Quick migration of servers - Server Migration Center - Alibaba Cloud Documentation Center

The quick migration feature allows you to migrate servers without performing complex operations such as logging on to a source server or downloading the Server Migration Center (SMC) client. This improves server migration efficiency. This topic describes how to migrate servers that run a Windows or Linux operating system from third-party cloud service providers such as Tencent Cloud and Amazon Web Services (AWS) to Alibaba Cloud by using the quick migration feature in the SMC console.

Prerequisites

If you want to migrate Tencent Cloud servers:
- An API key is created for your Tencent Cloud account in the Cloud Access Management (CAM) console, and the SecretId and SecretKey of the API key are obtained. For more information, see Access Key.
- The TencentCloud Automation Tools (TAT) agent is installed on the Tencent Cloud servers that you want to migrate and is in the Running state. For more information, see Installing TAT Agent.
- If you use a Tencent Cloud sub-account, you must log on to the Cloud Access Management (CAM) console by using the relevant root account and perform the following operations. For more information, see Authorization Management.
  - Grant the sub-account the QcloudTATFullAccess permission.
  - To migrate a Tencent Cloud Cloud Virtual Machine (CVM) instance, grant the sub-account the QcloudCVMReadOnlyAccess or QcloudCVMFullAccess permission.
  - To migrate a Tencent Cloud Lighthouse instance, grant the sub-account the QcloudLighthouseReadOnlyAccess or QcloudLighthouseFullAccess permission.
If you want to migrate AWS Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) servers:
- The SecretId and SecretKey is created for your AWS account in the AWS console. For more information, see Managing access keys for IAM users.
- AWS Systems Manager Agent (SSM Agent) is created for AWS Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) servers and is in the Running state. For more information, see Working with SSM Agent.
- If you migrate servers as an Identity and Access Management (IAM) user, you must use your AWS account to grant the following permissions to the IAM user. For more information, see Creating IAM user groups.
  - Grant the IAM user the AmazonSSMFullAccess permission.
  - Alternatively, grant the IAM user the AmazonEC2FullAccess permission.

Limits

You can use the quick migration feature to migrate only Tencent Cloud servers such as CVM and Lighthouse instances and AWS EC2 instances that run a Windows or Linux operating system to Alibaba Cloud. If the quick migration feature cannot meet your requirements, we recommend that you migrate your servers to Elastic Compute Service (ECS) instances. For more information, see Migrate a server to an ECS instance.
You can migrate only cloud servers that run a Windows or Linux operating system to Alibaba Cloud.
If you want to migrate a Tencent Cloud server, the server must be able to access the Internet and use a Virtual Private Cloud (VPC). You cannot migrate a Tencent Cloud server that uses the basic network.
If you want to migrate a source server to an Alibaba Cloud ECS instance, the following requirements must be met:
- The source server and ECS instance support only VPCs and do not support classic networks.
- The source server and ECS instance use the same operating system architecture. For example, the source server can be migrated to the ECS instance only if both the source server and ECS instance use the x86 architecture.
- The source server and ECS instance use the same type of operating system.
- No local disk is attached to the ECS instance.
- The ECS instance is not hibernated.

Precautions

If you want to migrate a source server to an ECS image, take note of the following items:
To run a migration job, SMC creates a temporary intermediate instance named No_Delete_SMC_Transition_Instance within your Alibaba Cloud account. During the migration, do not stop, start, restart, or release the intermediate instance. Otherwise, the migration fails. After the migration is complete, SMC automatically releases the intermediate instance.
If you want to migrate a source server to an ECS instance or a simple application server, take note of the following items:
- During the migration, do not stop, start, restart, or release the destination instance. Otherwise, the migration fails.
- To prevent data loss, we recommend that you back up the destination Alibaba Cloud instance before the migration. After a migration job is created, all original data is deleted from the destination Alibaba Cloud instance. If the destination ECS instance or simple application server contains important data, we recommend that you do not directly migrate the source server to the ECS instance or simple application server. In this case, we recommend that you set the Destination Type parameter to ECS Image and then create an ECS instance by using the image.
- During the migration, a pay-as-you-go cloud disk is created for temporary use. The cloud disk serves as a data transfer hub and is automatically released after the migration is complete.
- During the migration, the operating system of the destination instance is changed, and the automatic snapshots of the system disk are deleted and cannot be restored. You can manually disable the Delete Automatic Snapshots While Releasing Disk feature to retain the snapshots. For more information, see Delete automatic snapshots while releasing a disk.

Procedure

Log on to the SMC console.
In the left-side navigation pane, choose Migrate to Cloud > Server Migration.
On the Server Migration page, click Quick Migration on Cloud Platform.

On the Quick Migration on Cloud Platform page, configure parameters based on the server that you want to migrate.

Migrate a CVM instance

The following table describes the parameters.

