How Does SMS Differ from IMS in the Migration Scenario?
The following describes the differences between SMS and IMS in terms of application scenarios, migration processes, and service continuity.
Application Scenarios
- IMS is used to migrate on-premises servers to the cloud. IMS enables you to create images for source servers and use the images for migration. The images are usually used for deploying specific software environments, batch deploying software environments, and backing up server running environments. For details, see IMS Application Scenarios.
- SMS is used to migrate x86 physical servers or VMs on premises or in private or public clouds to Huawei Cloud. For details, see What Is SMS?
Migration Process
- To use IMS for migration, you need to create images for source servers and then use the images to create target servers. For details, see Creating a Private Image.
- To use SMS for migration, you need to install and start the Agent on each source server and start the migration. For details, see How Do I Install the Agent on Source Servers?
Service Continuity
- If you use IMS for migration, your services need to be stopped for a long time for image creation.
- If you use SMS for migration, your services do not have to go down during the migration. You only need to pause services briefly for service cutover before the final synchronization. After the final synchronization is complete, you can start services on the target server. SMS ensures minimal downtime.
Service cutover refers to switching services from the source to the target.
Feedback
Was this page helpful?
Provide feedbackThank you very much for your feedback. We will continue working to improve the documentation.