The Relocate migration strategy, also known as hypervisor-level lift and shift, is one of the 7 Rs of migration strategies in AWS. It represents the fastest path to move applications to the cloud with minimal effort and disruption to operations.
Relocate involves moving infrastructure to the cloud…The Relocate migration strategy, also known as hypervisor-level lift and shift, is one of the 7 Rs of migration strategies in AWS. It represents the fastest path to move applications to the cloud with minimal effort and disruption to operations.
Relocate involves moving infrastructure to the cloud at the hypervisor level, which means transferring entire virtual machines from on-premises environments to AWS. This strategy became particularly relevant with AWS VMware Cloud on AWS, allowing organizations running VMware workloads to seamlessly transfer their existing VMware-based virtual machines to AWS infrastructure.
Key characteristics of the Relocate strategy include:
1. **Speed**: Applications can be moved within hours or days rather than weeks or months, making it ideal for time-sensitive migrations.
2. **Minimal Changes**: The operating system, applications, and data remain intact during the transfer. There is no need to modify application code, re-architect systems, or change operational procedures.
3. **Operational Continuity**: Teams can continue using familiar VMware tools and processes, reducing the learning curve and maintaining operational consistency.
4. **Use Cases**: Best suited for organizations with large VMware estates, those requiring rapid data center evacuation, or companies wanting to extend their data center capacity to the cloud.
5. **Cost Considerations**: While Relocate provides speed advantages, it may not deliver the full cost optimization benefits of cloud-native services since workloads run on dedicated VMware infrastructure.
The Relocate strategy differs from Rehost (lift and shift) because Rehost typically involves moving individual servers using tools like AWS Application Migration Service, while Relocate moves entire VMware environments using vMotion technology.
Organizations often use Relocate as an initial step in their cloud journey, later modernizing workloads through refactoring or re-platforming to take advantage of cloud-native capabilities and achieve greater cost efficiency and scalability.
Relocate Migration Strategy - Complete Guide
What is the Relocate Migration Strategy?
The Relocate strategy, also known as hypervisor-level lift and shift, is one of the 7 Rs of migration strategies in AWS. It involves moving applications to the cloud at the infrastructure level using VMware Cloud on AWS. This strategy allows you to migrate your VMware-based workloads to AWS with minimal changes to your existing infrastructure.
Why is Relocate Important?
Relocate is significant for organizations that have heavily invested in VMware environments because:
• Minimal Disruption: Applications continue running on the same VMware infrastructure, reducing risk and complexity • Speed: Migrations can be completed in hours rather than days or weeks • Consistency: Maintains operational consistency with existing VMware tools and processes • No Refactoring Required: Applications don't need modification before migration • Familiar Operations: Teams can use existing VMware skills and tools like vSphere, vSAN, and NSX
How Does Relocate Work?
The Relocate strategy leverages VMware Cloud on AWS, which provides a jointly engineered service that brings VMware's Software-Defined Data Center (SDDC) to AWS. The process works as follows:
1. Setup VMware Cloud on AWS: Provision VMware SDDC clusters on dedicated AWS bare-metal infrastructure 2. Connect Environments: Establish connectivity between on-premises VMware environment and VMware Cloud on AWS using VMware HCX 3. Live Migration: Use VMware vMotion to perform live migrations with zero downtime 4. Bulk Migration: For larger workloads, use HCX bulk migration capabilities 5. Validation: Verify application functionality post-migration
Key Technologies and Services:
• VMware Cloud on AWS: The primary platform enabling Relocate • VMware HCX: Provides workload mobility and network extension capabilities • vMotion: Enables live migration of running VMs • AWS Direct Connect: Provides dedicated network connectivity for migrations
When to Choose Relocate:
• You have existing VMware investments and expertise • You need rapid migration with minimal application changes • You want to maintain operational consistency during transition • You require live migration capabilities with near-zero downtime • You plan to eventually modernize but need quick initial migration
Limitations to Consider:
• Higher ongoing costs compared to native AWS services • Limited to VMware-based workloads only • Does not provide cloud-native benefits until further modernization • Requires VMware Cloud on AWS subscription
Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Relocate Migration Strategy
1. Recognize the Scenario: When exam questions mention VMware environments, vSphere, or requests for minimal downtime migration of VM-based workloads, consider Relocate
2. Distinguish from Rehost: Relocate uses VMware Cloud on AWS and vMotion; Rehost uses AWS Migration Hub and AWS Application Migration Service to move workloads to EC2
3. Key Differentiator: If the question emphasizes maintaining VMware tools, processes, or mentions HCX and vMotion, Relocate is likely the answer
4. Speed Factor: When questions highlight the need for the fastest migration path for VMware workloads, Relocate is typically correct
5. Watch for Keywords: Look for terms like VMware Cloud on AWS, vMotion, HCX, hypervisor-level migration, or SDDC
6. Cost Considerations: If the question asks about the most cost-effective long-term solution, Relocate may not be optimal compared to refactoring to native services
7. Hybrid Scenarios: Relocate is ideal for questions involving hybrid cloud architectures where workloads need to move between on-premises VMware and AWS
8. Eliminate Options: If a question mentions non-VMware workloads or emphasizes cloud-native benefits, Relocate is not the appropriate choice