AWS Prescriptive GuidanceChoosing a migration approach for

relocating your VMware applicationsand workloads to the AWS Cloud

AWS Prescriptive Guidance Choosing amigration approach for relocating your VMwareapplications and workloads to the AWS Cloud

AWS Prescriptive Guidance: Choosing a migration approach forrelocating your VMware applications and workloads to the AWS CloudCopyright © Amazon Web Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

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AWS Prescriptive Guidance Choosing amigration approach for relocating your VMwareapplications and workloads to the AWS Cloud

Table of ContentsIntroduction .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Overview .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1Business outcomes .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Migration approach .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2VM Import ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2VM Export ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3VMware HCX .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3VMware HCX OSAM ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Relocate migration options .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5VMware HCX .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

VMware HCX use cases .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5VMware HCX options .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

VM Import ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9VM Import use cases .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9VM Import migration options .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9VM import architectures .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

VM Export ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14VM Import use cases .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14VM Export migration options .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14VM Export architectures .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

VMware HCX OSAM ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17FAQ ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Licensing model ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Common uses .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Cost ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Next steps and resources .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21Import VM images .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21Relocate use cases .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Resources .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22References .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Videos .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

AWS Prescriptive Guidance glossary .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Document history .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

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AWS Prescriptive Guidance Choosing amigration approach for relocating your VMwareapplications and workloads to the AWS Cloud

Overview

Choosing a migration approach forrelocating your VMware applicationsand workloads to the AWS Cloud

Rodolfo Jr. Cerrada, Senior Application Architect, AWS Professional Services

March 2022

OverviewThis guide helps you find a migration approach for relocating your VMware applications and workloadsto and from the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cloud. The guide is based on the relocate migrationstrategy and is applicable during the portfolio assessment stage of the migration process. The relocatestrategy minimizes impact on your organization by enabling you to move infrastructure to the cloudwithout the need to rewrite applications, modify application architecture, modify existing operations, orpurchase new hardware.

The following migration approaches are covered in this guide:

• VM Import• VM Export• VMware Hybrid Cloud Extension (HCX)• VMware HCX OS Assisted Migration (OSAM)

Use this guide to find the migration approach that aligns with your source and target platforms. Thisguide is intended for managers, architects, and consultants who want to accelerate the migration ofvirtual machines (VMs) to or from the AWS Cloud by following streamlined decision-making guidelines.

Targeted business outcomesYou can expect the following outcomes after relocating your VMware applications and workloads to theAWS Cloud:

• Your teams can deliver innovation faster by gaining access to a broad range of ready-to-use AWSservices without limitations on compute resources.

• Your organization can simplify operations by reusing existing VMware skillsets for operating in thecloud and getting continued access to VMware Cloud Foundation technologies, including VMwarevSphere, VMware vSAN, VMware NSX, and VMware vCenter Server across both on-premises datacenters and the AWS Cloud.

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AWS Prescriptive Guidance Choosing amigration approach for relocating your VMwareapplications and workloads to the AWS Cloud

VM Import

Choosing a migration approachThe following decision tree diagram provides a comprehensive overview of the migration approachesthat you can take to relocate your VMware applications or workloads to VMware Cloud on AWS, based onyour source platform and target platform.

Use the following tables to find the right migration approach by walking through the options availablein the preceding decision tree diagram. To get started, choose a link in the Migration approach column ofthe following table. Choose an approach that aligns with your source and target plaform. Then, continueto follow instructions that accompany the tables that you are directed to.

Source platform Target platform Migration approach

VMware vSphere 6.0+ VMware Cloud on AWS 6.5+ VMware HCX (p. 3)

VMware vSphere AWS native VM Import (p. 2)

AWS native VMware vSphere VM Export (p. 3)

Non-VMware vSphere VMware vSphere VMware HCX OS AssistedMigration (p. 4)

HCX-incompatible version HCX-incompatible version VM Import (p. 2)

VM ImportThe following table provides options for the VM Import migration approach. Choose the link in theMigration approach column that aligns with your source type.

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AWS Prescriptive Guidance Choosing amigration approach for relocating your VMwareapplications and workloads to the AWS Cloud

VM Export

Source type Migration approach

Machine image Image import

VM Instance import

Disk or drive Snapshot import

VM ExportThe following table provides options for the VM Export migration approach. Choose the link in theMigration approach column that aligns with your source type.

Source type Migration approach

Image only Image import

Instances Instance import

Disk or drive Snapshot import

VMware HCXThe following table provides options for the VMware HCX migration approach. Choose the link in theMigration approach column that aligns with your migration type.

Source type Migration approach

Bulk migration See Understanding VMware HCX Bulk Migration(VMware documentation).

VMware vMotion See the HCX vMotion section of UnderstandingVMware HCX vMotion and Cold Migration(VMware documentation).

Cold migration See the HCX Cold Migration section of Understanding VMware HCX vMotion and ColdMigration (VMware documentation).

VMware HCX Replication Assisted vMotion (RAV) See Understanding VMware HCX ReplicationAssisted vMotion (VMware documentation).

For more information on the criteria for your migration type, review the following table.

  Bulk migration VMware vMotion Cold migration RAV

Parallel execution Yes No No Yes

Velocity (server/month)

400-1000 400-1000 400-1000 >= 1000

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AWS Prescriptive Guidance Choosing amigration approach for relocating your VMwareapplications and workloads to the AWS Cloud

VMware HCX OSAM

  Bulk migration VMware vMotion Cold migration RAV

Source running Yes Yes No Yes

Downtime Reboot No (less than orequal to 1 minute)

Yes (greater thanor equal to 1 hour)

No (less than orequal to 1 minute)

Cutover Instant orscheduled

Instant Powered on Instant, scheduled,or admin defined

Additional license No No No Yes

Minimum vSpheresource version

6.0+ 6.0+ 6.0+ 6.0+

Minimum vSpheretarget version

6.5+ 6.5+ 6.5+ 6.5 U3f+ or 6.7U3+

VMware hardwareversion

7+ 9+ 9+ 9+

Captures activememory

No Yes No Yes

Captures runningstate

No Yes No Yes

Captures IP No No Yes Yes

Captures MAC No No Yes Yes

Throughputrequirements

Depends onbandwidthavailability

>= 100 Mbps >= 100 Mbps >= 100 Mbps

VMware HCX OS Assisted MigrationFor more information on this migration option, see Understanding VMware HCX OS Assisted Migrationin the VMware documentation.

