FAQ for migrating to SoftLayer cloud environment

Today, we announce that SoftLayer will be the foundation of our cloud portfolio, with customers having access to SoftLayer features that deliver higher performance and significantly enhanced functionality. IBM continues to provide our customers with the best functionality and technology to help customers achieve higher business performance.

As part of this effort, we encourage customers to migrate qualified IBM smartcloud Enterprise (SCE) workloads to the SoftLayer cloud environment. We offer our customers an easy-to-use tool for free. We also announced that SmartCloud Enterprise would terminate its service on January 31, 2014. IBM SmartCloud Creator Services will also terminate the service at the same time, and we will provide these customers with a limited preview environment as a migration destination.

IBM SmartCloud Enterprise+ will continue to process your managed cloud workload, not affected by this bulletin.

Is there a target date for migrating from SmartCloud Enterprise to SoftLayer?

The migration will start October 31, 2013 and continue until January 31, 2014. All migrations need to be completed by January 31, 2014.

What is IBM SoftLayer?

IBM subsidiary SoftLayer provides a global, high-performance cloud infrastructure that enables applications across the Internet. With the help of SoftLayer, you can:

integrates high-performance bare-metal servers and virtualized servers in a public, private, or mixed cloud configuration using a wide range of storage, network, and security options to complete deployment within minutes, using APIs, browsers, or mobile applications to control over 1,600 APIs for more than 200 services on a single management system Call to achieve ultimate flexibility, control, and management level

What are the benefits of migrating to SoftLayer?

A portal, an API, a platform, you can always gain stability, support, and trust through partnerships with IBM. As a SoftLayer customer, you will:

Achieve unmatched flexibility, customization, and control for Internet-level applications, with more than 1600 function calls and more than 200 services to achieve unprecedented speed and flexibility in leveraging extensive storage by integrating high-performance bare metal servers and virtualized servers into public, private, or mixed cloud configurations , network, and security options to create an Internet-level distributed computing environment within minutes to control

on a single management system via APIs, browsers, or mobile applications

Are all SCE services available on SoftLayer?

SmartCloud Enterprise and SoftLayer have many common functions, but some services are not available on SoftLayer.

We do not provide a public directory of IBM Software and Third-party mirrors. Although these mirrors are annotated for convenience, many customers prefer to start with operating system mirroring and build other content. SUSE operating system mirrors are not available in SoftLayer. You need to obtain SUSE permission to run the SUSE workload on SoftLayer. Immediate (PAYG), developer use (DUO), and prerelease mirrors are not currently available as use options on the SoftLayer.

Does the terms and conditions in the SCE have equivalent terms and conditions in the SoftLayer?

This article provides a list of services in the SCE and their closest service to the SoftLayer.

Does the SCE VM configuration have a corresponding SoftLayer configuration?

SoftLayer provides both physical servers and VMS in many different configurations. These servers can be provided on a monthly basis and some can be priced by the hour. Consult the article to map the SCE VM size to the equivalent configuration in SoftLayer to find similar configurations. Given the many options on SoftLayer, we recommend that you evaluate your server selection based on the performance characteristics of your workload.

How many data centers does SoftLayer have?

The SoftLayer deploys 13 data centers and 17 network access points (POPs) worldwide. SoftLayer possesses physical facilities in 7 countries.

What options do I have if I have a workload that must be kept in the local area?

You can take advantage of your nearest data center. They are:

Dallas owns more than 104,500 servers Seattle has more than 10,000 servers Washington has more than 16,000 servers Houston owns more than 25,000 servers San Jose owns more than 12,000 servers Amsterdam has 8,000 servers, Singapore has 16, More than 000 servers

What certifications are available in the SoftLayer data center?

SoftLayer Current certification is Service from Controls (SOC) 2 (Type II).

What security services does SoftLayer provide?

SoftLayer provides dedicated hardware firewalls, host intrusion protection and detection systems (IP/DS), vulnerability assessment and reporting, anti-virus and anti-spyware protection, and dual-factor authentication. Learn more about security services on the SoftLayer Web site.

What support Services does SoftLayer provide?

SoftLayer provides one of the fastest-responding customer services in the industry. Get an overview of SoftLayer support in this technical brief (PDF, 228KB). Services include:

through the SoftLayer client portal and API access to automated tools knowledgelayer® repositories, including articles, tutorials, FAQs, and certified Third-party Techniques SoftLayer Development Network (SLDN) SoftLayer Customer forums, A user community that shares best practices the highly trained and certified engineers 24x7 online and telephone support notification submission to ensure response within 20 minutes

Our leading support capabilities are strongly supported by the most stringent service level agreements in the bred community, including 99.9% of public networks, private networks, customer portals, and infrastructure uptime guarantees.

Can you give me any help for migrating workloads from SmartCloud Enterprise to SoftLayer?

We will use the Racemi Cloud Path tool to help you migrate from the SCE to SoftLayer. The current IBM SCE customer is free to use this migration tool. For more information about the migration options and tools that can help you, visit the IBM SmartCloud Enterprise to SoftLayer on IBM DeveloperWorks.

If I need help outside of available materials, is there a way to contact IBM for help?

For questions about migrating workloads to SoftLayer, please contact Migr8Me@us.ibm.com.

accounts, agreements and contracts

How do I get a SoftLayer account?

Visit SoftLayer, select the cloud infrastructure that meets your needs, and place your order. Or you can contact our team in real time to get help.

I already have a SoftLayer account. If you want to migrate workloads from SmartCloud Enterprise, do I need to get a new account?

You do not need to, you can use an existing SoftLayer account.

Does the SoftLayer provide a service level agreement (SLA)?

Yes, SoftLayer offers an SLA grant of 5% per 30 min downtime, which is applicable to costs incurred during downtime. You can learn more about the details on the SoftLayer website.

Does the SoftLayer agreement have a language version other than English?

No, these agreements are in English only.

Do I have to sign a new contract with SoftLayer?

Yes, your IBM SmartCloud Enterprise agreement does not apply to SoftLayer, so you must sign a new contract.

Does the SoftLayer client portal have a language version other than English?

No, the portal has only English version.

Do I need to close my SCE account, or will this account automatically close?

It is strongly recommended that you close your account as soon as you have finished migrating from the SCE. All accounts that have not been closed as of January 31, 2014 and their associated data and resources will be terminated by IBM.