Monitor the server in the migration lifecycle

The Migration dashboard tab allows you to monitor the server in relation to the migration lifecycle.

Here, you can see the lifecycle state the source server is currently on, a detailed view of the data replication status, and any events that the source server has undergone (in AWS CloudTrail). You can use the Migration dashboard to monitor the status of your source server and to troubleshoot migration and data replication issues.

Understand lifecycle states

The Lifecycle view shows the current state of each server within the migration lifecycle.

Lifecycle states include:

• Not ready – The server is undergoing the Initial Sync process and is not yet ready for testing. Data replication can only commence once all of the Initial Sync steps have been completed.

• Ready for testing – The server has been successfully added to AWS Application Migration Service and data replication has started. Test or cutover instances can now be launched for this server.

• Test in progress – A test instance is currently being launched for this server.

• Ready for cutover – This server has been tested and is now ready for a cutover instance to be launched.

• Cutover in progress – A cutover instance is currently being launched for this server.

• Cutover complete – This server has been cutover. All of the data on this server has been migrated to the cutover instance.

The lifecycle always displays the Launch status, Last test, and Cutover status for each server that has undergone these stages.

Not ready

The Not ready lifecycle state represents several possible scenarios:

Topics

• Server undergoing initial sync
• Unable to complete initiation

Server undergoing initial sync

A source server that has been added to AWS Application Migration Service will automatically begin the initial sync process after AWS Replication Agent installation.

Data replication can only commence after all of the initial sync steps have been completed. The server will be in the Not ready lifecycle state until initial sync has been successfully completed.

Initial sync steps include:

• Initiation

  • Creating firewall rules

  • Creating replication server

  • Booting replication server

  • Resolving Service Manager address

  • Authenticating with the Service Manager

  • Downloading replication software

  • Creating staging disks

  • Pairing replication server with agent

  • Establishing communication between AWS Replication Agent and replication server

• Sync (0% to 100%)

• Flush backlog (if any)

• Create first launchable snapshot

You can review the overall progress of the Initial Sync process under the Data replication status view.

It provides the percentage of completion, the time left until initial sync is finished, and whether there are any issues (such as a stall).

You can tell that a server has successfully completed the initial sync process through several indicators on the main Source servers page as well as on the Migration dashboard tab for an individual server.

On the main Source servers page, a newly added server that has completed initial sync for the first time will show Ready for testing under the Migration lifecycle column and Healthy under the Data replication status column.

On the individual server view, under the Migration dashboard tab, the Lifecycle section will show the Ready for testing status. The Data replication status section will show the Healthy status.

Note

Servers will automatically undergo initial sync every time there is a network disconnect.

Unable to complete initiation

The server will be in the Not ready Lifecycle state until Initial Sync has been successfully completed.

If the Initial Sync process is stalled for any reason, the Data replication status section will indicate that replication has stalled.

Scroll down to the Replication initiation steps to see the step on which the error occurred. The step on which initial sync failed will be marked with a red "x".

You must fix the indicated issue before the initial sync process can continue. You will not be able to migrate your server and the server will remain in the Not ready state until the issue is resolved.

Each step has unique troubleshooting methods.

Ready for testing

Once the server has successfully completed the Initial Sync process, it will enter the Ready for testing lifecycle state.

The Data replication status box will show a Healthy state, indicating that the server is healthy.

You can now launch a test instance for this server. The server will stay in the Ready for testing lifecycle state until you launch a Test instance for the server.

Test in progress

Once you have launched a Test instance for your server, the migration dashboard will show the Test in progress lifecycle state.

Within the Lifecycle box, you can review the Launch status and Last test information fields for the test instance.

• The Launch status field will show the time of the test instance launch. While the Testing instance is being launched, the Launch status field will show Waiting.

• Once the test instance has been launched, the Launch status will show Launched. Wait for the instance to boot and then choose View in EC2 console link to open the EC2 Console in a new tab, in order to view and monitor your launched test instance.

• The AWS EC2 Console will open in a new tab and will automatically search for and display your test instance.

• The Last test field will show the date of the last test. To review the test launch details, click Job ID, which will open the job within the Launch History page in a new tab.

• On the main Source servers page, the Migration lifecycle column will show Ready for testing and the Next step column will show Launch test instance.

• The server will stay in the Test in progress Lifecycle state until you finalize your testing and mark the server as Ready for cutover.