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AWS Prescriptive Guidance Choosing amigration approach for relocating your VMwareapplications and workloads to the AWS Cloud

VMware HCX

Relocate migration options

VMware HCXYou can use the VMware HCX relocate migration option to migrate your on-premises VMs, applications,and workloads to VMware Cloud on AWS. VMware HCX optimizes access to AWS services by using theenterprise-class VMware Software-Defined Data Center (SDDC) in the AWS Cloud.

For more information, see VMware Cloud on AWS in the VMware documentation. For an overview ofVMware Cloud on AWS, watch the Accelerate Cloud Migration and Modernization with VMware Cloud onAWS video on the AWS YouTube channel.

VMware HCX use casesVMware HCX is applicable to the following use cases:

• Hybridity (data center extension) – You’re extending an existing, on-premises VMware SDDC to theAWS Cloud to provide footprint expansion, on-demand capacity, a testing/development environment,and virtual desktops.

• Cloud evacuation (data center infrastructure refresh) – You’re consolidating data centers andmoving completely to the AWS Cloud, which includes handling data center co-location or end-of-leasescenarios.

• Application-specific – You’re moving individual applications to the AWS Cloud to meet specificbusiness needs.

VMware HCX optionsThe following table provides an overview of the VMware HCX options for relocating your VMwarevSphere workloads to VMware Cloud on AWS.

Migration type Migration option How it works Advantages Disadvantages

Bulk migration VMware HCX BulkMigration

Use host-basedreplicationto move VMsbetween HCX datacenters.

For moreinformation, seeUnderstandingVMware HCXBulk Migrationin the VMwaredocumentation.

• Keeps sourceVMs operationaluntil cutoverstarts

• Reducesdowntime tothe equivalentof a rebootby leaving thesource VMonline duringreplication

• Reducesmigrationtime bymigrating VMsconcurrently

• Requiressystem restartto changesystem identityconfigurations(for example,hostname, IP,and SID)

• Can’t migrateindividualVMs as fastas VMwarevMotion

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AWS Prescriptive Guidance Choosing amigration approach for relocating your VMwareapplications and workloads to the AWS Cloud

VMware HCX options

Migration type Migration option How it works Advantages Disadvantages

• Good option formass migrationof VMs from adata center

• Can schedulecutover tomigrated VMs

• Can managecloud-basedresources withfamiliar VMwaretools, whichminimizes thelearning curvefor migratingVMwareworkloads toVMware Cloudon AWS

Cloud migration toVMware Cloud onAWS

VMware HCX ColdMigration forpowered-off VMmigration

Use the VMwareNFC protocol toautomaticallyselect whenthe source VMis poweredoff. Migrationduration dependson availablebandwidth andlatency betweensource and targetsites.

For moreinformation, seeUnderstandingVMware HCXvMotion andCold Migrationin the VMwaredocumentation.

• Preserves VMIP address andMAC address

• Enables fastmigration ofindividual VMs

• Good for lowrisk VMs

• Good for VMsin developmentor testingenvironments

• Moves VMs oneat a time anddoesn’t providean option tomigrate VMs inparallel

• Has downtimeand requiresVMs to bepowered off formigration

• Requires athroughputcapability of100 Mbps orhigher

• No supportfor VMs withattached virtualmedia or ISOs

• No support forVMs with sharedVMDK files

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AWS Prescriptive Guidance Choosing amigration approach for relocating your VMwareapplications and workloads to the AWS Cloud

VMware HCX options

Migration type Migration option How it works Advantages Disadvantages

Cloud migration toVMware Cloud onAWS

VMware HCXvMotion forpowered-on VMmigration

Use the VMwarevMotion protocolto move VMsto a remotesite. Migrationduration dependson availablebandwidth andlatency betweensource and targetplatforms.

For moreinformation, seeUnderstandingVMware HCXvMotion andCold Migrationin the VMwaredocumentation.

• Keeps sourceVMs operationaluntil cutoverstarts

• No downtime• Good option

for migratingproduction-critical VMs

• Fastest optionfor migratingindividual VMs

• Preserves theIP address andMAC address ofthe VM

• Good optionfor VMs thatare at risk ofshutting downor restarting theinstance

• Can transfer alive VM froma VMwareHCX-enabledvCenter Serverto a VMwareHCX-enableddestinationsite (or fromthe VMwareHCX-enableddestination siteto the local site)

• Moves one VMat a time anddoesn’t providean option tomigrate VMs inparallel

• Requires athroughputcapability of100 Mbps orhigher

• No supportfor VMs withattached virtualmedia or ISOs

• No support forVMs with sharedVMDK files

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AWS Prescriptive Guidance Choosing amigration approach for relocating your VMwareapplications and workloads to the AWS Cloud

VMware HCX options

Migration type Migration option How it works Advantages Disadvantages

Bulk migrationwith zerodowntime

VMware HCXReplicationAssisted vMotion(RAV)

You can achievefast bulkmigration with nodowntime.

For moreinformation, seeUnderstandingVMware HCXReplicationAssisted vMotionin the VMwaredocumentation.