Parameter	Description
Migration Job Name	Optional. The name of the migration job.
Job Description	Optional. The description of the migration job.
Add Migration Source
Service Provider	Required. The service to which the source server belongs. Select Tencent Cloud CVM.
SecretId and SecretKey	Required. The SecretId and SecretKey of the API key that is created for your Tencent Cloud account. After you configure the parameters, click Verify. After the verification is passed, Verified is displayed below the SecretId and SecretKey parameters. Note For more information about how to obtain the SecretId and SecretKey, see Access Key.
Select Migration Source	Required. The source Tencent Cloud CVM instance that you want to migrate and the region in which it resides.
Add Migration Destination
Destination Region	Required. The Alibaba Cloud region to which you want to migrate the Tencent Cloud CVM instance. For more information about regions, see Regions and zones.
Destination Type	Required. The type of the destination on Alibaba Cloud to which you want to migrate the source server. Valid values: ECS Image You can migrate the Tencent Cloud CVM instance to an ECS image and then create an ECS instance by using the image. If you set the Destination Type parameter to ECS Image, you must also configure the following parameters: Destination Region: the Alibaba Cloud region to which you want to migrate the Tencent Cloud CVM instance. For more information about regions, see Regions and zones. Image Name: the name of the destination ECS image to be generated by SMC for the migration source. ECS Instance You can migrate the Tencent Cloud CVM instance to an ECS instance that you have purchased. The storage system and operating system of the destination ECS instance must be compatible with those of the Tencent Cloud CVM instance. Storage space: The storage space of the disks on the destination ECS instance must be larger than that on the Tencent Cloud CVM instance. The disks include the system and data disks. Security group: The ports enabled for the security group to which the destination ECS instance belongs must be the same as those of the Tencent Cloud CVM instance. For more information, see Add a security group rule. Bandwidth: We recommend that you increase the bandwidths of the source server and destination instance as much as possible to facilitate migration. For more information, see Estimate the time required for migration and test the data transfer speed. If you set the Destination Type parameter to ECS Instance, you must also configure the following parameters: Destination Region: the Alibaba Cloud region to which you want to migrate the Tencent Cloud CVM instance. For more information about regions, see Regions and zones. Destination Instance: the destination ECS instance to which you want to migrate the source server.

Migrate a Tencent Cloud Lighthouse instance

The following table describes the parameters.

Parameter	Description
Migration Job Name	Optional. The name of the migration job.
Job Description	Optional. The description of the migration job.
Add Migration Source
Service Provider	Required. The service to which the source server belongs. Select Tencent Cloud Lighthouse.
SecretId and SecretKey	Required. The SecretId and SecretKey of the API key that is created for your Tencent Cloud account. After you configure the parameters, click Verify. After the verification is passed, Verified is displayed below the SecretId and SecretKey parameters. Note For more information about how to obtain the SecretId and SecretKey, see Access Key.
Select Migration Source	Required. The source Tencent Cloud Lighthouse instance that you want to migrate and the region in which it resides.
Add Migration Destination
Destination Region	Required. The Alibaba Cloud region to which you want to migrate the Tencent Cloud Lighthouse instance. For more information about regions, see Regions and zones.
Destination Type	Required. The type of the destination on Alibaba Cloud to which you want to migrate the source server. Valid values: ECS Image You can migrate the Tencent Cloud Lighthouse instance to an ECS image and then create an ECS instance by using the image. If you set the Destination Type parameter to ECS Image, you must also configure the following parameters: Destination Region: the Alibaba Cloud region to which you want to migrate the Tencent Cloud Lighthouse instance. For more information about regions, see Regions and zones. Image Name: the name of the destination ECS image to be generated by SMC for the migration source. ECS Instance You can migrate the Tencent Cloud Lighthouse instance to an ECS instance that you have purchased. The storage system and operating system of the destination ECS instance must be compatible with those of the Tencent Cloud Lighthouse instance. Storage space: The storage space of the disks on the destination ECS instance must be larger than or equal to that on the Tencent Cloud Lighthouse instance. The disks include the system and data disks. Important If the disk size of the destination instance is smaller than that of the migration source, we recommend that you increase the disk size of the destination instance before you create the migration job. For information about how to resize disks online, see topics under Resize cloud disks. If the number of data disks on the destination instance is less than that on the migration source, only some data disks on the migration source are migrated to the destination instance. Security group: The ports enabled for the security group to which the destination ECS instance belongs must be the same as those of the Tencent Cloud Lighthouse instance. For more information, see Add a security group rule. Bandwidth: We recommend that you increase the bandwidths of the source server and destination instance as much as possible to facilitate migration. For more information, see Estimate the time required for migration and test the data transfer speed. If you set the Destination Type parameter to ECS Instance, you must also configure the following parameters: Destination Region: the Alibaba Cloud region to which you want to migrate the Tencent Cloud Lighthouse instance. For more information about regions, see Regions and zones. Destination Instance: the destination ECS instance to which you want to migrate the source server. Important During the migration, do not stop, start, restart, or release the destination instance. Otherwise, the migration fails. Simple Application Server You can migrate the Tencent Cloud Lighthouse instance to an Alibaba Cloud simple application server that you have purchased. The storage system and operating system of the Alibaba Cloud simple application server must be compatible with those of the Tencent Cloud Lighthouse instance. Storage space: The storage space of the disks on the Alibaba Cloud simple application server must be larger than or equal to that on the Tencent Cloud Lighthouse instance. The disks include the system and data disks. Important If the disk size of the destination instance is smaller than that of the migration source, we recommend that you increase the disk size of the destination instance before you create the migration job. For more information, see Upgrade a simple application server and Extend a data disk. If the number of data disks on the destination instance is less than that on the migration source, only some data disks on the migration source are migrated to the destination instance. Security group: The ports enabled for the security group to which the Alibaba Cloud simple application server belongs must be the same as those of the Tencent Cloud Lighthouse instance. For more information, see the "Manage a firewall" section of the Manage the firewall of a simple application server topic. Bandwidth: We recommend that you increase the bandwidths of the source server and destination instance as much as possible to facilitate migration. For more information, see Estimate the time required for migration and test the data transfer speed. If you set the Destination Type parameter to Simple Application Server, you must also configure the following parameters: Destination Region: the Alibaba Cloud region to which you want to migrate the Tencent Cloud Lighthouse instance. For more information about regions, see Regions and network connectivity. Destination Instance: the Alibaba Cloud simple application server to which you want to migrate the source server. Important During the migration, do not stop, start, restart, or release the destination instance. Otherwise, the migration fails.