You can use the following indicators to verify that your test instance was successfully launched::

• On the Server Details > Lifecycle pane, the Launch status will state Launched.

• On the main Source servers page, the Alerts column will show the Launched status.

Ready for cutover

After you have finalized your testing, the Migration dashboard will show the Ready for cutover lifecycle state.

• The Launch status field will show the time of the last test instance launch. Click on the View in EC2 console link to open the EC2 Console in a new tab in order to view and monitor your launched Test instance.

• The Last test field will show the date the last test was started. You can review the test launch details by clicking on the Job ID. This will open the relevant Job.

• The Cutover field will show the date of the last cutover instance launch, if applicable. You can review the cutover launch details by clicking on the Job ID. This will open the relevant Job.

• On the Source servers page, the Migration lifecycle column will show Ready for cutover and the Next step column will show Terminate test instance; Launch cutover instance.

The server will stay in the Ready for cutover Lifecycle state until you launch a cutover instance.

Cutover in progress

Once you have launched a cutover instance for your server, the Migration dashboard will show the Cutover in progress Lifecycle state.

• The Launch status field will show the last time of cutover launch. Click on the View in EC2 console link to open the EC2 Console in a new tab in order to view and monitor your launched cutover instance.

• The Last test field will show the date the last test was started. You can review the test launch details by clicking on the Job ID. This will open the Job.

• The Cutover field will show the date of the last cutover instance launch. You can review the cutover launch details by clicking on the Job ID. This will open the Job.

• On the Source servers page, the Migration lifecycle column will show Cutover in progress and the Next step column will show Complete the cutover.

The server will stay in the Cutover in progress Lifecycle state until you complete the cutover.

Cutover complete

Once you have completed your cutover instance launch for your server, the Migration dashboard will show the Cutover complete lifecycle state. This is the final state in the migration lifecycle. This state indicates that you have successfully migrated your source server to AWS.

• The Launch status field will show Launched. Click on the View in EC2 console link to open the EC2 Console in a new tab in order to view and monitor your launched cutover instance.

• The Last test field will show the date the last test was started. You can review the test launch details by clicking on the Job ID. This will open the Job.

• The Cutover field will show the date you finalized your Cutover instance launch. You can review the cutover launch details by clicking on the Job ID. This will open the Job.

• The AWS Application Migration Service Console will automatically stop data replication for the source servers that were cutover in order to save resource costs.

• On the Source servers page, the selected source servers' Migration lifecycle column will show the Cutover complete status, the Data replication status column will show Disconnected and the Next step column will show Mark as archived.

The lifecycle also shows the status of any post-launch actions for the server. Learn more about post-launch actions.

Understand data replication states

The Data replication status section provides an overview of the overall source server status, including:

• Replication progress – The percentage of the server's storage that was successfully replicated.

• Rescan progress – The percentage of the server's storage that was rescanned (in the event of a rescan)

• Total replicated storage – The total amount of storage replicated (in GiB).

• Lag – Whether the server is experiencing any lag. If it is - the lag time is indicated.

• Backlog – Whether there is any backlog on the server (in MiB)

• Elapsed replication time – Time elapsed since replication first began on the server.

• Last seen – The last time the server successfully connected to AWS Application Migration Service.

• Replication start time – The date and time replication first began on the server.

Data replication can be in one of several states, as indicated in the panel title:

• Initial sync: initial copying of data from external servers is not done. Progress bar and Total replicated storage fields will indicate how far along the process is.

• Healthy: all data has been copied and any changes at source are continuously being replicated (data is flowing).

• Rescan: an event happened that forced the agent on the external server to rescan all blocks on all replicated disks (same as initial sync but faster because only changed blocks need to be copied; a rescan progress bar will also appear).

• Stalled: data is not flowing and user intervention is required (either initial sync will never complete, or state at source will become further and further the state at AWS). When the state is stalled, then the replication initiation checklist is also shown, indicating where the error occurred that caused the stalled state.

This panel also shows:

• Total replicated storage: size of all disks being replicated for this source server, and how much has been copied to AWS (once initial sync is complete)

• Lag: if you launch a recovery instance now, how far behind will it be from state at source. Normally this should be none.

• Backlog: how much data has been written at source but has not yet been copied to AWS. Normally this should be none.

• Last seen: when is the last time the AWS Replication Agent communicated with the AWS DRS service or the replication server.

If everything is working as it should and replication has finished initializing, the Data replication progress section will show a Healthy status.