• Combinesadvantagesfrom VMwareHCX BulkMigration (suchas paralleloperations,resiliency, andscheduling)with VMwareHCX vMotion(such as zerodowntime VMstate migration)

• Keeps sourceVMs operationaluntil cutoverstarts

• No downtime• Can perform

large-scale livemigrations

• Can specifycutover window

• Provideslatency andvaried networkand serviceconditions

• Can switchoverlarge numberof VMs witha shortermaintenancewindow

• Reducesmigrationdowntime bymigrating VMsconcurrently

• Good for massmigration ofVMs from a datacenter

• Good for VMsthat are at riskof shuttingdown orrestarting theinstance

• Good formigrating

• No support foron-premisesto on-premisesmigrations

• Requires athroughputcapability of100 Mbps orhigher

• No supportfor VMs withattached virtualmedia or ISOs

• No support forVMs with sharedVMDK files

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AWS Prescriptive Guidance Choosing amigration approach for relocating your VMwareapplications and workloads to the AWS Cloud

VM Import

Migration type Migration option How it works Advantages Disadvantages

productioncritical VMs

NoteMake sure that you have a version of VMware vSphere that’s HCX compatible in both yoursource and target environments. For more information on HCX system requirements, seeVMware HCX Documentation in the VMware documentation.

VM ImportYou can use VM Import to import VM images from your existing virtualization environment to AmazonElastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) instances. That means that you can migrate applications andworkloads to Amazon EC2, copy your VM image catalog to Amazon EC2, or create a repository of VMimages for backup and disaster recovery. You can use VM Import to take advantage of your existinginvestments in the VMs that you have built to meet your IT security, configuration management, andcompliance requirements by bringing those VMs into Amazon EC2 as ready-to-use instances.

To import your images, use the AWS Command Line Interface (AWS CLI) or other developer tools toimport a VM image from your VMware environment. If you use the VMware vSphere virtualizationplatform, you can also use the AWS Management Portal for vCenter to import your VM. As part of theimport process, VM Import converts your VM to an Amazon EC2 Amazon Machine Image (AMI), whichyou can use to run Amazon EC2 instances. After your VM has been imported, you can take advantageof Amazon’s elasticity, scalability, and monitoring by using Auto Scaling, Elastic Load Balancing, andAmazon CloudWatch to support your imported images. You can import Windows and Linux VMs that useVMware ESX or VMware Workstation, Microsoft Hyper-V, and Citrix XenServer virtualization formats.

VM Import is available at no additional charge beyond standard usage charges for Amazon EC2 andAmazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3). You are billed separately for the use of Amazon S3 andAmazon Elastic Block Store (Amazon EBS) storage, which is required during the import and exportprocess. For more information, see VM Import/Export and VM Import/Export User Guide in the AWSdocumentation.

VM Import use casesVM Import is applicable to the following use cases:

• Your source platform is VMware vSphere and the target platform is AWS native.

• Your source is VMware vSphere and the vSphere version is not compatible with VMware HCX. Thetarget platform is VMware Cloud on AWS.

• You’re manually migrating a single instance to AWS native or VMware Cloud on an AWS targetplatform.

VM Import migration optionsThe following table provides an overview of the VMware Import migration options for importing yourVMs to EC2 instances.

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AWS Prescriptive Guidance Choosing amigration approach for relocating your VMwareapplications and workloads to the AWS Cloud

VM Import migration options

Migration type Migration option How it works Advantages Disadvantages

Uses a VM imageas the source

Image import Use VM Import/Export to importVM images fromyour virtualizationenvironmentto Amazon EC2as AMIs. Then,you can use theAMIs to launchinstances.

For moreinformation, seeImporting a VM asan image using VMImport/Export inthe Amazon EC2documentation.

• Alternativemigrationoption forVMwareworkloadsthat are notcompatible withVMware HCX formigrating VMsto Amazon EC2

• Can migrateVMs by usingVMware’sworkload VMimage as asource

• Can use yourinvestments inexisting VMsthat alreadymeet yourIT security,configurationmanagement,and compliancerequirements bymigrating themto Amazon EC2

• Can export theVM images froman EC2 instanceback to yourvirtualizationenvironment

• Requires amanual relocatemigration

• Only migratesone VM at atime

• Requires anS3 bucketfor storingexported imageswithin the sameAWS Regionwhere yourEC2 instance islaunched

• Standard S3bucket ratesapply

Uses a VMinstance as thesource

Instance import Use VM Import/Export to importVM images fromyour virtualizationenvironment toAmazon EC2 asinstances.

ImportantWerecommendthat youuse imageimportinstead ofinstanceimport.

For moreinformation, see

• Alternativemigrationoption forVMwareworkloadsthat are notcompatible withVMware HCX formigrating VMsto Amazon EC2

• Can migrateVMs by usingVMware’sworkload VMinstances as asource

• Can use yourinvestments in

• Requires amanual relocatemigration

• Migrates onlyone VM at atime

• Requires anS3 bucket forstoring theexported imageswithin the sameAWS Regionwhere yourEC2 instance islaunched

• Standard S3bucket ratesapply

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VM Import migration options

Migration type Migration option How it works Advantages Disadvantages

Importing a VM asan instance usingVM Import/Exportin the Amazon EC2documentation.

NoteTheAWS CLIdoesn’tsupportimportinga VMas aninstance,so youmustuse thedeprecatedAmazonEC2CommandLineInterface(AmazonEC2 CLI).

existing VMsthat alreadymeet yourIT security,configurationmanagement,and compliancerequirements bymigrating themto Amazon EC2

• Can export theVM images froman EC2 instanceback to yourvirtualizationenvironment

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VM import architectures

Migration type Migration option How it works Advantages Disadvantages

Uses a VM disksnapshot as thesource

Snapshot import Import your disksas Amazon EBSsnapshots. Afterthe snapshot iscreated, you cancreate an EBSvolume from thesnapshot, andthen attach thevolume to anEC2 instance.The disk formatssupported areVirtual Hard Disk(VHD/VHDX), ESXVirtual MachineDisk (VMDK), andraw.

For moreinformation, seeImporting a diskas a snapshotusing VM Import/Export in theAmazon EC2documentation.

NoteAnimportedsnapshothas anarbitraryvolumeID. Werecommendthat youavoidusing thatthat IDfor anypurpose.

