TRILIO.

IO

VMware to
OpenStack
Migration:
A Planning Guide
Table of Contents

Introduction

Why a Technology-Driven Process

Migration Planning

• Define Migration Goals and Objectives

• Assess Your Current Environment

• Assess Application and Workload Compatibility

• Build a Project Team

• Select Migration Tools and Technologies

• Develop a Migration Plan and Timeline

• Pilot Testing and Proof of Concept

• Skills Inventory

• Project Management

• Post-Migration Validation and Optimization

• Post Migration Ownership

• Migration Workflow Summary

Conclusion

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Introduction
Historically, many organizations have been charting their course through the changing
terrain of cloud computing, shifting from proprietary technologies to open-source
platforms. This move provides for a significant opportunity to innovate, scale, and
achieve cost savings. Until recently, this decision has been at a tactical departmental-
level, done on a project-by-project basis. This often happens as new technologies come
to market (an “early adopter phase”) inviting groups of individuals who champion,
prototype, evaluate, and educate others on new technologies.

Most recently, we have seen a number of forces (such as the acquisition of VMware by
Broadcom) accelerate the adoption of Open Infrastructure solutions such as
OpenStack, Kubernetes, and KubeVirt across an organization. The reasons for this
transition and migration include:

✓ Cost:
o Potential for significant cost savings. Open source eliminates licensing fees
associated with VMware products, leading to a lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).
Hardware costs can also be reduced as open-source tools tend to be less resource-
intensive
✓ Scalability and Performance:
o OpenStack and Kubernetes are designed to be highly scalable and efficient, making
them well-suited for handling large-scale deployments and dynamic workloads. This
scalability can help businesses meet growing demand without experiencing
performance bottlenecks or excessive costs.
✓ Compliance and Security:
o Open-source software often provides greater transparency and control over security
and compliance requirements. Businesses can audit the code, implement security
best practices, and customize configurations to meet regulatory standards and
protect sensitive data.
✓ Reduce Vendor Lock-In:
o By adopting open-source technologies, organizations can avoid vendor lock-in and
dependency on a single vendor with proprietary solutions like VMware. This provides
greater freedom to choose different hardware vendors, cloud providers, and software
solutions, reducing the risk of being locked into a particular ecosystem.
✓ Flexibility
o Open source offers greater flexibility to tailor the infrastructure to specific needs.
Open standards and APIs allow for easier integration with various tools and
technologies.
✓ Future-Proofing:
o Open-source technologies are continuously evolving, with new features and updates
being released regularly. By adopting OpenStack and Kubernetes, businesses can
future-proof their infrastructure and stay ahead of technological advancements in the
rapidly changing IT landscape.

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In the past migration processes have often been daunting, resource-intensive, and
inflexible, making the transition from one platform to another a complex and taxing
endeavor. However, it’s crucial to prioritize such migrations to prevent future renewals
from consuming budgets that could otherwise be allocated to necessary migrations.

This white paper is to serve as comprehensive guide and roadmap offering valuable
insights and best practices for efficiently planning and executing your migration journey.
It emphasizes a technology-driven approach, supplemented with practical insights, best
practices, and real-world experiences, all aimed at guiding organizations through their
migration journey from VMware to Open Infrastructure.

The process begins with an assessment of the current environment, the decision about
migrating to OpenStack, Kubernetes, KubeVirt or a combination of the three, followed
by an optimized approach to executing the project.

Note - To achieve timelines, goals and save valuable time, money and other
resources, prioritize migration as a first objective or priority, determine the
total amount of VMs that require rehosting or alternatively retiring. Post this
initial “lift and shift” of VMs to your OpenStack environment, then engage in
replatforming exercises as a next step or 2nd Priority. Refactor applications at
your own speed without the burden of a VMware renewal on the horizon.

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Why a Technology-Driven Process
Technology-driven migration solutions, as opposed to a services-driven process, offer
numerous benefits when migrating virtualization platforms. In addition to bringing
repeatability to the project, they significantly reduce the complexity of the migration
process by automating many of the tasks involved, such as data transfer and
application rehosting. This not only saves time but also minimizes the risk of errors that
can occur with manual processes.

