Migrating applications from traditional servers to the cloud has become a major trend in internet infrastructure. Enterprises and individuals who have already adopted cloud services may seek to migrate to another provider if dissatisfied with their current one, prioritizing better product quality, cost-effectiveness, and customer service. Such migration involves maintaining the integrity of data and files and ensuring the stability of applications and services. This article, drawing on years of experience assisting clients with cloud migration at Dawn Data, details a comprehensive solution for server-to-cloud, website-to-cloud, and database-to-cloud migrations, aiding customers in effectively navigating the challenges of cloud migration.

Server-to-Cloud Migration

Server operating systems are generally categorized into Windows, Linux, and other customized systems based on these two. Common Windows operating systems include Windows 2019, 2016, 2012, and 2008, while popular Linux systems are CentOS 8/7, Ubuntu 20.04/18.04/16.04. Servers running these operating systems are all candidates for cloud migration.

Server-to-cloud migration is divided into complete and application-specific migrations. Complete migration involves exporting the system and data disks into image files, creating cloud servers based on these images, installing drivers, restoring network settings, and finalizing the migration through debugging. Application-specific migration entails downloading application data, such as websites, and uploading it to new cloud servers, followed by website restoration. The advantage of complete migration is maintaining the system as-is, requiring only minimal adjustments post-import, making it suitable for servers with large data volumes or unique environments. Its downside is longer migration times. Application-specific migration, meanwhile, is more flexible and deals with less data, though it requires reconfiguring the environment and setting up websites anew.

We'll further explore two common types of application migrations: website and database migrations.

Website-to-Cloud Migration

Steps for website-to-cloud migration are as follows:

1.Select a low-traffic period to shut down the original website.
2.Compress website data and export the database for backup.
3.Modify domain name resolutions simultaneously to shorten website recovery time, avoiding the need to wait until post-migration.
4.Upload the website data and database backup to the new cloud server.
5.Decompress website data, restore the database backup, and check website and database configurations.
6.Conduct system tests to ensure the website operates normally, maintaining the original site for at least seven days.

Database-to-Cloud Migration

Database migration steps vary slightly depending on the database type, with attention needed for version details of the new and old databases.

Database-to-cloud migration steps:

1.Shut down the application to stop database access.
2.Export and backup the database.
3.Upload the backup to the new server and restore it.
4.Update the application's database configuration.

Database migration tools:

1.MySQL: Tools like Navicat, mysqldump, phpMyAdmin, etc.
2.SQLServer: Tools like Navicat Premium, SQLServer Management Studio

Points to note:

1.Higher version SQLServer databases cannot be restored to lower versions using backup methods; SQL restoration is advisable.
2.For MySQL databases using the MyISAM storage engine, direct physical copying of source files is feasible for restoration.