Migrate a self-managed SQL Server by using a physical gateway

1. Install the backup gateway on the host

You must first install a backup gateway on the server that hosts your source self-hosted database.

2. Create a DTS migration task

1. Go to the Data Transmission Service (DTS) console.

2. In the left-side navigation pane, click Data Migration. In the top navigation bar, select a region.

3. Click Create Task and configure the source and target databases.

   Category	Parameter	Description
   N/A	Task Name	Specify a descriptive name for the task for easier identification. The name does not need to be unique. You can also use the default name that the system generates.
   Source Database	Select Existing Connection	If you have saved the source database connection information in DTS Data Connection Management, you can select it from the drop-down list to autofill the connection settings.
   	Database Type	Select SQL Server.
   	Connection Type	Select Physical Protocol.
   	Instance Region	The region where the self-hosted SQL Server database is located. This is selected by default.
   	Physical Protocol Gateway (DBS Backup Gateway)	Select the backup gateway that you installed in 1. Install the backup gateway on the host.
   	Domain Name or IP	The default value is localhost.
   	Port	Enter the port number of the self-hosted SQL Server database. The default value is 1433.
   Destination Database	Select Existing Connection	If you have saved the target database connection information in DTS Data Connection Management, you can select it from the drop-down list to autofill the connection settings.
   	Database Type	The default value is SQL Server.
   	Connection Type	The default value is Alibaba Cloud Instance.
   	Instance Region	Select the region where the target ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instance is located.
   	Instance ID	Select the ID of the target ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instance.
   	Database Account	Enter the database account for the target ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instance. This account must have read and write permissions. Note On the ApsaraDB RDS console, you can create a standard or privileged account and modify account permissions as needed.
   	Database Password	Enter the password for the database account.
   	Connection Method	If SSL encryption is not enabled for the target database, select Non-encrypted. If SSL encryption is enabled for the target database, select SSL-encrypted. DTS trusts the server-side certificate by default.

4. Click Test Connectivity and Proceed.

   Important

   Add the DTS server IP addresses displayed in the dialog box to the allowlist of your self-hosted SQL Server database. Adding DTS IP addresses to an allowlist can introduce security risks. Evaluate the risks and implement protective measures, such as using strong passwords and restricting access to specific ports.

5. Configure the objects to migrate.

   Parameter	Description
   Task Step	To perform only a full migration, select Full Data Migration. This type is required and selected by default. To perform a migration with minimal downtime, select both Full Data Migration and Incremental Data Migration. Note If you do not select Incremental Data Migration, do not write new data to the source instance during the data migration to ensure data consistency.
   Source Objects	In the Source Objects box, click the objects that you want to migrate, and then click the icon to move them to the Selected Objects box. Note You can migrate a single database, multiple databases, or an entire instance.
   Selected Objects	Displays the objects to be migrated.

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

   Parameter	Description
   Monitoring and Alerting	Select whether to set alerts and receive alert notifications based on your business needs. No: Does not set an alert. Yes: Configure alerts by setting an alert threshold and an alert contact. If a migration fails or the latency exceeds the threshold, the system sends an alert notification.
   Retry Time for Failed Connections	After the migration task starts, if the connection to the source or destination database fails, DTS reports an error and immediately begins to retry the connection. The default retry duration is 720 minutes. You can customize the retry time to a value from 10 to 1440 minutes. We recommend that you set the duration to more than 30 minutes. If DTS reconnects to the source and destination databases within the specified duration, the migration task automatically resumes. Otherwise, the task fails. Note For multiple DTS instances that share the same source or destination, the network retry time is determined by the setting of the last created task. Because you are charged for the task during the connection retry period, we recommend that you customize the retry time based on your business needs, or release the DTS instance as soon as possible after the source and destination database instances are released.

7. After you complete the configurations, click Next: Save Task Settings and Precheck in the lower-right corner of the page.

   Note

   • DTS performs a precheck before the migration task starts. The task begins only after the precheck is successful.