Leveraging technology during the migration process offers numerous other significant
benefits such as:

• Reduced Resource Requirements: Streamlining migration tasks, minimizes

resource utilization.
• Repeatable and Predictable Process: Trilio software ensures consistent
execution of migration steps, leading to predictable outcomes.
• Scalable Approach: Trilio software is scalable and can accommodate all types
of migrations.
• Train the Trainer Model: Technology enabled migration enables a “train the
trainer" model which allows for knowledge transfer within your organization or
with a trusted partner. This approach fosters internal expertise and operational
efficiency, resulting in reduced long-term costs.

Any technology-enabled VMware migration should automate much of the “lift and
shift” of the VMs described as part of the implementation and execution of the
migration. At a high level, below is a migration workflow example Trilio recommends
implementing:

We suggest you look at your VMware renewal date as the driving force the create
energy around the migration. Even though migrating applications to a new platform can
look like a complex process, with a clear strategy and the right tools, it can be
accomplished efficiently.

We suggest a multi-step approach. Step One: Move to OpenStack; Step Two: Look at
modernizing the applications by containerizing it and making it available on Kubernetes.

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Using the above framework, you would first look at a swift mass migration to
OpenStack. It’s flexible and scalable nature makes it an ideal platform for such a task,
allowing for the rapid transfer of data and applications.

Once the initial migration to OpenStack is complete, the focus, if determined, can then
shift to optimizing the new environment. This is where technologies such as Kubernetes
or KubeVirt come into play. One distribution of KubeVirt is Red Hat’s OpenShift
Virtualization (OCP-Virtualization). OpenShift-Virtualization allows you to run and
manage virtual machine workloads alongside container workloads. It’s a powerful
platform that can provide additional flexibility and efficiency in your cloud environment.

Of course, you can decide to migrate from vSphere to OpenShift-Virtualization as your

platform of choice. Whereby, leveraging migration tools such as Red Hat’s Migration
Toolkit for Virtualization (MTV) to migrate virtual machines from VMware.

While the deadline may look difficult to meet, with the right approach, it’s possible to
achieve a smooth and successful multi-step transition. Remember, the goal is not just to
migrate, but to create an environment that supports your organization’s growth and
evolution in the long term.

Below is an overview of the migration steps, which are covered in some detail in the
planning section.

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Migration Planning
The following sections are the steps that we urge you to implement to assure a successful
migration from VMware to Open Infrastructure platforms.

Define Migration Goals and Objectives:

The first step is to determine platform so that basic goals and decisions can be set.

• Select the Platform(s) to migrate to. For example:

o Focus on Containerized Applications ► Kubernetes
o Need for Traditional VMs and Cloud Management ► OpenStack
o Achieve Hybrid Approach

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The primary reason for defining Migration Goals is to streamline the process, ensuring
that all involved parties understand the desired outcomes. This approach has several
advantages.

• It allows for the efficient allocation of tasks and resources, which can lead to
significant time savings.
• It enables the tracking of progress against quantifiable stages, allowing for
adjustments as needed to stay on schedule.
• It promotes teamwork and communication, fostering a sense of collective
responsibility.
• It helps to mitigate risks by foreseeing potential obstacles and planning for them.

Therefore, setting migration goals with a focus on time efficiency, resource optimization,
and measurable stages is a key factor in achieving timely success in a cloud migration
project.

Assess Your Current Environment:

Conduct a comprehensive assessment of the existing VMware environment, including

virtual machines, storage, networking, and dependencies. Document the current
configurations, workloads, performance metrics, and usage patterns. As a part of this
phase, categorize and prioritize individual applications as - to be retired vs. to be
migrate by priority (P1, P2) or modernized (reengineer them to a container-based
architecture).

Assess Application and Workload Compatibility:

Based on the above assess compatibility, dependencies, and performance

requirements of applications running on VMware to ensure seamless migration.

Build a Project Team:

Assemble a small cross-functional team with expertise in virtualization, cloud

computing, networking, security, DevOps, application development and project
management. These teammates are not required on a full-time basis. However, they
can act as governance boards, decision makers and liaisons to other stakeholders and
groups within your organization. Ultimately, the goal is to assemble a team that can

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effectively manage the technical, business, and human aspects of the cloud migration
process.

Select Migration Tools and Technologies:

Evaluate migration software, automation frameworks, and best practices for migrating
workloads, data, and configurations for migration. Choose tools that align with migration
requirements, scalability, and ease of use.

Develop a Migration Plan and Timeline:

Develop a detailed migration plan outlining the sequence of migration tasks,

dependencies, milestones, and timelines. Identify potential risks, challenges, and
mitigation strategies to minimize disruptions during the migration process.

