Server Migration Center (SMC) migrates resources from on-premises environments, VMs, or other clouds to Alibaba Cloud. This guide covers product basics, migration workflows, billing, and FAQ.
Product overview
Learn about SMC concepts, benefits, and supported migration scenarios.
Quick start guide
SMC migration workflow:
To complete a migration:
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Preparation
Register an Alibaba Cloud account, complete identity verification, and activate RAM and the snapshot service.
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Migration
Select the migration method that matches your scenario.
Server migration (with an agent)
Migrate servers from on-premises data centers, VMs, or other cloud providers to Alibaba Cloud:
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Migrate ECS instances between different Alibaba Cloud accounts or within the same account
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Migrate Alibaba Cloud Simple Application Server instances to ECS instances
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Migrate lightweight servers to Alibaba Cloud Simple Application Server
Note-
To migrate Tencent Cloud servers without logging on to the source server or downloading the SMC client, use One-click migration for cloud platforms.
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To synchronize incremental data at custom intervals and reduce downtime during cutover, use Incremental server migration.
Server migration (agentless migration for VMware)
Agentless migration for VMware uses non-intrusive VMware Agentless technology to migrate VMs to Alibaba Cloud without installing agents, improving efficiency while addressing security and performance concerns. Server migration (agentless migration for VMware).
Note-
If your environment does not meet agentless requirements, use an agent instead. Migrate servers to Elastic Compute Service (ECS).
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To synchronize incremental data at custom intervals and reduce downtime during cutover, use Agentless incremental migration for VMware.
Operating system migration
EOL operating systems no longer receive security patches and face increased vulnerability threats. If your ECS instance runs an EOL OS that meets SMC migration conditions, migrate to a supported version for continued maintenance and technical support. Operating system migration.
Cross-zone migration
Move ECS instances to a different zone within the same region, optionally changing instance specifications. Cross-zone migration.
Containerization migration
SMC supports live migration. It containerizes servers and applications from physical machines, virtualization environments (VMware, Xen, KVM, Hyper-V), and multicloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP, Tencent Cloud). SMC generates an image, pushes it to Alibaba Cloud Container Registry (ACR), and deploys it in Container Service for Kubernetes (ACK).
SMC supports full-copy migration and application migration modes. Containerization migration.
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Verify migration results
After migration, verify that the system and applications run as expected.
Feature overview
SMC supports server migration with an agent, agentless migration for VMware, OS migration, cross-zone migration, and desktop migration. Migration scenarios.
Billing
SMC itself is free. You are charged only for the ECS resources used during migration. Product Billing.
Developer tools
SMC provides APIs for querying migration sources, creating and modifying migration tasks, attaching tags, and creating activation codes. API overview.
Call and debug APIs in the OpenAPI Developer Portal.
FAQ
Basic questions
Advanced questions
FAQ.
Feedback and support
For questions or suggestions, join the SMC DingTalk support group or scan the QR code below. Download the DingTalk client
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