• An automated lift-and-shift solution that simplifies, expedites, and lowers the cost of migrating applications to AWS.

• It converts source servers to run natively on AWS.

How It Works

• Install AWS Replication Agent on the source servers.

• If you use agentless replication for vCenter feature, you must add your source servers by installing the AWS MGN vCenter Client.

• Replicate source servers to AWS.

• Perform acceptance tests on servers.

• Execute a cutover instance.

Concepts

• Replication Settings

  • Determines how data will be replicated from source servers to AWS.

  • The Replication Settings template specifies how data replication will be implemented on each new server.

  • Replication servers (EC2 instances) are automatically launched and terminated as needed.

• The launch template controls how MGN launches instances in AWS.

• Post-launch Settings

  • To enable post-launch actions, you must allow MGN to install the SSM Agent on your servers.

  • You can configure the following to a post-launch settings template:

    • Automate target instance deployment.

    • Prepare the migrated servers for disaster recovery.

    • Convert operating system.

    • Change license and subscription.

• Source Servers

  • To migrate your servers into AWS, you’ll need to have a source server.

  • By installing AWS Replication Agent on each individual server, source servers will automatically be added to the AWS MGN.

  • Agentless snapshot replication 

    • Enables you to replicate source servers into AWS without installing an agent.

    • You can perform it from the vCenter source environment into AWS.

• Launch Settings

  • General launch settings – allows you to modify a number of server-specific settings

  • EC2 launch template – utilizes templates to launch test and cutover EC2 instances.

  • You can test or cutover: 

    • One source server at a time.

    • Multiple source servers simultaneously.

• Launch history allows you to track and manage all operations performed.

Networking

• The data replicated from your source servers to AWS is located in the staging area subnet.

• Staging area subnet data is sent over TCP port 443 to the API endpoint:

  • https://mgn.{region}.amazonaws.com/. Replace “{region}”

• While the source server’s data is sent over TCP port 1500 to the staging area subnet.

• Instances for test and cutover are launched in the subnet specified in the EC2 Launch Template associated with each source server.

• The EC2 launch template is automatically created when you add a source server to AWS MGN.

Monitoring

• Use CloudWatch to monitor AWS resources and applications in real time.

• You can also configure alarms to monitor specific thresholds and send notifications or take action when those thresholds are reached.

• With CloudTrail, you can log API calls and related events and send them to an S3 bucket.

• You can use EventBridge to send an event whenever a Source server launch is complete.

Security

• Use the global condition context keys in resource policies to limit the permissions granted by AWS MGN.

  • aws:SourceArn

  • aws :SourceAccount

• To install the AWS Replication Agent, you must first generate an AWS credentials:

  • Persistent IAM credentials

  • Non-persistent IAM credentials

Pricing

• You are charged for: 

  • Any AWS infrastructure provisioned to facilitate data replication.

  • Resources provisioned when you launch test or cutover instances.

References:
https://aws.amazon.com/application-migration-service/
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/mgn/latest/ug/what-is-application-migration-service.html