13.7 Best Practices for Maintaining or Updating VMware Environments That Are Configured as Migration Targets

Use the following best practices for the maintenance and update of VMware DRS clusters and its member hosts that are configured as target platforms in PlateSpin Migrate.

IMPORTANT:

Issue: If PlateSpin Migrate 2018.11 refreshes a VMware target’s information during a VMware maintenance window or update, the VMware target can disappear from the Migrate Web Interface and its associated workloads go into an unsupported state.

Fix: The latest patches for PlateSpin Migrate 2018.11 ensure that the VMware target does not get removed if a target refresh occurs during VMware maintenance or update. Ensure that you download and apply the latest patches to your Migrate server.

Workaround: If the VMware target does get removed, you must do one of the following:

  • Restore your migration database by importing the database backup file that you exported before you began the VMware maintenance or update.

    -OR-

  • Re-add the VMware target, then re-create all contracts associated with that target.

Before you begin VMware maintenance or update:

  1. In PlateSpin Migrate, do the following for all workloads associated with the target VMware host:

    1. Pause all scheduled migrations.

    2. Wait for any in-progress full replications and incremental replications to complete, or abort the replications.

    3. Wait for any in-progress cutovers or test cutovers to complete.

  2. As a precaution, back up the PlateSpin migration database by using the PlateSpin Import/Export utility (ImportExportAll.bat).

    See Exporting Workload Migration Data in the PlateSpin Migrate 2018.11 Installation and Upgrade Guide.

During the VMware maintenance or update:

  • In PlateSpin Migrate:

    • Do not refresh, modify, or delete the target VMware DRS cluster or host.

    • Do not refresh, re-configure, or delete source workloads that are already configured for migration to the target VMware DRS cluster or host.

    • Do not configure additional migrations to the target VMware DRS cluster or host.

  • In the VMware environment:

    • Ensure that IP addresses, host name, number of NICs, and so on for the target VMware DRS cluster and hosts do not change.

    • Follow VMware best practices for maintenance or update with regard to VM handling in your VMware environment. You might need to relocate target VMs to alternate hosts or power off all VMs on the host.

    • As you complete the maintenance or update, ensure that target VMs are returned to their prior host and power on state.

After you complete the maintenance or update:

  1. In the PlateSpin Migrate Web Interface, refresh the VMware target.

  2. Unpause migrations to resume scheduled migrations for all workloads associated with the target VMware host.

  3. If you need to recover migration data, import the PlateSpin migration database by using the PlateSpin Import/Export utility (ImportExportAll.bat).

    See Importing Workload Migration Data in the PlateSpin Migrate 2018.11 Installation and Upgrade Guide.