If there are initialization, replication, or connectivity errors, the Data replication status section will show the cause of the issue (for example, a stall).

If the error occurred during the initialization process, then the exact step during which the error occurred will be marked with a red "x" under Replication initiation steps.

Understand the state of post-launch actions

The Post-launch actions view shows the current execution status of post-launch actions.

The status includes:

• Name – the name of the action is a link to the detailed execution status in the AWS Systems Manager console.

• Execution status – provides the current action status.

• Start time – the start time of the execution of the action script. This column will be empty for actions that have not yet started execution.

• End time – the end time of the execution of the action script. This column will be empty for actions that have not yet completed execution.

• Details – error messages will be shown in this column.

• Link – used by the “DR after migration” action. Provides a link to the replicated server in the AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery console.

Review events and metrics in AWS CloudTrail

You can review AWS Application Migration Service events and metrics in AWS CloudTrail. Click on View CloudTrail Event History to openAWS CloudTrail in a new tab.

Learn more about monitoring AWS MGN.

Learn more about AWS CloudTrail events in the AWS CloudTrail user guide.

Understand server actions and replication control

You can perform a variety of actions, control data replication, and manage your testing and cutover for an individual server from the server details view.

Topics

• Actions menu
• Replication menu
• Test and cutover menu
• Alerts and errors

Actions menu

The Actions menu allows you to perform the following actions:

• Add servers – Choosing the Add servers option will open the Add servers prompt, through which you can construct a custom installation command to use when adding Linux or Windows source servers.

  

  To construct a custom installation command, take the following steps:

  1. Select your operating system. The installation command is different for Windows and Linux.

     Note

     If you want to install the AWS Replication Agent on a legacy Windows OS (Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2), you must choose the Legacy OS: Windows Server 2003 or Windows Server 2008 box. This will download a unique version of the AWS Replication Agent installer that is only valid for legacy Windows OSs (AwsReplicationWindowsLegacyInstaller.exe). Do not use this installer file to install the agent on any other OS types.

  2. Select your replication preferences for the source server. The selected preferences will be added as installation prompts to the custom installation command that will be generated by this form.

     Choose the Replicate all disks option to replicate all of the disks of the source server. This is the default option. This option adds the --no-prompt prompt to the installation command.

     Select the Choose which disks to replicate option to choose which specific disks you want to replicate. You will be prompted to select which disks to replicate during agent installation.

  3. Enter the credentials that you previously generated for AWS Replication Agent installation. The form will not send the secret, but will add it to the installation command.

  4. If you have not yet obtained the necessary credentials, follow these instructions.

  5. If you are adding a Windows source server to AWS MGN, download the installer onto the source server. The installer will be downloaded from the AWS Region of your account. If you're adding a Linux source server, skip this step.

  6. Copy the generated custom installation command and either input it into the command line on your source server. Proceed with AWS Replication Agent installation as instructed in the documentation.

• View server details – Choosing this option to open the server details view for the selected server. This option is only available when a single server is selected.

• Disconnect from service – Choose this option to disconnect the selected server from Application Migration Service and AWS. This option disconnects the source server and should be used when data replication is complete.

  On the Disconnect X server/s from service dialog, choose Disconnect.

  Important

  This will uninstall the AWS Replication Agent from the source server and data replication will stop for the source server. If you need to restart data replication for this server, you will need to reinstall the agent. This action will not affect any test or cutover instances that have been launched for this source server, but you will no longer be able to identify which source servers your Amazon EC2 instances correspond to.

• Mark as archived – Choose this option to archive the server. You should only archive servers for which you have already performed a cutover. Archived servers will be removed from the main Source servers page, but can still be accessed through filtering options.

  On the Archive X servers dialog, select Archive.

  To see your archived servers, open the Preferences menu by clicking the gear button. Select the Show only archived servers option and click Confirm. You will now be able to see all of your archived servers. Unselect this option to see your non-archived servers.

Replication menu

The Replication menu allows you to manage data replication for your source servers through the following actions:

• Edit replication settings – Choose this option to be redirected to the Edit replication settings page, where you can edit specific replication settings for the selected source server. Learn more about editing replication settings.

Test and cutover menu

The Test and cutover menu allows you to manage your test and cutover instances.

• Launch test instances – Choose this option to launch a test instance for this server.

  When the Launch test instances for X servers dialog appears, click Launch to begin the test.

  The AWS Application Migration Service Console will indicate 1 launch job complete after the test has been completed successfully.