   • If the precheck fails, click View Details next to the failed check item. Fix the issue based on the cause and run the precheck again.

   • If a warning is reported during the precheck:

     • For items that cannot be ignored, click View Details next to the failed check item. Fix the issue based on the cause and run the precheck again.

     • For items that can be ignored, click Confirm Alert Details, Ignore, and then OK. Then, click Precheck Again to skip the warning item and run the precheck again. Ignoring a warning item may lead to data inconsistencies and other business risks.

8. When the Success Rate is 100%, click Next: Purchase Instance.

9. On the buy page, read and select the Data Transmission Service (Pay-as-you-go) Service Terms checkbox.

10. Click Buy and Start. In the OK dialog box, click OK.

    On the Data Migration page, you can click the migration task and view the migration progress on the Task Management page.

    Note

    You can also view the full or incremental migration progress on the ApsaraDB RDS console on the Restoration > Cloud Migration Record for Backup Database page of the target instance.

11. After the full migration progress reaches 100% and while the incremental migration is running, go to the Task Management > Incremental Data Migration page of the migration task and click the Migration to Cloud button.

12. In the Are you sure you want to switch to the cloud? dialog box, click Start Now and wait for the migration task to complete.

    Important

    To ensure data consistency, stop writing data to the source instance before you initiate the switchover. Wait for the switchover task to complete, and then switch your business connection to the target instance. This process takes several minutes.

1. Install proxy gateway on a bastion host

This section shows you how to install the proxy gateway on a bastion host that runs Windows or Linux.

2. Install the backup gateway (database host)

Install the DBS backup gateway on your self-hosted database server. During the installation, enter the IP address of the proxy gateway (the private IP address of the bastion host).

1. Copy the gateway download link from Step 4 in the Install the proxy gateway on the bastion host section, and manually download the package to your self-hosted database server.

   Important

   The backup gateway download link must match the link in Step 4 of the Install the proxy gateway section. Otherwise, the database host cannot connect to the external network.

2. Install the DBS backup gateway (AliyunDBSAgent) on your local Windows device or server.

   1. In the downloaded folder, double-click setup.exe.

   2. Select an installation language, click OK, and then click Next.

   3. Read and accept the agreement, and then click Next.

   4. Select DBS Backup Gateway, and then click Next.

   5. Select an installation path, click Next, and then click OK.

   6. Select a Backup Gateway Region, enter your Access Key ID, Access Key Secret, Proxy Gateway Address, and Proxy Gateway Port, and click Next.

      Important

      • Ensure the installation region for the DBS backup gateway matches the region of the target RDS for SQL Server instance.

      • Your Access Key ID and Access Key Secret are stored in plaintext in the .\config\dbs-agent.conf file in the installation directory.

      • For Proxy Gateway Address, enter the private IP address of the bastion host. The Proxy Gateway Port defaults to 9797.

      After completing the configuration, the system attempts to connect to the proxy gateway that you configured on the bastion host in Step 1. If the connection fails, the system reports an error. If this occurs, verify the proxy gateway installation.

   7. Confirm the component packages and click Next.

      The backup gateway installation starts. The process takes 1 to 5 minutes.

   8. Click Done.

      You can verify the installation status in the C:\Program Files\aliyun\dbs_agent\logs\agent.log file. The gateway is successfully installed if the log contains entries similar to the following example. This log shows the gateway sending a heartbeat request every 10 seconds.

