Server Migration Center (SMC) allows you to migrate servers from self-managed data centers, on-premises VMs (VMware, VirtualBox, Xen, KVM, Hyper-V), or third-party cloud providers (Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google GCP, Tencent Cloud, UCloud, China Telecom Cloud, QingCloud) to Alibaba Cloud ECS securely and efficiently. SMC simplifies the migration process and significantly reduces the technical complexity and risks of server migration.
Migration scenarios
Due to changes in server migration transit technology, after November 30, 2025 (UTC+8), Server Migration Center (SMC) will no longer support migrating Windows servers to Alibaba Cloud regions outside the Chinese mainland. Before this date, SMC client version 2.8.5 and earlier versions will still support this functionality. For more information about the changes and impacts, see [Product Change] Announcement: SMC no longer supports migrating Windows servers to Alibaba Cloud regions outside the Chinese mainland.
(Recommended) Migrate a server to an ECS custom image
If you have not purchased an Alibaba Cloud ECS instance, you can migrate a server to an ECS custom image and then manually use the custom image to create an ECS instance.
Migrate a server to an existing Alibaba Cloud ECS instance
If you have purchased an Alibaba Cloud ECS instance and the configurations of the ECS instance such as storage and operating system match those of the source server, you can migrate the source server to the purchased ECS instance.
WarningAfter the migration, the original data in the destination ECS instance is cleared (the data on the source server is not affected). Therefore, if the destination ECS instance contains important data, we recommend that you do not use this method for migration.
Impacts
Before migration, take note of the information in the following table.
Item | Description |
Data directory | During migration, SMC can automatically generate a disk partition structure that is as consistent as possible with that of the source server based on the disk partition structure of the source server. You can adjust the partition structure of the destination disk as needed, including the partition size and location sequence, transfer mode, and whether to enable LVM. By default, all disks of the server are migrated, but the following conditions still need to be considered:
For more information, see Adjust the disk partition structure as needed. |
Intermediate instance | Do not interfere with the intermediate instance. To prevent migration failures, do not stop, start, restart, or release the intermediate instance or change the billing method of the intermediate instance during the migration process. After the migration is complete, the intermediate instance is automatically released. Note
For more information, see How it works. |
IP address | After migration, the IP address will change, which may cause service interruption. We recommend that you perform the migration during off-peak hours. If your business involves IP address configuration, you need to modify domain name resolution, ICP filing, and other settings after migration.
|
Underlying hardware | After migration, the underlying hardware will change, which may cause certain hardware-bound application licenses to become invalid. Please perform necessary checks. |
Prerequisites
You have completed the preparations for server migration. For more information, see Before you begin.
You understand the SMC client, migration principles, migration billing, migration process, feedback channels, etc. For more information, see Migration guide.
To avoid data loss, we recommend that you back up important data to images, snapshots, or storage devices other than the instance.
If you need to migrate servers across international regions, the migration speed may be slow due to unstable public network environments. For more information, see Estimate the time required for migration and test the data transfer speed. We recommend that you connect the source server to an Alibaba Cloud VPC through VPN Gateway, Express Connect, physical connection, or Smart Access Gateway, and migrate through a private network. For more information, see Connect a data center to a VPC.
If you can directly access an Alibaba Cloud VPC in a specific region from your self-managed data center, VM environment, or cloud host, we recommend that you use SMC's private network transmission migration solution. Migration through SMC's private network is faster and more stable than through the public network, improving migration efficiency. For more information, see Migrate servers over a VPC.
If you need to migrate a source server to a purchased Alibaba Cloud ECS instance:
You need to back up all important data on the instance to images, snapshots, or devices other than the instance.
If the source server runs a Linux system, the destination instance must be a Linux distribution; if the source server runs a Windows system, the destination instance must be a Windows system.
The number of data disks attached to the destination instance must be greater than or equal to the number of data disks on the migration source. If the number of data disks on the destination instance does not meet the requirements, you need to attach more data disks. For more information about attaching data disks, see Attach a data disk.
The capacity of the system disk and data disks of the destination instance should be greater than or equal to the capacity of the system disk and data disks of the migration source. If you need to shrink the system disk and data disks of the source server, the capacity of the system disk and data disks of the destination instance must be at least equal to the actual used capacity of the system disk and data disks of the source server. If the cloud disk capacity of the destination instance does not meet the requirements, you need to resize the cloud disks. For more information about resizing cloud disks, see Cloud disk resizing guide.
Migration procedure
Verify the migration result
Clear resources
References
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 Incremental server migration.
For more information about frequently asked questions (FAQ) and solutions, see FAQ and Troubleshooting.