Cloud computing has revolutionized the way organizations manage their workloads, providing scalability, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. In the dynamic landscape of cloud services, the need for migration between platforms arises, and one such common transition is from Amazon Web Services (AWS) to Google Cloud Platform (GCP). In this technical blog, we will delve into the intricacies of migrating compute instances (EC2) from AWS to GCP using the latest version of the Migrate for Compute Engine \u2014 Version 5.0.<\/p>\n
In the fast-paced world of business, cloud migration is a strategic imperative. Migrating workloads seamlessly, especially when transitioning from AWS to GCP, requires careful planning and execution. The Migrate to Virtual Machine service, formerly known as Migrate for Compute Engine (M4CE), plays a pivotal role in achieving a smooth transition with minimal downtime and data integrity.<\/p>\n
Migrate to Virtual Machines (M2VM) – Version 5.0:<\/strong> Key features of Migrate for Compute Engine include:<\/p>\n Prerequisites:<\/strong> Migration – Step-by-Step Execution:<\/strong><\/p>\n Now, let’s walk through the step-by-step process of migrating virtual machines from AWS to GCP:<\/p>\n Step 1: Enable VM Migration API<\/strong> NOTE: You need to enable \u201cVM Migration API\u201d, in case you are using this service for the first time. If it is already enabled skip to the next step.<\/p>\n Step 2: Create an AWS Source in GCP-M4CE Service<\/strong> In the dashboard, you can find the SOURCES tab. Click on it and click ADD SOURCE. Then Add AWS source.<\/p>\n Access the M4CE dashboard, go to the SOURCES tab, and click ADD SOURCE. Provide AWS source details, including name, AWS region, GCP region, access ID, and secret key.<\/p>\n Step 3: Add Source VM to the Migration List<\/strong><\/p>\n After activation, select source VMs, click ADD MIGRATIONS, and choose VM Migration. This step prepares VMs for migration.<\/p>\n Select the checkboxes of the source VMs that you intend to migrate from AWS to the GCP environment.<\/p>\n Next, click on the \u201cADD MIGRATIONS\u201d dropdown button. You will find two options: \u201cVM Migration\u201d and \u201cDisk Migration.\u201d Choose \u201cVM Migration\u201d since we are currently migrating the VM. If you wish to migrate disks, select the \u201cDisk Migration\u201d option from the dropdown.<\/p>\n Step 4: Add Target Projects<\/strong> To add more target projects, navigate to the \u201cTARGETS\u201d tab. Then, click on the \u201c+Add\u201d button. This action will direct you to a slide page where you can select the target project by checking the corresponding checkbox. Once selected, click the \u201cADD\u201d button.<\/p>\n Now, all the target projects will be listed under the \u201cTarget projects\u201d tab.<\/p>\n Step 5: Add Target Details for Each VM<\/strong> To proceed, navigate to the \u201cVM MIGRATION\u201d tab, select the VM, and then click on the \u201cEDIT TARGET DETAILS\u201d button<\/p>\n a.) The \u201cEDIT TARGET DETAILS\u201d button will navigate to the target detail window. First we will add the General tab information, here we add the Instance name, target project and GCP-zone. Under the \u201cReplication Policy\u201d tab, we will set the Replication Idle Time between cycles in seconds. This idle time will trigger the replication of the source VMs after the defined time and synchronize the data.<\/p>\n In our case, we set it to 360, which means it will replicate the data every 1-hour when migration is in the IDLE state.<\/p>\n After configuring all the detailed settings, click on the \u201cSave\u201d button. Similarly, we can configure the target details for each migration VM.<\/p>\n Step 6: Start VMs Migration<\/strong> Step 7: Test-Clone Replicated VMs<\/strong> Once the replication of Migration VMs is completed and the Replication status shows as \u201cActive (Idle),\u201d the environment is ready for testing.<\/p>\n To continue, navigate to the \u201cVM MIGRATION\u201d tab, select the VMs in the \u201cActive (Idle)\u201d state, then click on the \u201cCUT-OVER AND TEST-CLONE\u201d dropdown and select the \u201cTest-Clone\u201d option.