> An instances can run for years without any issues, if noone stops it manually. Sometimes. And sometimes the hardware it was running on dies or there was a m

> An instances can run for years without any issues, if noone stops it manually. Sometimes. And sometimes the hardware it was running on dies or there was a maintenance event. Now you have a message like this waiting for you: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/34259924/instance-retirement-instance-stop http://stackoverflow.com/questions/34259924/instance-retirem... Fail to notice? Bye bye instance. That said, you're right, it's not any more common than hardware failure. But that's common enough. Keep a backup and don't expect your stuff to always be there no matter what.