1. Plan the Migration
- Assessment: Analyze the current setup, including servers, databases, dependencies, and workloads.
- Inventory: Document application components, resources, and configurations.
- Sizing: Map existing workloads to Google Cloud services (e.g., Compute Engine, Cloud SQL).
- Network Design: Plan VPCs, subnets, firewall rules, and interconnect options.
- Backup Plan: Ensure a rollback strategy in case of issues during migration.
2. Prepare the GCP Environment
- VPC Setup: Create a VPC with subnets across multiple regions or zones.
- Security: Set up IAM roles, firewall rules, and service accounts.
- Database Configuration: Set up Cloud SQL, Cloud Spanner, or a custom database on Compute Engine.
- AD Server: Use Managed Service for Microsoft Active Directory or deploy a custom AD on a VM.
- Application Server: Configure Compute Engine, App Engine, or Kubernetes Engine (GKE) for hosting.
3. Migrate Database
- Backup: Export a backup of the current database.
- Migration: Use Database Migration Service (DMS) or manual methods (e.g., import/export tools).
- Replication: Configure real-time replication between the on-prem database and Cloud SQL.
- Validation: Check data consistency and resolve any issues after migration.
4. Migrate Application Server
- Packaging: Package the application using containerization (e.g., Docker) or as VM images.
- Deployment: Deploy the application on Compute Engine, App Engine, or GKE.
- DNS Configuration: Update DNS records to route traffic to the application hosted in GCP.
5. Migrate Active Directory (AD)
- Replication: Integrate with Managed Service for Microsoft Active Directory or deploy a VM-based AD.
- DNS Configuration: Sync DNS zones between on-prem and GCP environments.
- Validation: Test authentication and access management across the environment.
6. Test and Validate
- End-to-End Testing: Verify the functionality of all components (application, database, and AD).
- Performance Analysis: Use Cloud Monitoring and Cloud Trace to identify performance issues.
- Failover Testing: Test backup and failover scenarios for disaster recovery.
7. Cutover and Go Live
- Schedule Downtime: Plan a maintenance window for the final cutover.
- Final Sync: Sync the latest data from the on-prem environment to GCP.
- Traffic Switch: Update DNS settings to point to GCP-hosted resources.
- Monitoring: Continuously monitor the environment using Google Cloud Monitoring.
8. Post-Migration Optimization
- Scaling: Configure autoscaling for Compute Engine or GKE.
- Security: Regularly update IAM policies, firewalls, and service accounts.
- Cost Optimization: Use Cloud Billing Reports and Recommender for cost-saving insights.
Downtime Considerations
- Database Migration: Downtime of 2–4 hours for the final database sync and cutover.
- DNS Propagation: Can take 15 minutes to 24 hours, depending on TTL settings. Lower TTL values beforehand to minimize delays.
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