VMware Cloud on AWS is an on-demand service that enables you to run applications across vSphere-based cloud environments with access to a broad range of AWS services. A very useful feature with this service is application migration. You can extend on-premise data centers and easily migrate targeted application workloads to VMware Cloud on AWS without conversions. You can experience bi-directional workload portability between on-premise and VMware Cloud on AWS.
This blog introduces a demo showing the live migration of a SAP S/4HANA system from an on-premise datacenter to VMware Cloud on AWS (Note: SAP is not yet certified for VMware Cloud on AWS – this is a proof-of-concept/feature validation).
Application migration with no downtime is based on live vMotion across a stretched network between on-premise and VMware Cloud on AWS. My colleague outlined all the technical pre-requisites for live application migration in this blog:
- Direct Connect between Datacenter and VMware Cloud on AWS (an AWS service that allows you to create a high-speed, low latency connection between your on-premises data center and AWS services).
- Layer 2 stretch network (either using NSX on-premise or the free NSX Edge Appliance). The configuration steps are shown here.
- Layer 3 IPSEC VPN to the VMare Cloud on AWS Management Network
- Hybrid Linked Mode (for initiating vMotion via the WebClient).
- Configure VMware Cloud on AWS Firewall for vMotion
The logical architecture of the above setup is shown below.
The following screenshot shows the “single-pane-of glass” view available via Hybrid Linked Mode. The latter allows you to view and manage the inventories of both your on-premises and VMware Cloud on AWS data centers from a single vSphere Client interface.
The application migration feature is demonstrated with a SAP S/4HANA system consisting of two virtual machines initially deployed on-premise which are both live migrated simultaneously: SAP HANA virtual machine; SAP NetWeaver application server virtual machine (running Central Services and the Primary Application Server). The SAP GUI client session is deployed in a virtual machine on the same stretched network but hosted in VMware Cloud on AWS. During the migration the client session to the application server remaines active and transaction queries were executed to show no loss in connectivity. Successful query execution via the SAP client validates connectivity between the client and the application server virtual machine and connectivity between the SAP HANA database and application server virtual machines.
The demo is available here.
In summary application migration between on-premises datacenters and VMware Cloud on AWS provides the following benefits:
- Enables hybrid cloud with flexibility – treat the cloud as an extension of your own datacenter.
- Bi-directional workload mobility.
- No conversion of the application.
For more details on application migration planning to the cloud please see the paper PREPARING FOR VMWARE CLOUD ON AWS .
