Backup of an On Premises Server on AWS Cloud.

Is there a particular reason you do not want the agent installed on the server? Such has security policies prohibiting it? If so, Storage Gateway is currently the only solution that does not require an agent to be installed, but it does require standing up a new vm. If there is no restraint to installing an agent, I would recommend AWS DataSync as the pricing calculator shows 2tb of data transferred would only be about $25-30 mo. It's important to understand the business need for this backup to AWS as well, is the intent for test, or hot/cold site?

Some of the options you mentioned, such as AWS DataSync, AWS Backup, and AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery, do require the installation of a recovery agent on a virtual machine (VM) in order to use them. However, there are other options that may be more cost-effective and straightforward for your use case.

One option is to use the AWS Storage Gateway service, which allows you to create a connection between your on-premises storage infrastructure and the AWS cloud. The Storage Gateway service supports several different types of storage configurations, including file storage, block storage, and object storage. You can use the File Gateway configuration to create a file-based interface to the cloud, allowing you to store and retrieve files from Amazon S3 using standard file protocols such as NFS and SMB.

Another option is to use the AWS Snowball service, which allows you to transfer large amounts of data into and out of the AWS cloud using physical storage appliances. The Snowball service is well-suited for transferring large amounts of data over the internet, and can be a more cost-effective and straightforward solution than using a VM-based solution.

It's worth noting that both of these options involve transferring the data to the AWS cloud, rather than creating a live backup of the on-premises server. If you need to create a live backup of the on-premises server, you may want to consider using a solution such as AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery, which allows you to create a disaster recovery solution for on-premises workloads.

Ultimately, the most cost-effective and straightforward solution for your use case will depend on your specific requirements and the resources available to you. It may be helpful to review the documentation for these and other AWS services in order to determine the best solution for your needs.

@seekris