Cross-zone migration guide

How migration works

The following figure illustrates cross-zone migration.

Server migration principles:

1. Create a cross-zone migration task.

2. SMC replicates disk data across zones through the block storage service and updates instance properties such as instance type.

Migration workflow

The following figure illustrates the migration workflow.

The workflow has three phases:

1. Preparation

   Register an Alibaba Cloud account, complete identity verification, and activate RAM and snapshot services as described in Preparation.

2. Cross-zone migration

   Migrate an ECS instance to a different zone in the same region. You can also change the instance type, such as vCPU and memory, within the same instance family. Migrate an ECS instance across zones.

3. Verify the migration

   SMC supports multiple migration scenarios. Create a migration task for your scenario, then verify the results. Verify the migration.

Billing

• No fees are incurred if you do not change the instance type during migration.

• If you change the instance type during migration, the following billing rules apply:

  • Downgrading a subscription instance: Downgrading the instance type may result in a refund. The refund is the difference between the remaining value of the original configuration and the price of the new configuration. For more information, see Rules for unsubscribing from resources with a downgrade.

    Important

    A monthly quota applies to instance type downgrades. Your historical spending determines this quota, and the page displays the specific amount. You cannot perform further downgrades after you exhaust your monthly quota. The quota is automatically reset on the first day of the next month. For more information, see Unsubscription rules.

  • Upgrading a subscription instance: You must pay the price difference for the remainder of the current billing cycle. The console displays the actual fee.

  • Changing a pay-as-you-go instance: After the migration, the instance is billed based on the new instance type.

Feedback and support

For questions or suggestions, join the SMC DingTalk support group or scan the QR code below. Download the DingTalk client

Documentation feedback: To report issues such as incorrect links, content errors, or API errors, click AI Assistant in the right-side menu. You can also select content directly to submit feedback.