NEW - You can now accelerate your migration and modernization with AWS Transform. Read Getting Started in the AWS Transform User Guide.

Launch questions

This section contains answers to questions about launching test and cutover instances with AWS Transform MGN.

What does the AWS Transform MGN Machine Conversion Server do?

The machine conversion server converts the disks to boot and run on AWS.

Specifically, the machine conversion server makes bootloader changes, injects hypervisor drivers and installs cloud tools.

What boot modes are supported by the AWS Transform MGN?

The agent supports systems that use either BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) or UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) boot modes. BIOS is the traditional boot mode that initializes hardware and starts the operating system. UEFI is a more modern boot firmware that provides additional boot configurations and security features. You can install the agent on servers that use either UEFI or legacy BIOS firmware.

What impacts the conversion and boot time of test and cutover instances?

Before launching the test or cutover instance, AWS Transform MGN runs a machine conversion server process on the boot volume. This conversion process is quick.

The time to boot the test or cutover instance varies depending on many factors unrelated to AWS Transform MGN processes. Some of these factors are within your control and should be considered when recovery or cutover times are important.

How long does it take to copy a disk from the AWS Transform MGN staging area to production?

AWS Transform MGN uses internal cloud provider snapshots. This process typically takes less than a minute and the size of the volume does not impact the time.

Which AWS services are automatically installed when launching a test or cutover instance?

AWS Transform MGN automatically installs EC2Config. After installation, EC2Config automatically installs the SSM EC2 Configuration Service.

CloudWatch, AWS PowerShell or CLI are not automatically installed. This can be done by combining the AWS Transform MGN APIs and the AWS APIs – you can use the AWS Transform MGN APIs to determine the EC2 instance IDs of the machines and then use AWS API/CLI to turn on the detailed monitoring. An alternative approach would be to do it by using the AWS API only based on the tags you associate with the machine. A third approach would be to do so from the post-launch script.

AWS Transform MGN installs EC2Launch (Windows 2016 only). You need to configure EC2Launch based on these specific requirements. This configuration step needs to be performed post Migration using the wizard in C:\ProgramData\Amazon\EC2-Windows\Launch\Settings\Ec2LaunchSettings.exe on the test or cutover instance.

Why are my Windows server disks read-only after launching the test or cutover instance?

When launching test or cutover instances Windows Server may boot with all the disks as read-only.

This is a common issue that occurs when detaching and attaching data disks. This issue can be resolved using steps in this Microsoft TechNet article.

How do I change the server AMI on AWS after Migration?

After AWS Transform MGN launches the machine, you can switch the AMI. Launch a new machine from the required AMI, stop that machine, detach all of its disks (including the root disk), and then attach the disks from the test or cutover instance that MGN created.

Can I prevent AWS Transform MGN from cleaning up test instance resources in AWS?

By default, AWS Transform MGN removes any resources created during the test process either when requested by the user or when a new Test instance is launched.

To prevent this in AWS, you can activate Termination Protection for the test or cutover instance, and the resources are not removed upon a new instance launch.

Why do I observe EBS volume performance issues while using test or cutover instances?

The EBS volumes attached to the test or cutover instances are created from snapshots of converted volumes. For any volume type that was created from snapshots, the storage blocks are pulled down from Amazon S3 and written to the volume before you access them. This process might take significant time and varies based on the EBS volume type. For additional details and EBS initialization options, refer to Initialize Amazon EBS volumes

Which Amazon EBS attributes can I use to optimize EBS volume hydration when launching instances?

AWS Transform MGN supports the Amazon EBS Provisioned Rate for Volume Initialization (volume initialization rate). When launching an instance, it creates Amazon EBS volumes from snapshots, and this attribute downloads the snapshot blocks at a rate you specify (100 to 300 MiB/s), so volumes reach full performance in a predictable amount of time.

AWS Transform MGN does not support Amazon EBS fast snapshot restore (FSR), as it is not well suited to migration. FSR must be enabled in advance per snapshot and Availability Zone and is billed while enabled, which better suits steady-state workloads that repeatedly create volumes from the same snapshot and require full volume performance immediately at creation.

For more information, see Initialize Amazon EBS volumes and Amazon EBS fast snapshot restore in the Amazon EBS User Guide.

What are the Amazon EBS volume limits for AWS Transform MGN?

AWS Transform MGN does not impose its own limits on Amazon EBS volume size or the number of Amazon EBS volumes per instance. The limits for maximum volume size, number of volumes per instance, and other Amazon EBS constraints are governed by Amazon EBS itself. For current limits, see Amazon EBS service quotas and Instance volume limits.

How is the AWS Licensing Model Tenancy chosen for AWS Transform MGN?

AWS Transform MGN conforms to the Microsoft Licensing on AWS guidelines.