How to migrate smoothly to the cloud

1. Keep in mind the basics

Don't forget every basic step in the migration process. Although the migration process has to stop, but when the original server is still in, to do as much as possible, as frequently as possible load test. Also, remember to modify domain DNS and, in general, set the TTL as low as possible. It is a good practice to do a test that 3~4 times the new DNS run plan before migrating.

2. Know your App

Based on past experience, you need to understand the architecture of your application and where the bottlenecks are. Find the heaviest part of the runtime load and focus on the expansion of this part of the functionality to ensure that at every level your application supports multiple endpoints (including networks, applications, and databases) to take advantage of cloud computing.

3. Integration API

Rackspace exposes its own cloud API and encourages you to use it to run applications. When the application is consolidated with the Rackspace API, it is invoked to automate tasks such as extending the configuration layer automatically when the application load level is too high.

4. Monitor Performance

After the migration is complete, not only to monitor the performance of the application, but also to master the operation of the program before the migration. When deploying an application to a public cloud, multiple endpoints often occur, and it is imperative to understand the implementation of all hosts. Rackspace provides cloud monitoring services, and it can even monitor applications hosted internally. In addition, Nagios and other open source monitoring solution is also a good choice.

5. Understanding of industry and regional compliance requirements

Depending on your industry and location, you may have to comply with different compliance requirements. E-commerce applications are subject to PCI compliance, and medical applications are governed by the HIPAA Act of the United States, and other industries and regions have rules. Note, however, that some requirements may apply only to several application configuration tiers.

6. A duplicate plan

Be prepared, before you start the migration, you have to do a good job in case of an unsuccessful migration option. People are nervous and worried when they talk about migration failures and the need to return to their original state. But if you fail and you don't make the alternative, things will get worse.

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