|
By Walter Scott
The key here is to create “transportable images.” A transportable image is one that can be designed and tested on one hardware platform, then deployed on another, regardless of the hardware configuration. The benefits of transportable images are reduced configuration time, reduced deployment time, and the ability to deploy even without necessarily knowing at the outset the hardware configuration.
The drawback: not every deployment tool supports transportable images. The key is to select an imaging program that will not only allow you to move from a physical to a virtual machine, but also from virtual to virtual, virtual back to physical and physical to physical — think of it as going full circle.
Hardware and Software Support
This is fairly straightforward, but certainly worth mentioning. Many IT infrastructures are purchasing hardware and software that support 64-bit technology. While you might not be using 64-bit hardware or applications today, make sure your servers are capable of moving to that platform in the future. You don’t want to have to redevelop all of your servers again in three to five years.
Additionally, make sure you have tools that allow you to move from one virtual operating system to another. With mergers, acquisitions and new applications, you don’t want to be locked in to a single platform. Having the right tools to move from one virtual OS to another is imperative.
Customizing the Migration Process
There likely will be occasions when you will need to migrate just part of a virtual server to another system. To ensure that you can successfully move a group of folders or files, you need to have a tool that is able to drag and drop the files from one system to another. It sounds easy, but again, not every migration tool can perform this function.
|
