How to migrate data from desktop servers - Server Migration Center

Server Migration Center (SMC) allows seamless migration of data to Alibaba Cloud Elastic Desktop Service (EDS) from desktop systems that are built on physical machines, on-premises virtualization environment (such as VMware, Xen, KVM, and Hyper-V), and multi-cloud management platforms (such as AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and Tencent Cloud). You can use EDS to establish a secure, elastic, and ready-to-use cloud-based desktop office system. This topic provides a comprehensive operational guide for migration procedures and verification, aiding enterprises in efficiently transitioning to cloud-based office operations.

Note

Elastic Desktop Service(EDS) is an easy-to-use, secure, and efficient cloud desktop service. It supports fast and convenient desktop environment creation, deployment, centralized control, and O&M. You can use EDS to build a secure, high-performance, and cost-efficient office system without the traditional hardware investment. EDS can be widely used in fields that have high requirements for data security management and high-performance computing, such as the secure office, finance, design, video, and education industries. For more information, see What is EDS?

Limits

Support provided: Data can be migrated only from Windows desktop servers to Elastic Desktop Service. The following versions of Windows are not supported:
- Windows 8.1 and earlier
- Windows 11
- Windows Server 2016 and earlier
Only data on system disks of desktop servers can be migrated. Data on data disks of desktop servers cannot be migrated. Information of data disks (such as disk D and disk E) needs to be synchronized through other methods (such as manually backing up to OSS or using an intranet transfer tool). After the migration is completed, the cloud disk needs to be manually mounted to the EDS instance.

Impacts

Before the migration, take note of the information in the following table.

Item	Description
Intermediate instance	Do not perform operations on the intermediate instance during the migration. To run a migration job, SMC creates a temporary intermediate instance named `No_Delete_SMC_Transition_Instance` within your Alibaba Cloud account. For more information, see the "What specifications are available for intermediate instances?" section of the FAQ about Server Migration Center (SMC) topic. To prevent migration failures, do not stop, start, restart, or release the intermediate instance during the migration process. After the migration is complete, SMC automatically releases the intermediate instance. Note When you migrate a server to an ECS instance, the ECS instance serves as the intermediate instance.
IP address	After the migration, the IP address of your server is changed. If your business involves IP address configuration, change the IP address after the source server is migrated. Note If a domain name has been bound to the source server, the public IP address of the server is changed after the migration. In this case, you must resolve the domain name to the new public IP address of the server For more information, see Add an A record for a website domain name.
Underlying hardware	After the migration, the underlying hardware may change, and the application licenses that are associated with the underlying hardware may become invalid. Perform checks as needed.

Prerequisites

The preparations for server migration are complete. For more information, see Before you begin.

Procedure

Step 1: Import the information about a migration source

Migration sources can be servers of a variety of types, such as servers in data centers, VMs, and hosts on third-party cloud platforms. SMC supports multiple methods to import the information about migration sources. You can select a method based on your business requirements. For more information, see the How do I select the method to import the information about a migration source? section of the "FAQ" topic.

(Recommended) Use the CLI

Important

The source server must be accessible over the Internet.

Log on to the Server Migration Center (SMC) console.
In the left-side navigation pane, choose Migrate to Cloud > Desktop Migration.
On the Desktop Migration page, click Import Migration source.

Configure the parameters as prompted and copy the activation code command. The following table describes the parameters.

Parameter	Description
Migration Source Type	The type of the migration source. Select Physical Server or VM.
Import Method	The method that is used to import the information about the migration source. Select Use CLI to Import Server.
Migration Source Quota	The number of migration sources whose information you want to import by using the activation code. Valid values: 1 to 1000. Default value: 200.
Validity Period	The validity period of the activation code. Unit: day. Valid values: 1 to 90. Default value: 90.
Activation Code	Generate the activation code and copy the generated command by performing the following steps: Click Generate. Click the Windows Powershell tab. Click Copy to copy the activation code command.

