Skip to main content

Delta Migration Sequence


The RiverMeadow platform enables the migration of servers from various sources to HPE Morpheus VM Essentials in an automated fashion. The platform orchestrates dozens of steps to coordinate the migration

OS Based Migrations

The following steps are performed during the initial migration of the server to the HVM hypervisor for OS based migrations.

StepActionDetails
1Pre-flight Migration ChecksThe source and target are evaluated to determine the migration readiness based on the RiverMeadow platform's preflight migration checks.
2Power Off InstanceThe target instance in HPE Morpheus VM Essentials is powered off if it is currently running.
3Create and Upload Target Worker ImageThe migration appliance creates a new HPE Morpheus VM Essentials virtual image and uploads the target worker ISO image to associate with the virtual image.
4Create Volume Creator InstanceA temporary instance is created in HPE Morpheus VM Essentials to enable the the creation of a boot volume for the RiverMeadow target worker image.
5Detach Volume from Creator InstanceThe target worker volume is detached from the temporary volume creator instance.
6Attach Volume to InstanceThe target worker volume is attached to the target instance in HPE Morpheus VM Essentials as the boot volume.
7Remove Volume Creator InstanceThe temporary volume creator instance is removed from HPE Morpheus VM Essentials.
8Start InstanceThe instance is started and boots into the RiverMeadow target worker software image.
9Replicate Source DataThe target worker communicates with the source server over 5994/TCP to initiate the data transfer process. The target worker fetches the data from the source server drive-by-drive and writes the data replicated from the source server to the attached disks.
10Prepare TargetThe target worker prepares the guest operating system to boot on the KVM hypervisor. This includes operations such as removing existing virtualization tools, installing virtio drivers, and executing any configured post-migration automation (migration extensions).
11Stop InstanceOnce the instance has been prepared, it is stopped to update the disk configuration for the instance.
12Detach Target Worker VolumeOnce the initial target preparation process has been completed successfully, the volume used to boot into the target worker execution environment is detached from the instance.
13Delete Target Worker VolumeThe volume attached to the instance that was used to boot the target worker is deleted.
14Delete Target Worker Virtual ImageThe virtual image used to create the target worker volume is deleted.
15Start InstanceThe instance is started for a final time and should boot into the clone of the source operating system.

VM Based Migrations

The following steps are performed during the initial migration of the server to the HVM hypervisor for VM based migrations.

StepActionDetails
1Pre-flight Migration ChecksThe source and target are evaluated to determine the migration readiness based on the RiverMeadow platform's preflight migration checks.
2Create Source VM SnapshotThe migration appliance connects to the source vCenter server REST API and triggers the creation of a snapshot of the source VMware virtual machine.
3Power Off InstanceThe target instance in HPE Morpheus VM Essentials is powered off if it is currently running.
4Revert to SnapshotThe target instance in HPE Morpheus VM Essentials is reverted to the designated snapshot created by the RiverMeadow platform during the initial migration.
5Create and Upload Target Worker ImageThe migration appliance creates a new HPE Morpheus VM Essentials virtual image and uploads the target worker image to associate with the virtual image.
6Create Volume Creator InstanceA temporary instance is created in HPE Morpheus VM Essentials to enable the the creation of a boot volume for the RiverMeadow target worker image.
7Detach Volume from Creator InstanceThe target worker volume is detached from the temporary volume creator instance.
8Attach Volume to InstanceThe target worker volume is attached to the target instance in HPE Morpheus VM Essentials as the boot volume.
9Remove Volume Creator InstanceThe temporary volume creator instance is removed from HPE Morpheus VM Essentials.
10Start InstanceThe instance is started and boots into the RiverMeadow target worker software image.
10Replicate Source DataThe target worker communicates with the source worker appliance over 5994/TCP to initiate the data transfer process. The source worker initiates an NFC session with the ESXi host where the source VMware VM is running and copies the data from the snapshot disk. The target worker fetches the data from the source worker appliance drive-by-drive and writes the data replicated from the source worker appliance to the attached disks.
11Prepare TargetThe target worker prepares the guest operating system to boot on the KVM hypervisor. This includes operations such as removing existing virtualization tools, installing virtio drivers, and executing any configured post-migration automation (migration extensions).
12Stop InstanceOnce the instance has been prepared, it is stopped to update the disk configuration for the instance.
13Detach Target Worker VolumeOnce the initial target preparation process has been completed successfully, the volume used to boot into the target worker execution environment is detached from the instance.
14Delete to SnapshotThe previous snapshot on the target instance in HPE Morpheus VM Essentials is deleted.
15Create VM Essentials Instane SnapshotA snapshot is created of the target instance in HPE Morpheus VM Essentials to enable delta migrations or incremental data syncs.
16Delete Target Worker VolumeThe volume attached to the instance that was used to boot the target worker is deleted.
17Delete Target Worker Virtual ImageThe virtual image used to create the target worker volume is deleted.
18Start InstanceThe instance is started for a final time and should boot into the clone of the source operating system.
19Remove vSphere Source VM SnapshotThe snapshot created on the source VMware virtual machine is removed.