• Alternativemigrationoption forVMwareworkloadsthat are notcompatible withVMware HCX formigrating VMsto Amazon EC2

• Can migrateVMs by using aVM snapshot asa source

• Can use yourinvestments inexisting VMsthat alreadymeet yourIT security,configurationmanagement,and compliancerequirements bymigrating themto Amazon EC2

• Can export theVM images froman EC2 instanceback to yourvirtualizationenvironment

• Requires amanual relocatemigration

• Migrates onlyone VM at atime

• Requires anS3 bucket forstoring theexported imagesin the sameAWS Regionwhere yourEC2 instance islaunched

• Standard S3bucket ratesapply

VM Import migration architecturesThe following diagram shows the architecture for the migration option to import from an image.

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VM import architectures

The following diagram shows the migration option to import from an instance.

The following diagram shows the migration option to import from a snapshot.

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VM Export

VM ExportYou can use VM Export to import VM images from your existing environment to EC2 instances, and thenexport the VM images back to your on-premises environment. You can also export imported instancesback to your on-premises virtualization infrastructure, so that you can deploy workloads across your ITinfrastructure.

You can export previously imported EC2 instances by using the Amazon EC2 API tools to specify thetarget instance, VM file format, and destination S3 bucket. Then, VM Import/Export automaticallyexports the instance to the S3 bucket. You can then download and launch the exported VM from youron-premises virtualization infrastructure.

VM Export is available at no additional charge beyond standard usage charges for Amazon EC2 andAmazon S3. You are billed separately for the use of Amazon S3 and Amazon EBS storage, which isrequired during the import and export process. For more information, see VM Import/Export and VMImport/Export User Guide in the AWS documentation.

VM Export use casesVM Export is applicable to the following use cases:

• Your source is an EC2 instance and your target is VMware vSphere.

• You want to manually export a single instance from Amazon EC2 to a VMware vSphere targetenvironment.

VM Export migration optionsThe following table provides an overview of the VMware Export migration options for exporting your VMimages to your virtualization environment.

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VM Export migration options

Migration type Migration option How it works Advantages Disadvantages

Uses an AMI asthe source, whichyou can export toone of the imageformats supportedby VMwarevSphere by using acommand line tool

Export from anAMI

Use an AMI tostandardize youron-site instances,and exportmost AMIs toCitrix XenServer,Microsoft Hyper-V, or VMwarevSphere.

For moreinformation, seeExporting a VMdirectly from anAmazon MachineImage (AMI) inthe Amazon EC2documentation.

• Can migrateyour EC2instance to youron-premisesvirtualizationenvironment byusing an AMI asa source

• Can export aVM file basedon an AMI whenyou want todeploy a newstandardizedinstance inyour on-sitevirtualizationenvironment

• Requires amanual relocatemigration

• Migrates onlyone VM at atime to youron-premisesvirtualizationenvironment

• Requires anS3 bucket forstoring theexported imageswithin the sameAWS Regionwhere yourEC2 instance islaunched

• Standard S3bucket ratesapply

• Limited to nomore than 5conversion tasksper AWS Regionin progress atthe same time(can increase thelimit up to 20)

• No supportfor VMs withvolumes largerthan 1 TiB

Uses an instanceas the source

Export from aninstance

You create areplica of yourEC2 instancein your on-sitevirtualizationenvironment,which you can usefor evaluation andtesting. You canalso export mostEC2 instances toCitrix XenServer,Microsoft Hyper-V, or VMwarevSphere.

For moreinformation,see Exportingan instance as

• Can migrateyour EC2instance to youron-premisesvirtualizationenvironment byusing an EC2instance as thesource

• Can export asa VM when youwant to deploya copy of anEC2 instancein your on-sitevirtualizationenvironment

• Requires amanual relocatemigration

• Migrates onlyone VM at atime to youron-premisesvirtualizationenvironment

• Requires anS3 bucket forstoring theexported imageswithin the sameAWS Regionwhere yourEC2 instance islaunched

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AWS Prescriptive Guidance Choosing amigration approach for relocating your VMwareapplications and workloads to the AWS Cloud

VM Export architectures

Migration type Migration option How it works Advantages Disadvantages

a VM using VMImport/Export inthe Amazon EC2documentation.

• Standard S3bucket ratesapply

• Limited to nomore than 5conversion tasksper AWS Regionin progress atthe same time(can increase thelimit up to 20)

• No supportfor VMs withvolumes largerthan 1 TiB

VM Export migration architecturesThe following diagram shows the migration option to export from an AMI.

The following diagram shows the architecture for the migration option to export from an instance.

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VMware HCX OSAM

VMware HCX OS Assisted MigrationYou can use HCX OS Assisted Migration (OSAM) to move Linux-based or Windows-based guest (non-VMware vSphere) VMs from their host environment to a VMware vSphere data center. This migrationtype is ideal for moving VMs from non-VMware vSphere environments, such as KVM or MicrosoftHyper-V. Similar to a bulk migration, the VM remains online during the replication process. After initialreplication is completed, VMware HCX performs a hardware mapping, driver installation, and OSconfiguration for the new VMware vSphere VM, and then reboots the VM. After the VM is rebooted,a delta sync is kicked off and then the cutover is initiated. Finally, VMware Tools is installed on themigrated VM.

The following table provides an overview of the OSAM migration option for migrating your non-VMwarevSphere VMs to a VMware vSphere data center.

Migration type Migration option How it works Advantages Disadvantages

Non-VMwarevSphere

OSAM You must usean agent-basedmigration thatrequires theinstallationof Sentinelsoftware on Linux-or Windows-compatibleservers to enablereplicationfrom the sourceenvironment toVMware vSphere.

• Keeps sourceoperational untilcutover

• Good formigrating guest(non-VMwarevSphere) VMs

• Reducesmigrationdowntime bymigrating VMsconcurrently

• Requires theinstallationof Sentinelsoftware oneach sourceLinux- orWindows-basedguest VM

• Requires anHCX Enterpriselicense

• Requiresa complexmigration setupand installation

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VMware HCX OSAM

Migration type Migration option How it works Advantages Disadvantages

For moreinformation, seeUnderstandingVMware HCX OSAssisted Migrationin the VMwaredocumentation.