Import the migration source.
1. Log on to the Windows server.
2. Open Windows PowerShell as an administrator.
3. Run the copied command to import the information about the migration source.
  After the command is run, if a message similar to Import Source Server [s-bp19rlidl3mwuptc****] Successfully! is returned, the information about the migration source is imported.
On the Desktop Migration page of the SMC console, view the status of the migration source in the Real-time Migration Status column.
- If the status of the migration source is Online, the information about the migration source is imported.
- If the migration source is in another state, the information fails to be imported. In this case, troubleshoot the failure based on the following solutions and import the information about the migration source again:
  - Troubleshoot the issue based on the message displayed in the SMC console or the log file in the directory where the SMC client is installed. By default, the SMC client is installed in the C:\smc directory.
  - For more information about frequently asked questions (FAQ) and solutions, see FAQ about Server Migration Center (SMC) and Troubleshooting.

Use the SMC console

Important

The source server must be accessible over the Internet.

If you want to import the information about a migration source as a Resource Access Management (RAM) user, make sure that the following permissions are granted to the RAM user:
- AliyunRAMReadOnlyAccess. For more information, see Grant permissions to a RAM user.
- AliyunCloudShellFullAccess. For more information, see Authorize RAM users.

Log on to the Server Migration Center (SMC) console.
In the left-side navigation pane, choose Migrate to Cloud > Desktop Migration.
On the Desktop Migration page, click Import Migration source.

Configure the parameters as prompted and copy the activation code command. The following table describes the parameters.

Parameter	Description
Migration Source Type	The type of the migration source. Select Physical Server/VM/ECS Instance.
Import Method	The method that is used to import the information about the migration source. Select Import through Console.
Migration Source Name	The name of the migration source. The name must be 2 to 128 characters in length. The name must start with a letter but cannot start with `http://` or `https://`. The name can contain letters, digits, colons (:), underscores (_), and hyphens (-).
OS Type	Select Windows. Important The OpenSSH service must be pre-installed on the migration source. Otherwise, the information about the migration source cannot be imported. For more information, see How do I install OpenSSH on a Windows server?
IP Address	The IPv4 address that is used to access the migration source over the Internet. Example: 120.55.XX.XX.
Port	The SSH port number of the migration source. Valid values: 1 to 65535. Default value: 22.
Username	Enter the username of the operating system of the migration source. The default username of Windows operating systems is `Administrator`.
Password	The password corresponding to the username.

After you configure the parameters, click Import.
The import process takes about 3 to 10 minutes. Wait until the import is complete.
On the Server Migration page in the SMC console, view the status of the migration source in the Real-time Migration Status column.
- If the status of the migration source is Migration SourceOnline, the information about the migration source is imported.
- If the migration source is in another state, the information fails to be imported. In this case, troubleshoot the failure based on the following solutions and import the information about the migration source again:
  - Troubleshoot the failure based on the message displayed in the SMC console or the log file in the directory where the SMC client is installed. By default, the SMC client is installed in the following directory:
    - Windows server: C:\smc
    - Linux server: /smc
  - For more information about frequently asked questions (FAQ) and solutions, see FAQ about Server Migration Center (SMC) and Troubleshooting.

Use the SMC client

For more information about the SMC client, see Use the Windows GUI version of an SMC client.

Log on to the Server Migration Center (SMC) console.
In the left-side navigation pane, choose Migrate to Cloud > Desktop Migration.
On the Desktop Migration page, click Import Migration source.

On the Import Migration source page, configure the parameters. The following table describes the parameters.

Parameter	Description
Migration Source Type	The type of the migration source. Select Physical Server or VM.
Import Method	The method that is used to import the information about the migration source. Select Use Client to Import Server.
Description	The description about how to download the SMC client. Read the information in the Description section and download the required version of the SMC client based on the CPU architecture (ARM or x86) and bit version (32-bit or 64-bit) of the operating system of the migration source.