• Finalize testing – Choose the Mark as "Ready for cutover" option to finalize testing for this server after you have completed all of the necessary tests in preparation for cutover.

  When the Mark X servers as "Ready for cutover" dialog appears, select whether you want to terminate the launched instances used for testing. It is recommended to terminate these instances, as you will be charged for them even though you will no longer need them. Check the Yes, terminate launched instances (recommended) box and click Continue.

  The AWS Application Migration Service Console will indicate that testing has been finalized. The selected source servers' Migration lifecycle column will show the Ready for cutover status and the launched Test instances will be deleted if that option was selected.

• Revert to "ready for testing" – Choose this option to revert a finalized test for this server if you want to run further tests prior to initiating a cutover.

  When the Revert testing for X servers dialog appears, select whether you want to terminate the launched instances used for testing. It is recommended to terminate these instances, as you will be charged for them even though you will no longer need them. Check the Yes, terminate launched instances (recommended) box and choose Revert.

  The AWS Application Migration Service Console will indicate that testing has been reverted. The selected source servers' Migration lifecycle column will show the Ready for testing status and the launched Test instances will be deleted if that option was selected.

• Launch cutover instances – Choose this option to launch a cutover instance for this server after you have finalized all of your testing and are ready to initiate a cutover.

  When the Launch cutover instances for X servers dialog appears, click Launch to begin the cutover.

  The AWS Application Migration Service Console will indicate 1 launch job complete after the cutover has been completed successfully.

  This will change your source servers' Migration lifecycle status to Cutover in progress, indicating that the cutover is in progress but has not yet been finalized.

• Finalize cutover – Choose this option to finalize the cutover for this server after you have successfully performed a cutover.

  This will change your source servers' Migration lifecycle status to Cutover complete, indicating that the cutover is complete and that the migration has been performed successfully. In addition, this will stop data replication and cause all replicated data to be discarded. All AWS resources used for data replication will be terminated.

  When the Finalize cutover for X servers dialog appears, click Finalize.

  The AWS Application Migration Service Console will indicate X servers cutover. Data replication has been stopped for servers once the cutover has been completed successfully. The AWS Application Migration Service Console will automatically stop data replication for the cutover source servers in order to save resource costs. The selected source servers' Migration lifecycle column will show the Cutover status, the Data replication column will show Disconnected and the Next step column will state Mark as archived. The source servers have now been successfully migrated into AWS and can be archived.

  Note

  This action does not uninstall the AWS Replication Agent from the source server. Use the Disconnect from service option under the Actions menu when you have completed the migration and want to uninstall the agent from your source server.

• Revert to "ready for cutover" – Choose this option to revert a finalized cutover for this server if you encounter any issues or want to reverse the cutover for any reason.

  This will revert your source servers' Migration lifecycle to the Ready for cutover status, indicating that these servers have not undergone cutover.

  When the Revert cutover for X servers dialog appears, click Revert.

• Edit launch settings – Use this option to edit the launch settings for this server. This will redirect you to the Launch settings tab. Learn more about Launch settings.

• Terminate launched instance – Choose this option if you want to delete your test or cutover instance for any reason at any time. This option can only be selected for a server that has a launched test or cutover instance.

  When the Terminate launched instance dialog appears, click Terminate.

• Edit post-launch settings – Choose this option to edit the post-launch settings for the selected source server or group of source servers. Learn more about post-launch settings.

Alerts and errors

You can easily distinguish between healthy servers and servers that are experiencing issues on the Migration dashboard in several ways.

The entire AWS Application Migration Service Console is color-coded for ease of use.

Healthy servers with no errors are characterized by the color blue. Both the Lifecycle and Data replication status boxes will display all steps and information in blue if the server is healthy.

The following are examples of healthy servers:

Servers that are experiencing temporary issues will be characterized by the color yellow. This can include issues such as lag or a rescan. These issues will not break replication, but may delay replication or indicate a bigger problem.

The following are examples of servers experiencing temporary issues:

Lagging server:

Rescanning server:

The Next actions box will detail the exact issue.

Servers that are experiencing serious issues will be characterized by the color red. These issues can include a loss of connection, a stall, or other issues. You will have to fix these issues in order for data replication to resume.

The Next actions box will detail the exact issue.

The Lifecycle section will show a red indicator.

The Data replication status box will include details of the issue.

If the stall occurred during initiation, scroll down to Replication initiation steps. The exact step where the issue arose will be marked with a red "x".