• Supports 200concurrent VMdisk migrations

• Replatformsand relocatesnon-VMwarevSphere VMsto VMwarevSphere VMs

• Can schedulecutover tomigrated VMs

of agent tosource servers

• Not available forVMware Cloudon AWS as thetarget

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Licensing model

FAQ

What is the licensing model for VM Import/Export?In general, when you import your Microsoft Windows VM images to Amazon EC2, AWS provides theappropriate Microsoft Windows Server license key for your imported instance. Hourly EC2 instancecharges cover the Microsoft Windows Server software and underlying hardware resources. Your on-premises Microsoft Windows Server license key isn’t used by Amazon EC2, and you can reuse your licensekey for other Microsoft Windows VM images in your on-premises environment. You are responsible forcomplying with the terms of your agreements with Microsoft.

If you export an EC2 instance, access to the Microsoft Windows Server license key for that instance is nolonger available through AWS. You must reactivate and specify a new license key for the exported VMimage after the image is launched in your on-premises virtualization platform.

When you import Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) VM images, you can use license portability for yourRHEL instances. With license portability, you are responsible for maintaining the RHEL licenses forimported instances. You can use Red Hat Cloud Access to maintain RHEL licenses for imported instances.For more information about Cloud Access subscriptions for Red Hat Enterprise Linux, see Red Hat CloudAccess in the Red Hat documentation.

What are the common uses for VM Import/Export?Customers commonly use VM Import/Export for the following:

• Migrating VMware applications and workloads to Amazon EC2 – You can use VM Import/Export(Amazon EC2 documentation) to keep your software and settings configurations in your existing VMs,while running your applications and workloads in Amazon EC2. After importing your applications andworkloads, you can run multiple instances from the same image and create snapshots to back up yourdata. You can use AMIs and a snapshot copy to replicate your applications and workloads around theworld. As the resource requirements for your instances change, you can change the instance types ofyour applications and workloads. You can use CloudWatch to monitor your imported applications andworkloads. Finally, you can take advantage of Auto Scaling, Elastic Load Balancing, and all the otherAWS services to support your migrated applications and workloads.

• Copying the VM image catalog to Amazon EC2 – If you use a catalog of approved VM images, you canuse VM Import/Export to copy your image catalog to Amazon EC2, which creates AMIs from your VMs.Then, your AMIs serve as your image catalog within Amazon EC2. You can also import your existingsoftware with your VM images, including antivirus software, intrusion detection systems, and more.

• Creating a disaster recovery repository for VM images – Import your on-premises VM images toAmazon EC2 for backup and disaster recovery contingencies. VM Import/Export stores the importedimages as AMIs backed by Amazon EBS, which means the images are ready to launch in AmazonEC2 when you need them. In the event of a contingency, you can quickly launch your instances topreserve business continuity while simultaneously exporting the instances to rebuild your on-premisesinfrastructure. You pay for Amazon EBS usage only until you decide to launch the instances, and thenyou pay standard Amazon EC2 service charges for your running instances. If you choose to export yourinstances, you pay for standard Amazon S3 usage.

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Cost

What is the cost of using VM Import/Export?VM Import/Export is an Amazon EC2 feature and is available at no additional charge. Standard pricingdoes apply for Amazon EC2, Amazon S3, and Amazon EBS usage (AWS documentation). You are billedseparately for the use of these services during the import and export process.

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Import VM images

Next steps and resources

Import VM images to AWSUse VM Import/Export (AWS documentation) to import your VM images to AWS.

1. Download and install the AWS CLI (AWS CLI documentation).2. Use the AWS CLI to upload your VM image to Amazon S3. You can improve performance with multi-

part uploads, or you can send the VM image to the AWS Cloud by using VM Import/Export (AWSdocumentation).

3. Use the Amazon EC2 describe-import-image-tasks (AWS CLI Command Reference) command tomonitor the import progress.

4. Use the Amazon EC2 run-instances (AWS CLI Command Reference) command to create an EC2instance from the AMI generated during the import process.

Instead of VM Import/Export, you can use the management portal (AWS documentation) to import orcopy VM images to the AWS Cloud. You can connect the management portal to VMware Cloud on AWS.

Explore other relocate use casesThe relocate migration strategy is not limited to VMware vSphere. You can transfer infrastructure tothe cloud or relocate any instances or objects from one VPC, AWS Region, or AWS account to anotherwithout purchasing new hardware, rewriting applications, or modifying your existing operations.

Here are other relocate use cases to explore:

• Migrate an Amazon RDS for Oracle database to another AWS account and AWS Region using AWS DMSfor ongoing replication (AWS Prescriptive Guidance documentation)

• Migrate an Amazon RDS DB instance to another VPC or account (AWS Prescriptive Guidancedocumentation)

• VMware Cloud on AWS Outposts (VMware documentation)

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References

Resources

References• Migrate VMware SDDC to VMware Cloud on AWS using VMware HCX• Relocate patterns• VM Import/Export User Guide• VMware HCX Documentation• Cloud Migration Series: Part 1 – Getting Started with Hybrid Cloud Migration• Cloud Migration Series: Part 2 – VMware HCX Overview• Cloud Migration Series: Part 3 – The HCX Interconnect and Multi-Site Service Mesh

Videos• Introduction to VMware Cloud on AWS• AWS re:Invent 2020: Architectural patterns & best practices for workloads on VMware Cloud on AWS• VMware HCX Overview

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AWS Prescriptive Guidance glossary

AI and ML terms (p. 23)    |    Migration terms (p. 24)    |    Modernization terms (p. 28)

AI and ML terms The following are commonly used terms in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML)-related strategies,guides, and patterns provided by AWS Prescriptive Guidance. To suggest entries, please use the Provide feedbacklink at the end of the glossary.

binary classification A process that predicts a binary outcome (one of two possible classes). Forexample, your ML model might need to predict problems such as “Is this emailspam or not spam?" or "Is this product a book or a car?"