      2021-01-05 00:00:01 INFO KeepAliveActor:100 - start process tick tock request with id 377119
      2021-01-05 00:00:01 INFO KeepAliveActor:224 - processed keep alive message with request id 377119
      2021-01-05 00:00:11 INFO KeepAliveActor:100 - start process tick tock request with id 377120
      2021-01-05 00:00:11 INFO KeepAliveActor:224 - processed keep alive message with request id 377120
      2021-01-05 00:00:21 INFO KeepAliveActor:100 - start process tick tock request with id 377121
      2021-01-05 00:00:21 INFO KeepAliveActor:224 - processed keep alive message with request id 377121
      2021-01-05 00:00:31 INFO KeepAliveActor:100 - start process tick tock request with id 377122
      2021-01-05 00:00:31 INFO KeepAliveActor:224 - processed keep alive message with request id 377122
      2021-01-05 00:00:41 INFO KeepAliveActor:100 - start process tick tock request with id 377123
      2021-01-05 00:00:41 INFO KeepAliveActor:224 - processed keep alive message with request id 377123
      2021-01-05 00:00:51 INFO KeepAliveActor:100 - start process tick tock request with id 377124
      2021-01-05 00:00:51 INFO KeepAliveActor:224 - processed keep alive message with request id 377124
      2021-01-05 00:01:01 INFO KeepAliveActor:100 - start process tick tock request with id 377125
      2021-01-05 00:01:01 INFO KeepAliveActor:224 - processed keep alive message with request id 377125
      2021-01-05 00:01:11 INFO KeepAliveActor:100 - start process tick tock request with id 377126
      2021-01-05 00:01:11 INFO KeepAliveActor:224 - processed keep alive message with request id 377126
      2021-01-05 00:01:21 INFO KeepAliveActor:100 - start process tick tock request with id 377127
      2021-01-05 00:01:21 INFO KeepAliveActor:224 - processed keep alive message with request id 377127
      2021-01-05 00:01:31 INFO KeepAliveActor:100 - start process tick tock request with id 377128
      2021-01-05 00:01:31 INFO KeepAliveActor:224 - processed keep alive message with request id 377128
      2021-01-05 00:01:41 INFO KeepAliveActor:100 - start process tick tock request with id 377129
      2021-01-05 00:01:41 INFO KeepAliveActor:224 - processed keep alive message with request id 377129

3. After installing the DBS backup gateway, return to the Installation Command dialog box in the DTS console and click Installed.

4. Verify that the DBS backup gateway is running.

   1. In the Windows Run dialog box, enter services.msc and click OK.

   2. In Service Manager, check whether the service has started. If not, right-click AliyunDBSAgent and select Start from the shortcut menu.

      Note

      The backup gateway starts by default. You can also start or stop the AliyunDBSAgent service in Service Manager.

5. View the newly added DBS backup gateway.

   On the Backup Gateway page, click Refresh in the upper-right corner to view the new DBS backup gateway.

   To navigate to the Backup Gateway page:

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

   2. Move the pointer over the icon in the upper-left corner and choose All Features > Security and disaster recovery (DBS) > Data Disaster Recovery (DBS) > Backup Gateway.

      Note

      If you use the DMS console in normal mode, choose Security and disaster recovery (DBS) > Data Disaster Recovery (DBS) > Backup Gateway in the top navigation bar.

   Note

   The name of the new DBS backup gateway starts with DTS_.

3. Create a DTS migration task

1. Go to the Data Transmission Service (DTS) console.

2. In the left-side navigation pane, click Data Migration. In the top navigation bar, select a region.

3. Click Create Task and configure the source and target databases.

   Category	Parameter	Description
   N/A	Task Name	Specify a descriptive name for the task for easy identification. The name does not have to be unique. You can also use the default system-generated name.
   Source Database	Select Existing Connection	If you have saved the source database connection information in DTS Data Connection Management, you can select it from the drop-down list to avoid re-entering it.
   	Database Type	Select SQL Server.
   	Connection Type	Select Physical Protocol.
   	Instance Region	The default value is the region where the self-hosted SQL Server database is located.
   	Physical Protocol Gateway (DBS Backup Gateway)	Select the DBS backup gateway that you installed in 2. Install the backup gateway on the database host.
   	Domain Name or IP	The default value is localhost.
   	Port	Enter the service port of the self-hosted SQL Server database. The default port is 1433.
   Destination Database	Select Existing Connection	If you have saved the target database connection information in DTS Data Connection Management, you can select it from the drop-down list to avoid re-entering it.
   	Database Type	The default value is SQL Server.
   	Connection Type	The default value is Alibaba Cloud Instance.
   	Instance Region	Select the region where the target ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instance is located.
   	Instance ID	Select the ID of the target ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instance.
   	Database Account	Enter the database account for the target ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instance. This account must have read and write permissions. Note In the ApsaraDB RDS console, you can create a standard or privileged account and modify account permissions as needed.
   	Database Password	Enter the password for the database account.
   	Connection Method	If SSL encryption is not enabled for the target database, select Non-encrypted. If SSL encryption is enabled for the target database, select SSL-encrypted. DTS trusts the server-side certificate by default.