Import the information about the migration source.
Important
During the migration, do not shut down the SMC client until the migration is complete. Otherwise, the migration source is disconnected from the SMC console, and the migration fails.
1. You can use a remote connection tool that supports file transfer. For example, you can use WinSCP to upload the SMC client package to the source Windows server.
2. On the source Windows server, use the built-in decompression tool of Windows or the decompression tool that you install to decompress the SMC client package.
3. In the SMC client folder that corresponds to the source server, run the SMC client.
  - To run the Windows GUI version, double-click the go2aliyun_gui.exe file.
  - To run the Windows CLI version, double-click the go2aliyun_client.exe file.
  Note
  When you run the program, you must click OK to confirm that you have the administrator permissions.
4. Obtain an activation code or AccessKey pair.
  - (Recommend) Obtain an activation code: In the Description section in the SMC console, click Generate and copy the generated activation code information.
  - Obtain an AccessKey pair: An AccessKey pair consists of an AccessKey ID and an AccessKey secret. If no AccessKey pair is created, create one first. For more information, see Obtain an AccessKey pair.
5. Enter the activation code or AccessKey pair as prompted.
  - To run the Windows GUI version, enter the activation code or AccessKey pair in the Token Id/AK and Token Code/SK fields and click Start. For more information, see Use the SMC client.
  - To run the Windows CLI version, enter the obtained access_access_token_id and access_token_code and press the Enter key.
  If the information about the migration source is imported, a message similar to the following one is returned: Import Source Server [s-bp11npxndknsycqj****] Successfully!
On the Server Migration page in the SMC console, view the status of the migration source in the Real-time Migration Status column.
- If the status of the migration source is Migration SourceOnline, the information about the migration source is imported.
- If the migration source is in another state, the information fails to be imported. In this case, troubleshoot the failure based on the following solutions and import the information about the migration source again:
  - Troubleshoot the failure based on the message displayed in the SMC console or the log file in the directory where the SMC client is installed. By default, the SMC client is installed in the following directory:
    - Windows server: C:\smc
    - Linux server: /smc
  - For more information about frequently asked questions (FAQ) and solutions, see FAQ about Server Migration Center (SMC) and Troubleshooting.

Step 2: Create a migration job

Find the migration source that you want to manage and click Start Migration in the Actions column.

Configure the parameters and click Start Migration.

Configure the basic parameters described in the following table.

Parameter	Description	Example
Migration Job Name	The name of the migration job.	Desktop migration
Job Description	The description of the migration job.	test
Destination Type	The type of the destination server. Select Desktop Image.	Desktop Image
Destination Region (required)	The region of the EDS instance to which you want to migrate data. For more information about regions, see Regions and zones.	China (Hangzhou)
Image Name	The name of the desktop image.	test
Execution Method	The mode in which to execute the migration job. Valid values: Migrate Now: The migration job starts immediately after it is created. This is the default value. Migrate Later: The migration job automatically starts at the specified time after it is created. Note The earliest time that you can specify to run a migration job is 10 minutes after the job is created. Create Only: After the migration job is created, you must click Start Migration Job in the Actions column to manually start the migration job.	Keep the default setting
Automatic Incremental Synchronization	Specifies whether SMC automatically synchronizes incremental data of the migration source to Alibaba Cloud. By default, this feature is disabled. If you enable this feature, you must configure the following parameters: Synchronization Interval: the interval at which SMC automatically synchronizes incremental data to Alibaba Cloud. Maximum Reserved Images: the maximum number of images that can be retained during incremental data synchronization. SMC automatically synchronizes incremental data to Alibaba Cloud at the specified interval. For more information about the best practices for incremental data synchronization, see Migrate incremental data from a source server. If you disable this feature, incremental data is not synchronized.

Adjust the disk partition structure as needed. The following table describes the parameters.

Parameter

Description

Example

Destination Disk Size (GiB)

The disk structure of the destination server. By default, the destination server uses the disk structure of the migration source.

System Disk and Partition <N>: By default, this option is selected and cannot be modified.
1. System Disk: the size of the destination Elastic Desktop Service system disk. Unit: GiB.
2. Partition <N>: the size of the partition. SMC generates a partitioning scheme for the destination disk based on the partitioning scheme of the source disk. Unit: GiB. <N> specifies the serial number of the partition. If the system disk of the migration source has only one partition, Partition 0 is generated.
3. Block Replication: If you enable the block replication feature, the transfer speed of data is higher and the partition data of the destination server is more consistent with the partition data of the migration source. By default, the block replication feature is enabled and cannot be disabled.
Data Disk and Partition <N>: By default, this option is not selected and cannot be modified.
Important
Data on data disks cannot be migrated.

Keep the default setting.

Conditionally required. Click Advanced Settings to configure advanced parameters such as network type and transmission speed limit. The following table describes the parameters.

