 Terabye each. Amazon already offers two other database services, Simple DB and EC2’s Elastic Block Store. Amazon RDS is aimed at developers and companies that want to run MySQL databases, while leaving the administrative work to Amazon. As part of the service, Amazon provides database provisioning, patching, and backup…