classification A categorization process that helps generate predictions. ML models forclassification problems predict a discrete value. Discrete values are always distinctfrom one another. For example, a model might need to evaluate whether or notthere is a car in an image.

data preprocessing To transform raw data into a format that is easily parsed by your ML model.Preprocessing data can mean removing certain columns or rows and addressingmissing, inconsistent, or duplicate values.

deep ensemble To combine multiple deep learning models for prediction. You can use deepensembles to obtain a more accurate prediction or for estimating uncertainty inpredictions.

deep learning An ML subfield that uses multiple layers of artificial neural networks to identifymapping between input data and target variables of interest.

exploratory data analysis(EDA)

The process of analyzing a dataset to understand its main characteristics. Youcollect or aggregate data and then perform initial investigations to find patterns,detect anomalies, and check assumptions. EDA is performed by calculatingsummary statistics and creating data visualizations.

features The input data that you use to make a prediction. For example, in amanufacturing context, features could be images that are periodically capturedfrom the manufacturing line.

feature importance How significant a feature is for a model’s predictions. This is usually expressedas a numerical score that can be calculated through various techniques, suchas Shapley Additive Explanations (SHAP) and integrated gradients. For moreinformation, see Machine learning model interpretability with AWS.

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feature transformation To optimize data for the ML process, including enriching data with additionalsources, scaling values, or extracting multiple sets of information from a singledata field. This enables the ML model to benefit from the data. For example, ifyou break down the “2021-05-27 00:15:37” date into “2021”, “May”, “Thu”, and“15”, you can help the learning algorithm learn nuanced patterns associated withdifferent data components.

interpretability A characteristic of a machine learning model that describes the degree to whicha human can understand how the model’s predictions depend on its inputs. Formore information, see Machine learning model interpretability with AWS.

multiclass classification A process that helps generate predictions for multiple classes (predicting one ofmore than two outcomes). For example, an ML model might ask "Is this producta book, car, or phone?" or "Which product category is most interesting to thiscustomer?"

regression An ML technique that predicts a numeric value. For example, to solve the problemof "What price will this house sell for?" an ML model could use a linear regressionmodel to predict a house's sale price based on known facts about the house (forexample, the square footage).

training To provide data for your ML model to learn from. The training data must containthe correct answer. The learning algorithm finds patterns in the training data thatmap the input data attributes to the target (the answer that you want to predict).It outputs an ML model that captures these patterns. You can then use the MLmodel to make predictions on new data for which you don’t know the target.

target variable The value that you are trying to predict in supervised ML. This is also referredto as an outcome variable. For example, in a manufacturing setting the targetvariable could be a product defect.

tuning To change aspects of your training process to improve the ML model's accuracy.For example, you can train the ML model by generating a labeling set, addinglabels, and then repeating these steps several times under different settings tooptimize the model.

uncertainty A concept that refers to imprecise, incomplete, or unknown information thatcan undermine the reliability of predictive ML models. There are two types ofuncertainty: Epistemic uncertainty is caused by limited, incomplete data, whereasaleatoric uncertainty is caused by the noise and randomness inherent in the data.For more information, see the Quantifying uncertainty in deep learning systemsguide.

Migration terms The following are commonly used terms in migration-related strategies, guides, and patterns provided by AWSPrescriptive Guidance. To suggest entries, please use the Provide feedback link at the end of the glossary.

7 Rs Seven common migration strategies for moving applications to the cloud. Thesestrategies build upon the 5 Rs that Gartner identified in 2011 and consist of thefollowing:

• Refactor/re-architect – Move an application and modify its architecture bytaking full advantage of cloud-native features to improve agility, performance,and scalability. This typically involves porting the operating system anddatabase. Example: Migrate your on-premises Oracle database to the AmazonAurora PostgreSQL-Compatible Edition.

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• Replatform (lift and reshape) – Move an application to the cloud, and introducesome level of optimization to take advantage of cloud capabilities. Example:Migrate your on-premises Oracle database to Amazon Relational DatabaseService (Amazon RDS) for Oracle in the AWS Cloud.

• Repurchase (drop and shop) – Switch to a different product, typically by movingfrom a traditional license to a SaaS model. Example: Migrate your customerrelationship management (CRM) system to Salesforce.com.

• Rehost (lift and shift) – Move an application to the cloud without making anychanges to take advantage of cloud capabilities. Example: Migrate your on-premises Oracle database to Oracle on an EC2 instance in the AWS Cloud.

• Relocate (hypervisor-level lift and shift) – Move infrastructure to the cloudwithout purchasing new hardware, rewriting applications, or modifying yourexisting operations. This migration scenario is specific to VMware Cloudon AWS, which supports virtual machine (VM) compatibility and workloadportability between your on-premises environment and AWS. You can use theVMware Cloud Foundation technologies from your on-premises data centerswhen you migrate your infrastructure to VMware Cloud on AWS. Example:Relocate the hypervisor hosting your Oracle database to VMware Cloud onAWS.

• Retain (revisit) – Keep applications in your source environment. These mightinclude applications that require major refactoring, and you want to postponethat work until a later time, and legacy applications that you want to retain,because there’s no business justification for migrating them.

• Retire – Decommission or remove applications that are no longer needed inyour source environment.

application portfolio A collection of detailed information about each application used by anorganization, including the cost to build and maintain the application, and itsbusiness value. This information is key to the portfolio discovery and analysisprocess and helps identify and prioritize the applications to be migrated,modernized, and optimized.

artificial intelligenceoperations (AIOps)

The process of using machine learning techniques to solve operational problems,reduce operational incidents and human intervention, and increase servicequality. For more information about how AIOps is used in the AWS migrationstrategy, see the operations integration guide.

AWS Cloud AdoptionFramework (AWS CAF)

A framework of guidelines and best practices from AWS to help organizationsdevelop an efficient and effective plan to move successfully to the cloud. AWSCAF organizes guidance into six focus areas called perspectives: business,people, governance, platform, security, and operations. The business, people,and governance perspectives focus on business skills and processes; theplatform, security, and operations perspectives focus on technical skills andprocesses. For example, the people perspective targets stakeholders who handlehuman resources (HR), staffing functions, and people management. For thisperspective, AWS CAF provides guidance for people development, training, andcommunications to help ready the organization for successful cloud adoption. Formore information, see the AWS CAF website and the AWS CAF whitepaper.