Parameter	Description	Example
Install GPU Driver	Specifies whether to install a GPU driver. By default, no GPU driver is installed. Enable this feature if you want to use the image to create a cloud desktop of an Enterprise Graphics type, which is a GPU-based Elastic Desktop Service cloud computer. In this case, you must enable and install one of the following GPU drivers: NVIDIA GRID9: This GPU driver can be used to create a cloud desktop of the Enterprise Graphics - 4 vCPUs/23 GiB/4 GiB or Enterprise Graphics - 10 vCPUs/46 GiB/8 GiB type. NVIDIA GRID12: This GPU driver can be used to create a cloud desktop of an Enterprise Graphics type other than Enterprise Graphics - 4 vCPUs/23 GiB/4 GiB and Enterprise Graphics - 10 vCPUs/46 GiB/8 GiB. Manually Install: If you want to create a cloud desktop of the Enterprise Graphics - G28 type, you must manually install a GPU driver. If an error occurs when you install a GPU driver, submit a ticket to contact technical support. If you do not enable this feature, no GPU driver is installed. In this case, you cannot use the image to create a cloud desktop of an Enterprise Graphics type.	Keep the default setting
Protocol Type	The type of protocol. By default, ASP is selected.	Keep the default setting
Protection Capability	Specifies whether to enable the security protection feature. We recommend that you enable this feature to ensure desktop security. If you enable the security protection feature, security protection is provided for cloud desktops that are created based on the image. By default, this feature is enabled. If you disable this feature, protection capabilities such as security protection and vulnerability scanning are invalid for an Elastic Desktop Service cloud computer that is created based on the image.	Keep the default setting
Network Type	The type of network that is used to migrate data from the source server to the intermediate instance. By default, data is migrated over the Internet. During the migration, SMC creates an intermediate instance that connects to a vSwitch in a VPC. If you select Public Network, a public IP address is assigned to the intermediate instance. Public Network (default value) SMC migrates data to the intermediate instance over the Internet. If you select Public Network, make sure that the source server can access the Internet. You can determine whether to specify a VPC and a vSwitch based on your business requirements. If you specify a VPC and a vSwitch, SMC creates an intermediate instance that connects to the specified VPC and vSwitch. If you do not specify a VPC or vSwitch, SMC creates an intermediate instance that connects to the VPC and vSwitch automatically created by the system. VPC SMC migrates data to the intermediate instance over a VPC. If you select VPC, you must specify a VPC and a vSwitch and make sure that the source server can connect to the VPC. Note If your server in a data center, your VM, or your third-party cloud server can connect to a VPC, we recommend that you select this network type to migrate data. Compared with migration over the Internet, migration over a VPC is more efficient and stable. You can use VPN Gateway, Express Connect, or SAG to connect a migration source to a VPC. For more information, see Connect a data center to a VPC.	Keep the default setting
Transmission Speed Limit	The maximum bandwidth for data transmission during the migration. Unit: Mbit/s.	Keep the default setting
Compression Ratio	The compression ratio of the data to be migrated. Set the compression ratio based on your business requirements. If the bandwidth is limited, a high compression ratio improves the transmission efficiency. If a high bandwidth is available, we recommend that you do not compress data. Data compression consumes CPU resources of the migration source. Valid values: 0 to 10. Default value: 7. A value of 0 indicates that data is not compressed.	Keep the default setting
Checksum Verification	Specifies whether to verify data integrity by using a checksum. By default, this feature is disabled. If you enable this feature, data integrity is ensured, but transmission speed may be reduced.	Keep the default setting
License Type	The license type. Valid values: Alibaba Cloud: the Microsoft license provided by Alibaba Cloud. For more information, see the What Windows Server licenses does Alibaba Cloud support? section of the "FAQ" topic. This is the default value. BYOL: SMC allows you to bring your own license (BYOL). You can bring your own Microsoft license or register with Red Hat Cloud Access. For more information, see the Is BYOL supported when I migrate servers by using SMC? section of the "FAQ" topic.	Keep the default setting
Migration Job Tags	The tags that you specify for the migration job. Each tag contains a key and a value. You can use tags to query and manage migration jobs. For more information, see Use tags to manage migration sources and migration jobs and Use tags to implement fine-grained access control. Note You can specify up to 20 tags for a migration job.	Keep the default setting
Intermediate Instance Type	The type of the intermediate instance. Select an intermediate instance type based on your business requirements. If you specify an instance type, SMC creates an intermediate instance of the specified type. If the specified instance type is unavailable, the migration job fails to be created. If you do not specify an instance type, SMC automatically creates an intermediate instance. Important Do not stop, start, restart, or release the intermediate instance during the migration to prevent migration failures.	Keep the default setting