4. After you configure the settings, click Test Connectivity and Proceed at the bottom of the page.

   Important

   Ensure that you add the DTS server IP addresses from the pop-up to the allowlist of your self-managed SQL Server database. The action to add DTS IP addresses may pose security risks. Please acknowledge these risks and take appropriate protective measures, such as increasing password strength and restricting ports.

5. Configure the migration objects.

   Parameter	Description
   Task Step	If you need to perform only a full migration, select Full Data Migration. This option is selected by default. If you want a near-zero-downtime migration, select both Full Data Migration and Incremental Data Migration. Note If you do not select Incremental Data Migration, do not write new data to the source database during the data migration to ensure data consistency.
   Source Objects	In the Source Objects box, click an object that you want to migrate, and then click to move it to the Selected Objects box. Note You can migrate a single database, multiple databases, or an entire instance.
   Selected Objects	Displays the objects to be migrated.

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

   Parameter	Description
   Monitoring and Alerting	Select whether to set alerts and receive alert notifications based on your business needs. No: Does not set an alert. Yes: Configure alerts by setting an alert threshold and an alert contact. If a migration fails or the latency exceeds the threshold, the system sends an alert notification.
   Retry Time for Failed Connections	After the migration task starts, if the connection to the source or destination database fails, DTS reports an error and immediately begins to retry the connection. The default retry duration is 720 minutes. You can customize the retry time to a value from 10 to 1440 minutes. We recommend that you set the duration to more than 30 minutes. If DTS reconnects to the source and destination databases within the specified duration, the migration task automatically resumes. Otherwise, the task fails. Note For multiple DTS instances that share the same source or destination, the network retry time is determined by the setting of the last created task. Because you are charged for the task during the connection retry period, we recommend that you customize the retry time based on your business needs, or release the DTS instance as soon as possible after the source and destination database instances are released.

7. After you complete the preceding configurations, click Next: Save Task Settings and Precheck in the lower-right corner of the page.

   Note

   • DTS performs a pre-check before the data migration task begins. The task can start only after this check passes.

   • If the pre-check fails, click View Details for the failed item, fix the issue as described, and then rerun the pre-check.

   • If a warning is reported during the pre-check:

     • For items that cannot be ignored, click View Details for the failed check item. Fix the issue as prompted and then run the pre-check again.

     • For warnings that you can ignore, click Confirm Alert Details, Ignore, OK, and then Precheck Again to skip the warning and run the pre-check again. If you ignore a warning, data inconsistency or other issues may occur and introduce business risks.

8. When the Success Rate is 100%, click Next: Purchase Instance.

9. On the buy page, read and select the Data Transmission Service (Pay-as-you-go) Service Terms checkbox.

10. Click Buy and Start. In the OK dialog box that appears, click OK.

    On the Data Migration page, you can click the target migration instance and view the migration progress on the Task Management page.

    Note

    You can also view the full or incremental migration progress on the Restoration > Cloud Migration Records page for the target instance in the ApsaraDB RDS console.

11. When the full migration progress reaches 100% and the incremental migration task is running, go to the migration task's Task Management > Incremental Data Migration page and click Migration to Cloud.

12. In the Are you sure you want to switch over to the cloud? dialog box, click Start Now and wait for the migration task to complete.

    Important

    To ensure data consistency, stop writing data to the source database before you start the cutover. Wait for the cutover task to complete, and then switch your application connections to the target instance. The process typically takes several minutes.