ApsaraDB RDS：Migrate data from a self-managed SQL Server database to an ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instance by using a physical gateway

Scenarios

Prerequisites

• The self-managed SQL Server database meets the following requirements:

  • The self-managed SQL Server database runs SQL Server 2019, SQL Server 2017, SQL Server 2016, SQL Server 2014, SQL Server 2012, SQL Server 2008 R2, or SQL Server 2005.

    Note

    The self-managed SQL Server database resides on an ECS instance, in a data center, or on a third-party cloud server. The self-managed SQL Server database cannot be an RDS instance.

  • The physical protocol gateway of Database Backup (DBS) is installed on the server on which the self-managed SQL Server database resides. For more information, see Appendix: Create a physical protocol gateway.

    Note

    You must install the physical protocol gateway in the same region as the RDS instance.

• The RDS instance meets the following requirements:

  • The RDS instance runs SQL Server 2019, SQL Server 2017, SQL Server 2016, SQL Server 2012, or SQL Server 2008 R2.

  • The RDS instance runs the same major engine version as the self-managed SQL Server database or a later major engine version.

• The following permissions are granted by using your Alibaba Cloud account:

  • An AccessKey pair is created, and the AccessKey ID and AccessKey secret are obtained. The AccessKey pair is used for identity authentication when you register with or log on to the DBS console from your backup gateway. For more information, see Obtain an AccessKey pair.

  • The AliyunDBSFullAccess permissions is obtained if you want to add a backup gateway by using a Resource Access Management (RAM) user. For more information, see Grant permissions to a RAM user.

    Note

    • By default, the preceding permissions are granted to your Alibaba Cloud account when you activate DBS.

    • After you add a backup gateway, the backup gateway is available in the DBS console to all RAM users that belong to your Alibaba Cloud account.

Comparison between physical gateway-based migration and logical data migration

Description

Usage notes

• During data migration, data can be incrementally written to the self-managed SQL Server database. We recommend that you do not write data to the self-managed SQL Server database during the workload switchover to prevent data inconsistency.

• During incremental migration, the RDS instance becomes temporarily unavailable. Wait until the incremental migration task is complete and use the RDS instance after the workloads are switched over to the RDS instance.

Migration types that are supported by each SQL Server version

Procedure

1. Go to the Data Migration Tasks page.

   1. Log on to the Data Management (DMS) console.

   2. In the top navigation bar, move the pointer over DTS.

   3. Choose DTS (DTS) > Data Migration.

   Note

   • The actual operations may vary based on the mode and layout of the DMS console. For more information, see Simple mode and Customize the layout and style of the DMS console.

   • You can also go to the Data Migration page of the new DTS console.

2. From the drop-down list on the right side of Data Migration Tasks, select the region in which your data migration instance resides.

   Note

   If you use the new DTS console, you must select the region in which the data migration instance resides in the upper-left corner.

3. Click Create Task. In the Create Data Synchronization Task wizard, configure the source and destination databases. The following table describes the parameters.

   Warning

   After you configure the source and destination databases, we recommend that you read the Limits that are displayed in the upper part of the page. Otherwise, the task may fail or data inconsistency may occur.

   Section	Parameter	Description
   N/A	Task Name	The name of the task. DTS automatically generates a task name. We recommend that you specify an informative name to identify the task. You do not need to specify a unique task name.
   Source Database	Select an existing DMS database instance	The database instance that you want to use. You can choose whether to use an existing instance based on your business requirements. If you select an existing instance, DTS automatically populates the parameters for the database. If you do not select an existing instance, you must configure the following database information.
   	Database Type	The database engine of the database. Select SQL Server.
   	Access Method	The access method. Select Physical Protocol.
   	Instance Region	The region in which the self-managed SQL Server database resides.
   	Physical Protocol Gateway (DBS Backup Gateway)	The physical protocol gateway that you want to use. Note For more information about how to install a physical protocol gateway, see Appendix: Create a physical protocol gateway.
   	Domain Name or IP	Default value: localhost.
   	Port	The port number of the self-managed SQL Server database. Default value: 1433.
   Destination Database	Select an existing DMS database instance	The instance that you want to use. You can use an existing instance based on your business requirements. If you select an existing instance, DTS automatically applies the parameter settings of the instance. You do not need to configure the corresponding parameters again. If you do not select an existing instance, you must configure the following parameters.
   	Database Type	The database engine of the instance. Default value: SQL Server.
   	Access Method	The access method. Default value: Alibaba Cloud Instance.
   	Instance Region	The region in which the RDS instance resides.
   	Instance ID	The ID of the RDS instance.
   	Database Account	The username of the account of the RDS instance. Note For more information about how to create an account for an RDS instance and grant permissions to the account, see Create a privileged account or a standard account and Modify the permissions of an account.
   	Database Password	The password of the account of the RDS instance.

