Server hardware migration tool

I am looking for a tool / image produt that will allow me to migrate a carbon copy of one server to a new piece of hardware, the issue is the server(s) we are talking about have highly specalized apps and setting, some apps manufacuters are no longer in business install media may not be available etc. So imaging will be the absolute best way to go.

I am looking for.

1. Tru carbon copy image style migration to dis-similar hardware

2. parrallel migration where source system can keep serving transactions until the cut over.

any help and experiences you could share with me would be truley helpfull.

Thanks.

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Comments

Claymoore

Virtualize it.

An online P2V migration - providing the source server OS supports it - would allow the original server to remain online and serving transactions until the migration is complete. None of the changes since the original snapshot would survive the migration, but the server would stay up.

slinuxuzer

I forgot to mention, virtualization isnt an option as we aren't able to implement it at this moment, I need hardware to hardware only recommendations.

Claymoore

Well, good luck with that.

Every migration/imaging tool I have ever used, whether they are sector based like Ghost, file based like WDS, or an actual disk duplicating device, require exclusive access to the disk so the source must be offline. None of them make allowances for different HALs, such as ACPI vs. non-ACPI, so the old server may not even boot on the new hardware. They also don't make allowances for key driver changes, such as mass storage devices, without sysprepping the image, so the server may blue screen when it tries to boot.

Unless someone here knows of another magic server replicator, my advice is to virtualize it or hope your hardware is an extreme outlier on the MTBF calculations.

darkerosxx

Claymoore wrote: »

Well, good luck with that.

Every migration/imaging tool I have ever used, whether they are sector based like Ghost, file based like WDS, or an actual disk duplicating device, require exclusive access to the disk so the source must be offline. None of them make allowances for different HALs, such as ACPI vs. non-ACPI, so the old server may not even boot on the new hardware. They also don't make allowances for key driver changes, such as mass storage devices, without sysprepping the image, so the server may blue screen when it tries to boot.

Unless someone here knows of another magic server replicator, my advice is to virtualize it or hope your hardware is an extreme outlier on the MTBF calculations.

Seconded. Virtualize it. I can almost guarantee that if you had a way to see two different things fold out in the future, you would see yourself getting a red face and wanting to punch something if you try a true migration/imaging tool. I've actually never gotten one to work on anything but 99% same hardware. I haven't tried a ton of times and haven't looked into the science behind why it doesn't work, so I'm not slamming the products... it's just never worked for me in a fashion that made it valuable for my time. P2V is.

Hyper-Me

I kinda like to know why virtualization "isnt an option"

+3 for P2V.

Fugazi1000

+4 for P2V

Virtualisation isn't that hard. Ignore SANs (for now). If you are committed to buying hardware on a 1 host to 1 box ratio anyway, then local disks are fine. The hypervisor will isolate the new hardware spec from the 'old'. ESXi is the obvious candidate.

Hyper-Me

ESXi would be fantastic. Plenty of convertors for it. Hyper-V would work as well.

astorrs

slinuxuzer wrote: »

I forgot to mention, virtualization isnt an option as we aren't able to implement it at this moment, I need hardware to hardware only recommendations.

I'll take this one since everyone else is stuck on P2V'ing it.

P2P it.

PlateSpin Migrate is your friend. It's fantastic at doing X2X migrations (where X = Physical, Virtual or Image) to dissimilar hardware. You can buy the Project Edition on a per-migration basis to keep costs down. I've personally done hundreds of these migrations using PSM over the past 4-5 years.

ServerSync is the feature you are interested in specifically. It will allow you to do the initial online P2P and then sync-up the changes at a block, VSS or file level (depending on the O/S and what PSM options you purchased) during a short cutover window (where downtime is required - but think ~30 minutes or so).

More info:
http://www.novell.com/rc/docrepository/public/14/basedocument.2009-01-23.0661490923/PlateSpin_Migrate_Multiplatform_Workload_Portability_en.pdf

HeroPsycho

I recommend Backup Exec System Recovery Server Edition, but there are plenty of P2P software.

With that said, virtualization could be done for free easier and more reliably. It is odd there's a flat refusal to do it.

slinuxuzer

The virtualization issue is a cost thing, We are only able to use ESX not the free version at this time, we are looking into virtualizing, but thats down the road and isn't certain, what is certain is that we will end up refreshing hardware on at least some servers to a 1 to 1 traditional hardware migration. I didnt mean we can never virtualize, I meant I am looking for non-virtualization solutions right now.

Thanks for all your help.

blargoe

HeroPsycho wrote: »

I recommend Backup Exec System Recovery Server Edition, but there are plenty of P2P software.

+1 for BESR if P2V is not an option. I've used this product several times, it has always worked well for me.

With that said, virtualization could be done for free easier and more reliably. It is odd there's a flat refusal to do it.

astorrs

HeroPsycho wrote: »

I recommend Backup Exec System Recovery Server Edition, but there are plenty of P2P software.

With that said, virtualization could be done for free easier and more reliably. It is odd there's a flat refusal to do it.

blargoe wrote: »

+1 for BESR if P2V is not an option. I've used this product several times, it has always worked well for me.

I haven't used the latest version of BESR (2010) but did they recently add functionality to meet the OP's 2nd requirement?

slinuxuzer wrote: »

2. parrallel migration where source system can keep serving transactions until the cut over.

blargoe

I'm not sure... I haven't used it in a while.

user117

Another P2P tool that allows you to remain on-line until the final cutover is Double-Take's Move product.