Server Migration Center (SMC) migrates source servers to Alibaba Cloud without service interruptions. SMC supports system disks and data disks from physical servers, on-premises VMs (VMware, Xen, KVM, and Hyper-V), and other cloud providers (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and Tencent Cloud).
SMC performs a full data migration first, then uses incremental migration to sync changes from the source server within a custom time frame.
To migrate only databases, use Data Transmission Service (DTS) instead.
Billing
SMC is a free service. However, Alibaba Cloud ECS resources created during migration incur charges. For details, see Product Billing.
Limits
For server migration limits, see Limits.
Migration workflow
To migrate a server with SMC, import the migration source, then create and start a migration task.
Step 1: Prepare for migration
Register an Alibaba Cloud account, complete identity verification, enable the RAM service, and enable snapshots. For details, see Prepare for the migration.
Step 2: Import the migration source
Choose one of the following import methods:
Import the migration source from the command line
Import the migration source from the console
Import the migration source by using the client
For a comparison of these methods, see How to select a migration source import method.
Step 3: Configure and start the migration
Select a migration scenario based on your business requirements, then start the migration.
NoteBefore a migration task starts, SMC checks whether migration drill conditions are met.
Successful drill -- The system starts the migration task automatically by default.
Abnormal drill -- Fix the Critical drill items according to the drill report, then retry the drill. See Configure a migration drill.
If conditions are not met, the system starts the migration task automatically by default.
Migration targets
SMC consists of the SMC client and the SMC console. Two migration targets are available:
Custom image
Migrate a source server to a custom ECS image, then use that image to create an ECS instance.
Destination instance
Migrate a source server directly to an existing ECS or Simple Application Server instance. The storage and operating system of the source server must be compatible with the destination instance.
How migration works
Server Migration Center (SMC) consists of the SMC client and the SMC console. This section describes the principles of server migration.
Migrate to a custom image
You can migrate a source server to a custom ECS image and then use the custom image to create an ECS instance. The following figure illustrates this process.
Migrate to a destination instance
If you have a destination instance, such as an ECS or Simple Application Server instance, you can migrate the source server directly to it. The storage and operating system of the source server must be compatible with the destination instance. The following figure illustrates this process.
Server migration principles:
Download and install the SMC client on the source server. If you import the information about the source server by using the CLI or the SMC console, the system automatically downloads and installs the SMC client on the source server. In this case, you can skip this step.
Run the SMC client on the source server. The SMC client submits the information about the source server to the SMC server by using the endpoint of SMC.
The SMC server creates a temporary intermediate instance and configures the security group of the intermediate instance to allow access to ports 8080 and 8703. If you migrate the source server to an instance, the destination instance is used as an intermediate instance. Then, the SMC server creates a temporary intermediate cloud disk and attaches the intermediate cloud disk to the destination instance.
The SMC client connects to port 8080 of the intermediate instance to establish communication and transmits the disk data of the source server to the data disks of the intermediate instance by using port 8703 of the intermediate instance.
The SMC server creates snapshots for the disk data of the intermediate instance and creates an ECS image from the snapshots. If you migrate the source server to an instance, the system disk of the destination instance is replaced by using the ECS image.
SMC client
The SMC client is a small, installation-free migration tool developed by Alibaba Cloud. Download the client to the source server before starting a migration.
Console or command line import -- The system automatically downloads the compressed SMC client package.
Client import -- Download the SMC client package that matches the operating system of the source server:
For usage instructions, see the SMC Client User Guide.
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
