Project 1: Develop Cloud Migration Plan
Step 4: Install AWS Application Discovery Agent
At this point in the migration planning process, you’ve considered premigration issues, reviewed premigration assessment tools, and familiarized yourself with AWS Application Discovery Services. You are now ready to install and test the AWS Application Discovery Agent.
Understanding the AWS Application Discovery Agent is important because it will allow you to collect information from the server about the performance, capacity, and application on a specific server. This information will be helpful with sizing the target AWS service for this workload.
Take Action
Note that before you can install the AWS application, you need to create an environment for the application by setting up a web service stack, known as a LAMP stack, using the LAMP Stack Deployment Guide.
Take Action
Before using AWS migration services, you must designate a Migration Region. The Migration Region can be any supported region; services can be migrated to any region regardless of the Migration Region setting (it is used to store the migration data):
- Set Migration Region
This LAMP stack will be configured to be similar to an existing server that BallotOnline has in production. You will then install the AWS Application Discovery Agent on your LAMP stack server. As proof of concept, test the AWS Application Discovery Agent in a test environment. Remember, you should always perform a test prior to implementing anything new in a production environment.
Take Action
Create a new IAM user for use by the AWS Application Discovery Agent: :
- Create IAM user for AWS Application Discovery Agent
Take Action
Use the following resource to install AWS Application Discovery Agent:
- Discovery Agent installation steps
Project 1: Develop Cloud Migration Plan
Step 5: Start Collecting Agent Data
In the previous step, you installed AWS Application Discovery Agent. It’s now time to perform a discovery of the LAMP stack, which gathers information about all the processes running in the server, system performance, and network connection information. This is needed prior to the migration.
AWS Application Discovery Agent provides a set of public API (application programming interface) operations and open data formats. These allow the program to work with other tools.
Take Action
Go to the Start Discovery Agent Data Collection for guidance how to start collecting server data.
After you have deployed AWS Application Discovery Agent, proceed to the next step, where you will evaluate the data you collected.
Project 1: Develop Cloud Migration Plan
Step 6: Evaluate the Data Collected
In this step, you will evaluate the results of the discovery conducted in the previous step. After analyzing the results, you will be in a better position to appropriately plan the migration of the workload to AWS.
Take Action
Export and download the data collected by AWS Application Discovery Agent and analyze the data to identify application processes running on the server, view the application dependencies, map a baseline for your system, and determine process performance.
See View, Export, and Explore Discovered Data for guidance. Make sure that you specify the export start date/time of less than 72 hours before the current date/time.
Review performance data and processes to identify dependencies. Based on your analysis, provide recommendations and your rationale for the most appropriate AWS service for the migration.
Take Action
Once data is collected, you can safely delete your LAMP stack. Since CloudFormation was used to create the LAMP stack, the easiest way to remove the stack and ensure costs do not continue to accure, delete the stack. To delete the stack:
1. From the CloudFormation console, click on Stacks
2. Select the stack created for this project.
3. Click Delete and accept any confirmation questions
4. All stack components will be removed
Key Points
Keep in mind that your LAMP server is not running any additional applications, so its load is not heavy. But you will see what data is collected so you can come to a conclusion about the usability of AWS Application Discovery.
On a production server, the data will be more reflective of the server’s application load and its performance.
Submit a draft summary of your evaluation findings to get feedback after reading the instructions below.
Take Action
Submit your assignment to your instructor for review and feedback.
Follow these steps to access the assignment:
- Click My Tools in the top navigation bar.
- Click Assignments.
- Select the relevant assignment.
Project 1: Develop Cloud Migration Plan
Step 7: Write the Final Cloud Migration Plan
Now you can consolidate the work that you have completed in the steps along with some additional elements (scope, executive summary, etc.) to create a comprehensive migration plan that aligns to BallotOnline’s existing IT policies. Sophia will present your work for approval at the executive meeting.
Professionals in the Field
“If you don’t understand the details of your business, you are going to fail.”
—Manfred Bluemel, Zeitgeist Research, former head of corporate market research at Amazon, in a quote often attributed to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos (Jopson, 2012).
At this point, you should have a better understanding of the cloud migration strategy and how a cloud migration plan differs from a traditional IT data center migration plan. This knowledge differentiates you from a traditional IT professional and solidifies your standing in the ranks of cloud computing professionals.
The final document should be between eight and 10 pages. Use the Cloud Migration Plan Guide to write your Cloud Migration Plan and submit it after reading the instructions below.
Check Your Evaluation Criteria
Before you submit your assignment, review the competencies below, which your instructor will use to evaluate your work. A good practice would be to use each competency as a self-check to confirm you have incorporated all of them. To view the complete grading rubric, click My Tools, select Assignments from the drop-down menu, and then click the project title.
- 9.1: Develop a plan for cloud implementation / migration.
- 9.3: Develop documentation (plans, policies, and procedures) to support cloud operation.
- 10.3: Configure cloud management tools and software.
- 10.7: Configure a public cloud infrastructure using industry leading provider(s).
- 11.1: Perform system auditing.
- 11.3: Upgrade the infrastructure to increase capacity.
- 11.4: Monitor system performance.
- 11.5: Perform system maintenance.
Take Action
Submit your assignment to your instructor for review and feedback.
Follow these steps to access the assignment:
- Click My Tools in the top navigation bar.
- Click Assignments.
- Select the relevant assignment.
References
Jopson, B. (2012, July 9). The Bezos doctrine of ruthless pragmatism. https://www.ft.com/content/2398876a-c202-11e1-8e7c-00144feabdc0
