What is Server Migration Center
Server Migration Center (SMC) is an Alibaba Cloud platform that migrates workloads to and between cloud environments. It provides streamlined, automated migration services for diverse scenarios including server, OS, VMware, and container migrations.
Why choose Server Migration Center (SMC)
SMC simplifies migration with an intuitive workflow designed for diverse scenarios.
-
Supports migration across multiple platforms and environments.
-
Highly automated to reduce manual effort.
Minimal setup required. Migrations run unattended end-to-end. Track progress through the console or API at any time.
-
Intelligent self-healing and validation
Pre-migration checks detect issues and suggest fixes. Post-migration validation confirms successful completion with one click.
Architecture
Supported migration sources and methods
Migration scenarios
|
Scenario |
Description |
References |
|
Server migration |
Migrate physical machines, virtual machines, or other cloud servers to Alibaba Cloud using agent-based migration. |
|
|
OS migration |
Upgrade ECS instance operating systems in place, such as CentOS 7/8 or Windows Server 2008/2012, to newer versions for extended maintenance lifecycle support. |
|
|
VMware agentless migration |
Migrate VMware virtual machines to Alibaba Cloud without installing agents. This non-intrusive approach preserves business continuity and performance during migration. |
|
|
Cross-zone migration |
Migrate ECS instances to a different zone within the same region. |
|
|
Desktop migration |
Migrate personal computers or cloud desktops to Alibaba Cloud WUYING Workspace, a secure and efficient cloud desktop service for building managed desktop environments. |
|
|
Containerization migration |
Containerize servers and applications from physical machines, virtualization environments (VMware, Xen, KVM, Hyper-V), and multicloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP, Tencent Cloud). Generate container images, push them to Container Registry (ACR), and deploy in Container Service for Kubernetes (ACK). |
|
|
Edge node migration |
Migrate servers from physical machines, on-premises VMs (VMware, Xen, KVM, Hyper-V), other cloud providers (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Tencent Cloud), and ECS instances into Edge Node Service (ENS) images. Use the images to create ENS instances. |
Migration flow
See the Migration Operation Guide for detailed steps.
Billing
SMC is free. However, charges apply for ECS resources used during migration. See Product Billing for details.
Supported Alibaba Cloud services
SMC integrates with several Alibaba Cloud services during migration. The following figure shows the relationships.
The following table describes the relationships between SMC and other Alibaba Cloud services.
|
Service name |
Relationship with other services |
References |
|
During migration, SMC creates a snapshot of the source server to generate a cloud image, which is then used to create an ECS instance. |
||
|
Migration data is transferred over the public network or through a private network connection. |
||
|
You can migrate a server to a container image, which can then be used to deploy a containerized application. |
||
|
After generating a container image, you can deploy it in ACK to run containerized workloads. |
||
|
After you migrate a server to an Edge Node Service (ENS) image, you can use the image to create an ENS instance. |
||
|
RAM manages user identities and resource access. Use RAM with SMC for fine-grained access control over migration resources. |
Key Concepts
|
Term |
Description |
|
SMC client |
A migration agent developed by Alibaba Cloud that runs on the source server to perform migration. |
|
Migration source |
When the SMC client runs, it reports source server information to the SMC console, registering a migration source. Each migration source maps to one source server. |
|
Migration task |
A unit of work created for a migration source in the SMC console. The task runs automatically after creation. |
|
Target instance |
An existing ECS instance specified as the migration destination. After migration, the source server data overwrites the target instance data. |
|
Intermediate instance |
When migrating to an ECS image or container image, SMC creates a temporary instance named |
|
ECS image |
You can migrate a source server to an ECS image and then use the image to create ECS instances. |
|
Container image |
Migrate a source server to a container image for deploying containerized applications at low cost. |
Feedback and support
For questions or suggestions about SMC, join the technical support DingTalk group or scan the following QR code. Download the DingTalk client