AWS landing zone A landing zone is a well-architected, multi-account AWS environment that isscalable and secure. This is a starting point from which your organizations canquickly launch and deploy workloads and applications with confidence in theirsecurity and infrastructure environment. For more information about landingzones, see Setting up a secure and scalable multi-account AWS environment.

AWS Workload QualificationFramework (AWS WQF)

A tool that evaluates database migration workloads, recommends migrationstrategies, and provides work estimates. AWS WQF is included with AWS Schema

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Conversion Tool (AWS SCT). It analyzes database schemas and code objects,application code, dependencies, and performance characteristics, and providesassessment reports.

business continuity planning(BCP)

A plan that addresses the potential impact of a disruptive event, such as a large-scale migration, on operations and enables a business to resume operationsquickly.

Cloud Center of Excellence(CCoE)

A multi-disciplinary team that drives cloud adoption efforts across anorganization, including developing cloud best practices, mobilizing resources,establishing migration timelines, and leading the organization through large-scale transformations. For more information, see the CCoE posts on the AWSCloud Enterprise Strategy Blog.

cloud stages of adoption The four phases that organizations typically go through when they migrate to theAWS Cloud:

• Project – Running a few cloud-related projects for proof of concept andlearning purposes

• Foundation – Making foundational investments to scale your cloud adoption(e.g., creating a landing zone, defining a CCoE, establishing an operationsmodel)

• Migration – Migrating individual applications• Re-invention – Optimizing products and services, and innovating in the cloud

These stages were defined by Stephen Orban in the blog post The JourneyToward Cloud-First & the Stages of Adoption on the AWS Cloud EnterpriseStrategy blog. For information about how they relate to the AWS migrationstrategy, see the migration readiness guide.

configuration managementdatabase (CMDB)

A database that contains information about a company’s hardware and softwareproducts, configurations, and inter-dependencies. You typically use data from aCMDB in the portfolio discovery and analysis stage of migration.

epic In agile methodologies, functional categories that help organize and prioritizeyour work. Epics provide a high-level description of requirements andimplementation tasks. For example, AWS CAF security epics include identity andaccess management, detective controls, infrastructure security, data protection,and incident response. For more information about epics in the AWS migrationstrategy, see the program implementation guide.

heterogeneous databasemigration

Migrating your source database to a target database that uses a differentdatabase engine (for example, Oracle to Amazon Aurora). Heterogeneousmigration is typically part of a re-architecting effort, and converting theschema can be a complex task. AWS provides AWS SCT that helps with schemaconversions.

homogeneous databasemigration

Migrating your source database to a target database that shares the samedatabase engine (for example, Microsoft SQL Server to Amazon RDS for SQLServer). Homogeneous migration is typically part of a rehosting or replatformingeffort. You can use native database utilities to migrate the schema.

idle application An application that has an average CPU and memory usage between 5 and20 percent over a period of 90 days. In a migration project, it is common to retirethese applications or retain them on premises.

IT information library (ITIL) A set of best practices for delivering IT services and aligning these services withbusiness requirements. ITIL provides the foundation for ITSM.

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IT service management (ITSM) Activities associated with designing, implementing, managing, and supporting ITservices for an organization. For information about integrating cloud operationswith ITSM tools, see the operations integration guide.

large migration A migration of 300 or more servers.

Migration AccelerationProgram (MAP)

An AWS program that provides consulting support, training, and services tohelp organizations build a strong operational foundation for moving to thecloud, and to help offset the initial cost of migrations. MAP includes a migrationmethodology for executing legacy migrations in a methodical way and a set oftools to automate and accelerate common migration scenarios.

Migration PortfolioAssessment (MPA)

An online tool that provides information for validating the business case formigrating to the AWS Cloud. MPA provides detailed portfolio assessment(server right-sizing, pricing, TCO comparisons, migration cost analysis) as wellas migration planning (application data analysis and data collection, applicationgrouping, migration prioritization, and wave planning). The MPA tool (requireslogin) is available free of charge to all AWS consultants and APN Partnerconsultants.

Migration ReadinessAssessment (MRA)

The process of gaining insights about an organization’s cloud readiness status,identifying strengths and weaknesses, and building an action plan to closeidentified gaps, using the AWS CAF. For more information, see the migrationreadiness guide. MRA is the first phase of the AWS migration strategy.

migration at scale The process of moving the majority of the application portfolio to the cloud inwaves, with more applications moved at a faster rate in each wave. This phaseuses the best practices and lessons learned from the earlier phases to implementa migration factory of teams, tools, and processes to streamline the migration ofworkloads through automation and agile delivery. This is the third phase of theAWS migration strategy.

migration factory Cross-functional teams that streamline the migration of workloads throughautomated, agile approaches. Migration factory teams typically includeoperations, business analysts and owners, migration engineers, developers,and DevOps professionals working in sprints. Between 20 and 50 percent ofan enterprise application portfolio consists of repeated patterns that can beoptimized by a factory approach. For more information, see the discussion ofmigration factories and the CloudEndure Migration Factory guide in this contentset.

migration metadata The information about the application and server that is needed to complete themigration. Each migration pattern requires a different set of migration metadata.Examples of migration metadata include the target subnet, security group, andAWS account.

migration pattern A repeatable migration task that details the migration strategy, the migrationdestination, and the migration application or service used. Example: Rehostmigration to Amazon EC2 with AWS Application Migration Service.

migration strategy The approach used to migrate a workload to the AWS Cloud. For moreinformation, see the 7 Rs (p. 24) entry in this glossary and see Mobilize yourorganization to accelerate large-scale migrations.

operational-level agreement(OLA)

An agreement that clarifies what functional IT groups promise to deliver to eachother, to support a service-level agreement (SLA).

operations integration (OI) The process of modernizing operations in the cloud, which involves readinessplanning, automation, and integration. For more information, see the operationsintegration guide.

