Data Migration from On-Prem to Public Cloud

[Bhuppi]

Hi All.  We're looking for ways and strategy to migrate PBs of data from on-prem NetApp Arrays to Public Cloud - AWS/Azure.

What are the considerations to be taken and methodology to be used for successful migration.  We want to know what will be best approach, and probably want to do an initial assessment first. And which tool to use:  NetApp Cloud Sync or NetApp CVO or Azure NetApp Files or Amazon FSx or anything else.  Or, first we need to use BlueXP DataSense to investigate.  Does DataSense also migrates. And, are these all work in tandem together  or are separate entities.  What other options are available for a successful on-prem to Cloud migrations. 

Please advise.   Thank You.

[elementx]

A lot depends on what workloads need to be migrated and how (mostly online or offline, all at once or one at a time, etc.).

FSxN has nice examples of various considerations for multiple scenarios:

https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/storage/migrating-on-premises-file-shares-to-amazon-fsx-for-netapp-ontap/

GCP has similar as well, including detailed workflow for the main one (SnapMirror-based replication).

https://docs.cloud.google.com/netapp/volumes/docs/migrate/ontap/plan-the-migration

Pick a test workload or create a test volume and give it a try, then improve what didn't work well and try again.

If you want to do it quickly and won't do these every quarter, there may be no reason to go through that trial and error process to become a data migration expert: you could get NetApp Professional Services  to do this for you and save weeks of time.

[Bhuppi]

Hi. Thanks for the insights.

Any more info on SnapMirror Migration to AWS and Azure. How the connectivity between on-prem and Public Cloud is established/considerations.  We want to first understand how this connectivity between on-prem and Cloud is setup and what is the architecture. And, also on Cloud-Sync/XCP. What that can do. And, also want to do first an initial assessment on entire thing.

Also, there is NetApp Data Migrator(NDM). I guess free of cost for file-level(unstructured) migrations. Or, does this one you referred above for Professional Services(obviously charged). 

Also, what is 'Migration Assistant'.  Any details on this tool.  Finally how 'Volume Migration' differs from SnapMirror Migration....Thanks

[elementx]

1) SnapMirror to all hyperscalers doesn't use public networks, e.g. in case of AWS it's AWS Direct Connect 

https://docs.aws.amazon.com/fsx/latest/ONTAPGuide/migrating-fsx-ontap-snapmirror.html

So it's standard Ethernet, but routes cluster network traffic from the "back" of each ONTAP, as replication does not use front-end data protocol networks.
2) The above link explains suitable use cases. SnapMirror is volume-to-volume, so rather than copying millions of individual files, volumes are snapshot and larger chunks are compressed, encrypted and efficiently copied over.

https://docs.netapp.com/us-en/ontap/data-protection/snapmirror-disaster-recovery-concept.html#data-protection-relationships

3) CloudSync and XCP are for copying files and almost no one does that for migrations from ONTAP to ONTAP

4) NetApp Data Migration would be the service. 

5) Migration Assistant is documented on the Azure site, it's not a NetApp tool as far as I can tell. But it looks like it may be a nice wrapper for the same process described by AWS at the top, where SnapMirror is established, and the entire workflow (establish cluster relationship, create SVM in the cloud, create corresponding volumes, establish SnapMirror replication, etc. until switch over) is packaged for easy execution (as long as it's not interrupted).

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-netapp-files/migrate-volumes?tabs=restapi

[Bhuppi]

Hi. Thanks a ton!!!

3) CloudSync and XCP are for copying files and almost no one does that for migrations from ONTAP to ONTAP.  

Actually we're looking for ONTAP to Cloud Migration. Also, one specific account is actually insisting on this one only as they have lots of 'unstructured' workloads. Does DobiMigrate(DataDobi) provides any trial license for a test migration.  Pls advise.  Thanks.