Hey everyone! I have a bit of a beginner question here. I'm tasked with moving several servers from two different locations into a data center, and I've never done a lift-and-shift before. We've got a mix of internal servers—like domain controllers and file servers—as well as external web servers that need to make the move.
We're setting up a Hyper-V cluster in the data center because we need to optimize space. The catch? Our upload link at both sites is only 100Mb, which is a bit tricky, especially since some servers, like our SQL servers, have around 2TB of data.
Some of the servers are also being rebuilt since they're end-of-life, but we still need to make sure all data is transferred.
I'm wondering what strategies you all have successfully used for a situation like this? We think about breaking the migration into groups instead of doing it all in one go. One idea we had was using a NAS device to upload the data and VHDs, then taking that to the data center for a restore. Any other suggestions on how we can make this migration as efficient as possible?
4 Answers
Here’s my two cents: perform a full backup on a hard drive, physically deliver that to the data center, and then do a delta sync over your 100Mb link. Tools like RoboCopy can help with that last step. This way, you only need to transfer the changes after the initial full backup, which should save a lot of time!
One approach you could take is to use Veeam for replication. Start by setting up replication from your source VMs to the new data center. You can use throttling settings within Veeam to prevent your upload from hogging the bandwidth. Once the initial sync is completed, do a daily sync at night to keep changes up-to-date. When you're ready to switch everything over, shut down the source VMs, do a final replication, and initiate a failover to get things running in the new location.
You could also opt for Hyper-V replication directly to your new cluster. Set it up so that the data starts syncing while everything is running. Just remember to throttle the bandwidth during business hours to avoid issues. After everything is in sync, you can shut down, switch over to the new setup easily.
For a streamlined process, perform a complete backup on an external hard disk, deliver it to the data center, and then perform a synchronization of any changes through your 100Mb upload. It might be a bit tedious, but it can help avoid data corruption during online transfers.
Related Questions
Can't Load PhpMyadmin On After Server Update
Redirect www to non-www in Apache Conf
How To Check If Your SSL Cert Is SHA 1
Windows TrackPad Gestures