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organizational changemanagement (OCM)

A framework for managing major, disruptive business transformations from apeople, culture, and leadership perspective. OCM helps organizations prepare for,and transition to, new systems and strategies by accelerating change adoption,addressing transitional issues, and driving cultural and organizational changes. Inthe AWS migration strategy, this framework is called people acceleration, becauseof the speed of change required in cloud adoption projects. For more information,see the OCM guide.

playbook A set of predefined steps that capture the work associated with migrations, suchas delivering core operations functions in the cloud. A playbook can take the formof scripts, automated runbooks, or a summary of processes or steps required tooperate your modernized environment.

portfolio assessment A process of discovering, analyzing, and prioritizing the application portfolioin order to plan the migration. For more information, see Evaluating migrationreadiness.

responsible, accountable,consulted, informed (RACI)matrix

A matrix that defines and assigns roles and responsibilities in a project. Forexample, you can create a RACI to define security control ownership or to identifyroles and responsibilities for specific tasks in a migration project.

runbook A set of manual or automated procedures required to perform a specific task.These are typically built to streamline repetitive operations or procedures withhigh error rates.

service-level agreement (SLA) An agreement that clarifies what an IT team promises to deliver to theircustomers, such as service uptime and performance.

task list A tool that is used to track progress through a runbook. A task list contains anoverview of the runbook and a list of general tasks to be completed. For eachgeneral task, it includes the estimated amount of time required, the owner, andthe progress.

workstream Functional groups in a migration project that are responsible for a specific set oftasks. Each workstream is independent but supports the other workstreams inthe project. For example, the portfolio workstream is responsible for prioritizingapplications, wave planning, and collecting migration metadata. The portfolioworkstream delivers these assets to the migration workstream, which thenmigrates the servers and applications.

zombie application An application that has an average CPU and memory usage below 5 percent. In amigration project, it is common to retire these applications.

Modernization termsThe following are commonly used terms in modernization-related strategies, guides, and patterns provided by AWSPrescriptive Guidance. To suggest entries, please use the Provide feedback link at the end of the glossary.

business capability What a business does to generate value (for example, sales, customer service,or marketing). Microservices architectures and development decisions can bedriven by business capabilities. For more information, see the Organized aroundbusiness capabilities section of the Running containerized microservices on AWSwhitepaper.

domain-driven design An approach to developing a complex software system by connecting itscomponents to evolving domains, or core business goals, that each componentserves. This concept was introduced by Eric Evans in his book, Domain-DrivenDesign: Tackling Complexity in the Heart of Software (Boston: Addison-Wesley

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Professional, 2003). For information about how you can use domain-driven designwith the strangler fig pattern, see Modernizing legacy Microsoft ASP.NET (ASMX)web services incrementally by using containers and Amazon API Gateway.

microservice A small, independent service that communicates over well-defined APIs and istypically owned by small, self-contained teams. For example, an insurance systemmight include microservices that map to business capabilities, such as sales ormarketing, or subdomains, such as purchasing, claims, or analytics. The benefitsof microservices include agility, flexible scaling, easy deployment, reusable code,and resilience. For more information, see Integrating microservices by using AWSserverless services.

microservices architecture An approach to building an application with independent components that runeach application process as a microservice. These microservices communicatethrough a well-defined interface by using lightweight APIs. Each microservicein this architecture can be updated, deployed, and scaled to meet demand forspecific functions of an application. For more information, see Implementingmicroservices on AWS.

modernization Transforming an outdated (legacy or monolithic) application and its infrastructureinto an agile, elastic, and highly available system in the cloud to reduce costs,gain efficiencies, and take advantage of innovations. For more information, seeStrategy for modernizing applications in the AWS Cloud.

modernization readinessassessment

An evaluation that helps determine the modernization readiness of anorganization’s applications; identifies benefits, risks, and dependencies; anddetermines how well the organization can support the future state of thoseapplications. The outcome of the assessment is a blueprint of the targetarchitecture, a roadmap that details development phases and milestones for themodernization process, and an action plan for addressing identified gaps. Formore information, see Evaluating modernization readiness for applications in theAWS Cloud.

monolithic applications(monoliths)

Applications that run as a single service with tightly coupled processes. Monolithicapplications have several drawbacks. If one application feature experiences aspike in demand, the entire architecture must be scaled. Adding or improving amonolithic application’s features also becomes more complex when the code basegrows. To address these issues, you can use a microservices architecture. For moreinformation, see Decomposing monoliths into microservices.

polyglot persistence Independently choosing a microservice’s data storage technology based on dataaccess patterns and other requirements. If your microservices have the samedata storage technology, they can encounter implementation challenges orexperience poor performance. Microservices are more easily implemented andachieve better performance and scalability if they use the data store best adaptedto their requirements. For more information, see Enabling data persistence inmicroservices.

split-and-seed model A pattern for scaling and accelerating modernization projects. As new featuresand product releases are defined, the core team splits up to create new productteams. This helps scale your organization’s capabilities and services, improvesdeveloper productivity, and supports rapid innovation. For more information, seePhased approach to modernizing applications in the AWS Cloud.

strangler fig pattern An approach to modernizing monolithic systems by incrementally rewriting andreplacing system functionality until the legacy system can be decommissioned.This pattern uses the analogy of a fig vine that grows into an established treeand eventually overcomes and replaces its host. The pattern was introduced byMartin Fowler as a way to manage risk when rewriting monolithic systems. For an

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example of how to apply this pattern, see Modernizing legacy Microsoft ASP.NET(ASMX) web services incrementally by using containers and Amazon API Gateway.

two-pizza team A small DevOps team that you can feed with two pizzas. A two-pizza team sizeensures the best possible opportunity for collaboration in software development.For more information, see the Two-pizza team section of the Introduction toDevOps on AWS whitepaper.

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Initial publication (p. 31) — March 29, 2022

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