What is AWS Application Migration Service?
AWS Application Migration Service (MGN) automates the lift-and-shift migration of physical, virtual, and cloud servers to the AWS Cloud. The service continuously replicates your servers at the block level, allowing you to perform a cutover at any time without rewriting or modifying applications.
MGN is the successor to CloudEndure Migration and the recommended service for rehosting migrations. The agent replicates disk changes in real-time to AWS. During the planned cutover, replicated servers are launched as EC2 instances. Actual downtime is typically only minutes.
Core Features
- Continuous Replication: Block-level replication of source servers to the AWS Cloud
- Minimal Downtime: Cutover with typically only minutes of interruption
- No Application Changes: Servers are migrated 1:1, including OS, applications, and data
- Test Launches: Test migration without affecting production operations
- Post-Launch Actions: Automated adjustments after cutover (e.g., IP configuration)
Typical Use Cases
Data Center Migration: Migrate hundreds of servers from your data center to the AWS Cloud. MGN replicates all servers in parallel and enables controlled cutovers in migration waves.
Rehosting as a First Step: Migrate applications unchanged to the cloud first. After migration, you can modernize, refactor, or switch to cloud-native services at your own pace.
Disaster Recovery: Use continuous replication as a disaster recovery solution. In case of a source environment failure, replicated servers can be launched in AWS within minutes.
Benefits
- 90 days of free replication per server
- Minimal downtime through continuous replication
- No changes to applications required
- Scalable for migrations from single servers to thousands
Integration with innFactory
As an AWS Reseller, innFactory supports you with AWS Application Migration Service: planning migration waves, executing the technical migration, and post-migration optimization of your workloads.
Typical Use Cases
Frequently Asked Questions
What is AWS Application Migration Service?
AWS Application Migration Service (MGN) is the primary service for lift-and-shift migrations to AWS. It continuously replicates your servers to the AWS Cloud and enables a quick cutover with minimal downtime without requiring application changes.
How does the migration work technically?
A lightweight agent on the source server continuously replicates disks to the AWS Cloud (block-level replication). During cutover, EC2 instances are launched from the replicated data. Downtime is limited to the time for the final sync and DNS switch.
Is the service free?
Replication is free for the first 90 days per server. After that, small hourly charges apply for replication servers. You also pay for EC2 instances and EBS volumes used during replication and after cutover.