Pilot Testing and Proof of Concept:

Conduct pilot testing and proof of concept (POC) exercises to validate the migration
plan, evaluate migration tools, and assess the feasibility of migrating critical workloads
to OpenStack. Gather feedback, iterate on the migration plan, and address any issues
or challenges identified during testing.

Skills Inventory:

Perform a skills inventory and if you find any gaps. Engage consultants and other
experts when there is a skills gap in the organization. These external experts bring in
specialized knowledge and experience that can bridge the skills gap effectively ensuring
that the project stay on track, adhering to the set timelines.

Working alongside these partners, during the migration, internal teams and relevant
stakeholders will have the ability to learn about the future platform(s) that will replace
VMware including architecture, deployment methodologies, best practices, and
troubleshooting techniques.

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Project Management:

Make sure you have a single voice of project status through a project manager. They
will play a pivotal role during a cloud migration, offering several benefits including
timeline management, cost control, communications, risk mitigation and issue
escalation and resolution.

Post-Migration Validation and Optimization:

This process should ensure that all migrated workloads are functioning as expected in
the new environment. It involves checking the compatibility of applications, verifying
network configurations, and validating data integrity. If any issues are identified during
this testing phase, you should have the flexibility to re-migrate, as necessary. This
iterative approach allows for continuous improvement and fine-tuning of the migration
process. It also provides an opportunity to address any unforeseen challenges or
complications that may arise, ensuring a successful transition to OpenStack.

Post Migration Ownership:

Document migration processes, configurations, and lessons learned to create a

knowledge base for future reference and continuous improvement. Organizations can
ensure effective knowledge transfer through several strategies: Training Sessions,
Mentorship Programs, Regular Meetings, Knowledge Management Systems or
Collaboration Tools. Post Migration Ownership and the ability to continuously operate
the new environment with Day 2 tooling and platforms, such as backup, recovery and
monitoring are critical in the projects continued pursuit of return on investment.

Migration Workflow Summary:

The following image summarizes the Migration Planning components as discussed

above in this document. This level of organization helps to identify potential bottlenecks
and mitigate issues before they escalate, thereby minimizing risks and helping you
achieve quicker success.

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10
Conclusion
A technology-driven approach makes planning and executing migrations much simpler
enabling a much more efficient transition from VMware to the modern Open
Infrastructure of your choice.

The journey is as much more predictable and much shorter than using a services-led
approach and can be implemented in phases where benefits can be realized very
quickly -- very often in 30-60 days. The migration can also help you realize the benefits
of OpenStack and KubeVirt by unlocking the full potential of cloud-native technologies
and open standards, and achieve significant benefits in terms of agility, scalability,
innovation and cost-effectiveness.

The following are links to additional materials which may help you on your journey:

• (Whitepaper) Technology-Driven VMware to OpenStack Migration: A Comprehensive

Guide
o https://trilio.io/resources/technology-driven-vmware-to-openstack-migration-a-
comprehensive-guide/
• (Blog Post) Software Driven Migration: VMware to OpenStack
o https://trilio.io/resources/software-driven-migration-vmware-to-openstack/
• (Newsletter) Shared Insights Newsletter from Trilio
o https://trilio.io/newsletters/

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About Trilio

Trilio is a leading provider of cloud-native Data Protection software solutions, supporting

private, public and hybrid-clouds, engineered from ground up for Kubernetes, KubeVirt
and OpenStack environments. At Trilio, we believe that data protection should be
effortless, automated, and predictable. Our platforms deliver a modern data protection
experience that gives customers more power and control over their applications and
data. Cloud Architects, Platform Engineers, ITOps and DevOps departments, rely on
Trilio technology for operational resiliency to perform critical tasks such as data backup
and recovery, migration, ransomware protection, application mobility and disaster
recovery.

Either in place, or into other clusters and clouds, Trilio’s software dramatically reduces
the amount of time spent on restoration and migration activities empowering customers
from diverse sectors, such as telecommunications, financial services, defense,
automotive and healthcare with the ability to easily deploy, manage and scale
applications with confidence. Trilio has been a Premier Red Hat partner since 2017.

For more information, visit or contact us:

Trilio.io
linkedin.com/company/Trilio
Tel: + 1 (508) 233 3912
e-mail: [email protected]

Copyright © 2024 by Trilio Data, Inc.

All rights reserved. This document or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any
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