In the message that appears, read the migration notes and click Got It.
On the Server Migration page, view the real-time status of the migration job.
If you enable a migration test, SMC will first perform the test and proceed with the migration operation after the migration test is passed.
If the migration test fails, you need to review the test report, fix the test items that are in the Critical state, and retry the migration test. For more information, see Configure a migration test.
The amount of time required for data transmission is subject to factors such as the data size of the migration source and network bandwidth. Wait until the migration job is complete.
When the migration job is in the Synchronizing state, the Speed and Time Remaining for Synchronization parameters are displayed in the Real-time Migration Status column:
Speed: the amount of data that is migrated per second, which indicates the transfer speed of uncompressed data. If you set the Compression Ratio parameter to a value greater than 0, the actual network transfer speed, which is the transfer speed of compressed data, is lower than the displayed speed.
Time Remaining for Synchronization: the remaining synchronization time calculated based on the current speed by using the following formula: Time remaining for synchronization = (Total data size - Transferred data size)/Speed.
When the migration job is in the Synchronizing state, you can perform the following operations as needed:
- Modify the migration job: In the Actions column, click Modify Migration Job to modify the Transmission Speed Limit, Compression Ratio, and Checksum Verification parameters.
- Pause the migration job: In the Actions column, click Pause Migration Job.
Optional. To view details about the migration, perform the following steps:
View migration details
In the Migration Source ID /Name column of the destination migration source, click the migration source ID to view the job details.

Verify the migration result

The migration is successful if Completed is displayed in the Real-time Migration Status column that corresponds to the migration source.
After you migrate data from a desktop server to an EDS instance, a desktop image is generated. You can view the desktop image and create a desktop server.
- View the desktop image: Click the link of the desktop image and the system jumps to the EDS console. You can view, copy, and share the desktop image by clicking Operation & Maintenance > Images.
- You can click Create Desktop in the Actions column that corresponds to the desktop image. You are directed to the EDS console. You can create a cloud desktop template that contains the desktop image and then create an Elastic Desktop Service cloud computer based on the desktop template. For more information, see Create and manage custom templates and Create cloud computers.
Note
When you select an image to create a cloud desktop template, select Custom Image and then select the desktop image that is generated after the migration.
After the server is migrated, you must perform the following operations to ensure normal operation of your business:
- Verify the integrity and correctness of the data. For more information, see the How do I check my system after I migrate a Linux server? or How do I check my system after I migrate a Windows server? section of the "FAQ" topic.
- Manually start the applications and services after the migration if automatic start is not enabled for the applications and services on the source server.
- The IP address changes after the migration job is complete.
  Change the IP address of the server after the migration if your business involves IP address configuration.
  If a domain name has been bound to the migration source, the public IP address of the server changes after the migration. In this case, you must resolve the domain name to the new public IP address of the server For more information, see Add an A record for a website domain name.
An error occurs on the migration job if InError is displayed in the Real-time Migration Status column that corresponds to the migration source.
In this case, you need to perform the following operations:
1. Click Troubleshoot Errors in the Actions column and fix the issue based on the error code and error message. For more information, see FAQ and Troubleshooting.
2. In the migration source list, click Retry Migration Job.
  The migration job resumes from the point where it was suspended.
  Important
  If the intermediate instance is released, you must create another migration job. For more information, see What do I do if I release an intermediate instance by accident?

Clear resources

During the migration, SMC creates a temporary pay-as-you-go intermediate instance named No_Delete_SMC_Transition_Instance within the destination Alibaba Cloud account. The method to clear resources depends on whether the migration is successful.

If the migration is successful, the intermediate instance is automatically released. No manual operation is required.
If the migration failed, the intermediate instance is not automatically released and incurs fees as long as the migration job exists. You can release the intermediate instance in one of the following ways to reduce costs:
- If you no longer need the migration job, click the ID the migration job. On the job details page, click > Clear migration task in the Actions column in the Migration Jobs section to delete the migration job and release the intermediate instance at a time.
- Manually release the intermediate instance. For more information, see Release an instance.

What to do next

If you need to migrate incremental data multiple times, you can initiate incremental data migration multiple times at custom intervals after the first full migration is complete. This synchronizes the incremental data generated by the source server to Alibaba Cloud and reduces the suspension time and delivery time of the services provided by the source server. For more information, see Migrate incremental data from a server.

Server Migration Center:Migrate data from desktop servers to EDS