<\/p>\n CONFIRM. Then It will create a test-clone VM within 2\u20133 min.<\/p>\n In Compute Engine, test-cloning creates up-to-date replicas of the VMs as images without affecting the source VMs. These test clones appear as regular Compute Engine VMs and can be inspected just like any other instances.<\/p>\n In this case the test-clone VM will appear under the Compute Engine VM Instances, named \u201cashish-m4ce-test\u201d as we described in step 5 in VM Targets General details.<\/p>\n Note :-<\/strong> Step 8: Migration VM Cutover<\/strong><\/p>\n After completing testing and validation, proceed with the cut-over process.<\/p>\n Note:<\/strong> To continue, navigate to the \u201cVM MIGRATION\u201d tab, select the VMs in the \u201cActive (Idle)\u201d state, then click on the \u201cCUT-OVER AND TEST-CLONE\u201d dropdown and select the \u201cCut-Over\u201d option.<\/p>\n The cut-over process waits for ongoing replications to complete, shuts down source VMs, performs a final replication, and creates Compute Engine instances with the latest images. It will take 30\u201340 min to cutover. No further replications occur after this point (unless resumed manually).<\/p>\n
\nMigrate to Virtual Machines is a powerful tool designed to migrate virtual machines (VMs) to Compute Engine from various source platforms, including VMware, Microsoft Azure, and Amazon EC2. The service employs live migration, cold migration, and offline migration techniques, ensuring flexibility in the migration process.<\/p>\n\n
\nBefore initiating the migration process, certain prerequisites must be addressed:<\/p>\n\n
\nIn the GCP console, navigate to Compute Engine \u2192 Migrate to Virtual Machines. Enable the “VM Migration API” if not already enabled.<\/p>\n
\nAfter you enabled the VM Migration API in step 1, navigate to M4CE page
\nNavigation menu\u2192 Compute Engine \u2192 Migrate to Virtual Machines.<\/p>\n
\nJust as we have added the sources from which the VMs are going to migrate, we will also describe the details about the targets where these VMs will be deployed after migration. By default, your current projects will be selected as the target project.<\/p>\n
\nSince we added the target project in the previous step, we will now fine-tune the deployment of EC2-VMs to specific target projects.<\/p>\n
\nb.) The next tab \u201cMachine Configuration\u201d we will add information about the instance machine specification. Here, we setthe Machine type series, Machine type, Management and other metadata about the VM instance.
\nc.) Now, we are going to add the networking details, including the VPC, subnets, internal IP, network configuration, and network tags.
\nd.) Next, we can add the service account, disk type, and license details under the \u201cAdditional Configuration\u201d tab.
\ne.) In the next two tabs, we can add details about the Sole Tenancy and Replication Policy.<\/p>\n
\nTo initiate the migration process, navigate to the \u201cVM MIGRATIONS\u201d tab, select all the VMs you want to migrate, click on the \u201cMIGRATION\u201d dropdown, and then click on \u201cStart Replication.\u201d
\nOnce replication starts, we can track the replication status for each VM from the \u201cReplication Status\u201d section.<\/p>\n
\nBefore performing the final cutover, the M4CE-v5 service offers a \u201cTest-Clone\u201d feature that allows you to validate the functionality of the data and applications running within the replicated VMs.<\/p>\n
\nThe replicated image will continue to be updated while test clones are active. However, the test clones will retain the image state from when they were initially created, even as the ongoing replication process progresses. To test with newer images, you can initiate a new test clone. Once testing on the clones is complete, they can be safely deleted.<\/p>\n
\nKeep in mind that during cut-over, source VMs will shut down, and cloud VMs will start up. A brief downtime may occur, so ensure necessary precautions are taken for critical applications.<\/p>\n