4. Click Test Connectivity and Proceed.

5. In the CIDR Blocks of DTS Servers dialog box, click Test Connectivity and Proceed.

   If the source or destination database is an Alibaba Cloud database instance, such as an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL or ApsaraDB for MongoDB instance, DTS automatically adds the CIDR blocks of DTS servers to the IP address whitelist of the instance. If the source or destination database is a self-managed database hosted on an Elastic Compute Service (ECS) instance, DTS automatically adds the CIDR blocks of DTS servers to the security group rules of the ECS instance, and you must make sure that the ECS instance can access the database. If the self-managed database is hosted on multiple ECS instances, you must manually add the CIDR blocks of DTS servers to the security group rules of each ECS instance. If the source or destination database is a self-managed database that is deployed in a data center or provided by a third-party cloud service provider, you must manually add the CIDR blocks of DTS servers to the IP address whitelist of the database to allow DTS to access the database. For more information, see the CIDR blocks of DTS servers section of the Add the CIDR blocks of DTS servers topic.

   Warning

   If the public CIDR blocks of DTS servers are automatically or manually added to the whitelist of a database instance or to the security group rules of an ECS instance, security risks may arise. Therefore, before you use DTS to migrate data, you must understand and acknowledge the potential risks and take preventive measures, including but not limited to the following measures: enhancing the security of your username and password, limiting the ports that are exposed, authenticating API calls, regularly checking the whitelist or security group rules and forbidding unauthorized CIDR blocks, or connecting the database instance to DTS by using Express Connect, VPN Gateway, or Smart Access Gateway.

6. Select objects for the task and configure advanced parameters.

   Parameter	Description
   Task Stages	If you want to perform only full data migration, select Full Data Migration. Full Data Migration is selected by default. To ensure business continuity during data migration, select Full Data Migration and Incremental Data Migration. Note If you do not select Incremental Data Migration, we recommend that you do not write data to the source database during data migration to ensure data consistency.
   Source Objects	Select one or more objects from the Source Objects section. Click the icon to add the objects to the Selected Objects section. Note You can migrate a single database, multiple databases, or the entire instance.
   Selected Objects	The objects that you want to migrate.

7. Click Next: Advanced Settings to configure advanced parameters.

   Parameter	Description
   Monitoring and Alerting	Specifies whether to configure alerting for the data migration task. If the task fails or the migration latency exceeds the specified threshold, the alert contacts receive notifications. Valid values: No: does not configure alerting. Yes: configures alerting. In this case, you must also configure the alert threshold and alert notification settings. For more information, see the Configure monitoring and alerting when you create a DTS task section of the Configure monitoring and alerting topic.
   Retry Time for Failed Connections	The retry time range for failed connections. If the source or destination database fails to be connected after the data migration task is started, DTS immediately retries a connection within the retry time range. Valid values: 10 to 1440. Unit: minutes. Default value: 720. We recommend that you set the parameter to a value greater than 30. If DTS is reconnected to the source and destination databases within the specified retry time range, DTS resumes the data migration task. Otherwise, the data migration task fails. Note If you specify different retry time ranges for multiple data migration tasks that share the same source or destination database, the value that is specified later takes precedence. When DTS retries a connection, you are charged for the DTS instance. We recommend that you specify the retry time range based on your business requirements. You can also release the DTS instance at the earliest opportunity after the source database and destination instance are released.

8. In the lower-right corner of the page, click Next: Save Task Settings and Precheck.

   Note

   • DTS performs a precheck before a data migration task starts. You can start a data migration task only after the task passes the precheck.

   • If the task fails to pass the precheck, you can click the icon next to each failed item to view details.

     • After you troubleshoot the issues based on the details, run a precheck again.

     • If you do not need to troubleshoot the issues, ignore the failed items and initiate a new precheck.

9. In the Precheck step, wait until Success Rate reaches 100% and click Next: Purchase Instance.

10. In the Purchase Instance step, read and select Data Transmission Service (Pay-as-you-go) Service Terms.

11. Click Buy and Start to start the data migration task.

    To view the data migration progress in the DTS console, perform the following steps: Go to the Data Migration page and click the ID of the data migration task. On the Task Management page, you can view the data migration progress.

    Note

    To view the data migration progress in the ApsaraDB RDS console, perform the following steps: Go to the Backup and Restoration page of the RDS instance and click the Backup Data Upload History tab to view the progress of full migration or incremental migration tasks.

12. If the full migration is complete and the incremental migration is in progress, go to the Task Management page of the required data migration task, click the Incremental Migration tab, and then click Migrate to Cloud.

13. In the Migrate to Cloud dialog box, click Switch Now and wait until the migration is complete.

    Note

    To ensure data consistency, we recommend that you stop writing data to the self-managed SQL Server database before you trigger the workload switchover. Wait for the data migration task to complete and then switch over workloads. The entire process requires several minutes.