Migrate an AWS EC2 instance

Parameter	Description
Migration Job Name	Optional. The name of the migration job.
Job Description	Optional. The description of the migration job.
Add Migration Source
Service Provider	Required. The service to which the source server belongs. Select AWS EC2.
SecretId and SecretKey	Required. The SecretId and SecretKey of the access key that is created for your AWS account. After you configure the parameters, click Verify. After the verification is passed, Verified is displayed below the SecretId and SecretKey parameters. Note For more information about, see Managing access keys for IAM users.
Select Migration Source	Required. The source Tencent Cloud CVM instance that you want to migrate and the region in which it resides. Important SSM Agent must be installed on ECS instances and in the Running state. For more information, see Working with SSM Agent.
Add Migration Destination
Destination Region	Required. The Alibaba Cloud region to which you want to migrate the AWS EC2 instance. For more information about regions, see Regions and zones.
Destination Type	Required. The type of the destination on Alibaba Cloud to which you want to migrate the source server. Valid values: ECS Image You can migrate the AWS EC2 instance to an ECS image and then create an ECS instance by using the image. If you set the Destination Type parameter to ECS Image, you must also configure the following parameters: Destination Region: the Alibaba Cloud region to which you want to migrate the AWS EC2 instance. For more information about regions, see Regions and zones. Image Name: the name of the destination ECS image to be generated by SMC for the migration source. ECS Instance You can migrate the AWS EC2 instance to an Alibaba Cloud ECS instance that you have purchased. The storage system and operating system of the Alibaba Cloud ECS instance must be compatible with those of the AWS EC2 instance. Storage space: The storage space of the disks on the destination ECS instance must be larger than that on the AWS EC2 instance. The disks include system disks and data disks. Security group: The ports enabled for the security group to which the destination ECS instance belongs must be the same as those of the AWS EC2 instance. For more information, see Add a security group rule. Bandwidth: We recommend that you increase the bandwidths of the source server and destination instance as much as possible to facilitate migration. For more information, see Estimate the time required for migration and test the data transfer speed. If you set the Destination Type parameter to ECS Instance, you must also configure the following parameters: Destination Region: the Alibaba Cloud region to which you want to migrate the AWS EC2 instance. For more information about regions, see Regions and zones. Destination Instance: the destination ECS instance to which you want to migrate the source server.

Select I have understood and accept the potential migration costs. Then, click Confirm and Start.
SMC is a free service. However, when you use SMC to migrate servers, you are charged for the ECS resources that are consumed during the migration process. For more information, see Billing.
In the Process of Quick Migration Job on Cloud Platform dialog box, view the migration progress.
The migration process takes about 3 to 10 minutes. Wait until the migration is complete. Do not exit or refresh the browser during this period.
In the left-side navigation pane, click Server Migration. On the page that appears, find the created migration job and view the migration progress.
- If the migration job is in the Completed state, the server is migrated.
  In the example shown in the following figure, the source server is migrated to an ECS image.
  After the server is migrated, you can perform the following operations based on the type of the destination:
  - ECS Image
    In the Actions column of the migration job, click Create Instance to create an ECS instance by using the image. For more information, see Create an ECS instance by using a custom image.
  - ECS Instance or Simple Application Server
    In the Actions column of the migration job, click View Destination Instance to view the detailed information about the destination instance.
- If the migration job is in the Error state, the server fails to be migrated.
  You can check the logs to troubleshoot the failure. Then, restart the migration job. For more information about common errors and solutions, see Errors occurred during a server migration and FAQ about Server Migration Center (SMC).
Verify the data after migration.
After the server is migrated, you must verify the data to ensure data integrity and validity. 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.