User guide

being sent back to the client applications. For more information about leader nodes and compute nodes,
go to Data warehouse system architecture in the Amazon Redshift Database Developer Guide.
The following tables outline the available node type combinations for Amazon Redshift. For more
information and pricing, go to the Amazon Redshift pricing page.
Dense Storage Node Types
Maximum Storage Capacity
per Cluster
Storage Capacity per NodeNode LimitsNode Size
64 TB2 TB hard disk drive (HDD)
storage
1 to 32dw1.xlarge
2 PB16 TB hard disk drive (HDD)
storage
2 to 128dw1.8xlarge
Note
The dw1.xlarge node size was previously called dw.hs1.xlarge and the dw1.8xlarge node size
was previously called dw.hs1.8xlarge.You can use either value in the Amazon Redshift API and
CLI, though we recommend that you update any scripts that reference the old names to use the
new names instead.The Amazon Redshift console uses the new names.
Dense Compute Node Types
Maximum Storage Capacity
per Cluster
Storage Capacity per NodeNode LimitsNode Size
5.12 TB160 GB solid state drive (SSD)
storage
1 to 32dw2.large
326 TB2.56 TB solid state drive (SSD)
storage
2 to 128dw2.8xlarge
Determining the Number of Nodes
The number of nodes that you choose depends on the size of your data set and your desired query
performance. Using the dense storage node type as an example, if you have 32 TB of data, you can
choose sixteen dw1.xlarge nodes or two dw1.8xlarge nodes. If your data grows in small increments,
choosing the dw1.xlarge node size will allow you to scale in increments of 2 TB. If you typically see data
growth in larger increments, a dw1.8xlarge node size might be a better choice.
Because Amazon Redshift distributes and executes queries in parallel across all of a cluster’s compute
nodes, you can increase query performance by adding nodes to your cluster. Amazon Redshift also
distributes your data across all compute nodes in a cluster. When you run a cluster with at least two
compute nodes, data on each node will always be mirrored on disks on another node and you reduce
the risk of incurring data loss.
Regardless of the choice you make, you can monitor query performance in the Amazon Redshift console
and with Amazon CloudWatch metrics.You can also add or remove nodes as needed to achieve the
balance between storage and performance that works best for you.When you request an additional node,
Amazon Redshift takes care of all the details of deployment, load balancing, and data maintenance. For
more information about cluster performance, see Monitoring Amazon Redshift Cluster Performance (p.179).
If you intend to keep your cluster running continuously for a prolonged period, say, one year or more, you
can pay considerably less by reserving the compute nodes for a one-year or three-year period.To reserve
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Amazon Redshift Management Guide
Determining the Number of Nodes