Article

Assure QuickEDD: simplify the migration of your data to your new IBM i server

Publication date

Are you upgrading your IBM Power servers to the latest models? There are many benefits to this kind of transition, including enhancing the performance of your infrastructure. However, transferring your data and applications may prove to be tricky because it can be a complex procedure.

What are the risks of transferring your data to your new Power system?

  • Service disruption
    The amount of data to migrate can be enormous. As a result, copying this data onto physical storage devices may interrupt your company’s activities.
  • More work for the person overseeing the migration
    When data is migrated using a physical storage device, the person in charge must carry out a complete recovery using a tape, test it on the new environment, and finally erase everything and start over with a second cartridge during the final transfer.
  • The complexity of restoring a previous version of your operating system
    Migrating data to a new server often involves updates to your operating system. In some cases, a new version may even be required. If complications occur after a standard migration, restoring your system to a previous version might be the only option available. This could prove difficult because:1- you will either lose all the transactions made on the new server and disrupt production on the old server. This could result in disastrous losses for the company.
    2- or you will need to use a tape to reintegrate the data onto the old server. This is a long and arduous process which could lead to an extended service disruption.

Assure QuickEDD: guaranteeing high availability and a quick resumption of activities

Assure QuickEDD is a replication software solution that can simplify the transition to a new server when used as a migration kit.

How does it work?

Simply install the new version of your operating system on the new server and configure Assure QuickEDD to copy your data and IBM i objects in real time from the old server to the new one. Once the initial synchronization is finished, you’ll be able to test your new system. Meanwhile, your applications will still be available on your old server so your activities remain uninterrupted.

This process will ensure the server change has a minimal impact on your company:

  • The service will be disrupted for 1 hour at most during the transfer. Keep in mind a migration using physical media may take more than 12 hours because applications need to stop, the data needs to be saved and then recovered, tests need to be carried out and the system needs to be rebooted.
  • If a major problem occurs with your applications, restoring to a previous version is extremely easy. With Assure QuickEDD, you only need to reverse the replication of the new server to the old one: the transactions will also be instantaneously copied.

What are the other benefits of Assure QuickEDD?

A flexible solution

  • Assure QuickEDD can quickly replicate all sorts of data.
  • It is compatible with several versions of IBM i operation systems, various storage solutions, and any replication software currently installed on your system.
  • It can adapt to the workloads of businesses of any size.

A powerful client… that doesn’t take up space!

  • Assure QuickEDD takes up less than 50MB!
  • It uses less than 5% of the CPU on the production system during the initial synchronization.
  • It does not require a powerful network link: the data transfer can be compressed and even encrypted.

An efficient tool for specific cases

With its features, Assure QuickEDD can be an efficient solution in a variety of scenarios:

  • It can act as a permanent bridge between production and backup servers to ensure the company can quickly recover in case of a disaster.
  • It can also be used to copy production data onto a development environment you can refresh when needed.

At R2i, we can use Assure QuickEDD to simplify our clients’ migration to the R2i Cloud. This software means they don’t have to transport physical tape cartridges, simplifies testing before the data is transferred and limits application disruption during the migration. Want to find out more about this solution? Our experts are available to help you see if it’s a solution suited to your needs.

 

Share on your social media