Migrating to a Version 8.5 stand-alone application server on a remote machine

Use the migration tools to migrate from a Version 6.1 or later to a Version 8.5 stand-alone application server on a remote machine.

Before you begin

Supported configurations:

This article is about configuration migration to a Version 8.5 stand-alone application server on a remote machine. The Application Migration Toolkit for WebSphere® Application Server provides support for migrating applications from previous versions of WebSphere Application Server to the latest product version. For information about migrating applications, read more about the Application Migration Toolkit.

Read Overview of migration, coexistence, and interoperability and Premigration considerations.

Typically, you can use the WASPreUpgrade and the WASPostUpgrade migration tools to upgrade from Version 6.1 or later to Version 8.5 on the same machine. However, some scenarios require that you migrate the Version 6.1 or later configuration on one machine to Version 8.5 on a different machine. One of these scenarios is when you install new machines for your Version 8.5 environment but need to migrate your existing Version 6.1 or later configuration from other machines.

To ensure that your operating system is supported by WebSphere Application Server Version 8.5, visit the following site for the most current list of supported hardware and software: WebSphere Application Server system requirements.

The WASPreUpgrade command saves the existing Version 6.1 or later configuration into a migration-specific backup directory. The WASPostUpgrade command uses this directory to add the old configuration settings to the new Version 8.5 environment.

Tip: Before migrating a WebSphere Application Server Version 6.1 or later stand-alone application server on a remote machine, use the backupConfig command or your own preferred backup utility to back up your existing configuration if you want to be able to restore it to its previous state after migration. Make sure that you note the exact name and location of this backed-up configuration. For more information, see backupConfig command.

For help in troubleshooting problems when migrating, see Troubleshooting migration.

Procedure

Install WebSphere Application Server Version 8.5 on the target machine.
Install the same features as the earlier release. For more information, see the documentation about installing an application-serving environment.
Create the remote migration .jar file on the target machine.
This .jar file contains the files necessary to run the WASPreUpgrade command on a system which does not have WebSphere Application Server Version 8.5 installed.
Avoid trouble: You must create the remote migration .jar file on the same operating system and architecture as you installed the source. Because the archive that is generated contains operating system specific code, it only executes on this architecture.

Video: Creating a remote migration JAR file (V8.0)
1. Identify the operating system and architecture of the source profile.
  If the operating system and architecture of the source profile is different from the operation system or the architecture of the target profile, then you must install WebSphere Application Server Version 8.5 on a system that matches the source profile before creating the remote migration jar. Once you have generated the remote migration jar, it will work on any system which matches the operating system and architecture.
2. Create the remote migration .jar.
  1. In the command prompt, enter: cd $WAS_HOME/bin/migration/bin
  2. To create the .jar file, run: createRemoteMigrJar.bat(sh) -targetDir <dir for the remote migration jar>. This creates the following file: WAS_V85_OS.arch_RemoteMigrSupport.zip. For example: WAS_V85_windows.x86_RemoteMigrSupport.zip
3. Prepare the remote system for the WasPreUpgrade command.
  1. Send the .jar file to the system where your source profile resides.
  2. Extract the file to a temporary location.
  3. Cd to the bin directory in the temporary location.
  You are now ready to run the WASPreUpgrade command against the source profile. However, do not issue this command until you are told to do so in a later step.
Save the current application server configuration by running the WASPreUpgrade command on the source host.
See the steps about saving and archiving the configuration data in Migrating product configurations with migration tools.
Copy the migration_specific_backup directory from the WebSphere Application Server Version 6.1 or later machine to the Version 8.5 machine.

Use the ftp command, shared storage, or some other mechanism to copy the directory to the new machine.
Use the Profile Management tool or the manageprofiles command to create a WebSphere Application Server Version 8.5 profile.
For more information, see Managing profiles using the graphical user interface or manageprofiles command.
Add the WebSphere Application Server Version 6.1 or later configuration to the Version 8.5 configuration.
Use the WASPostUpgrade command in the app_server_root/bin directory of the Version 8.5 installation to add the Version 6.1 or later configuration to the Version 8.5 configuration.
```
./WASPostUpgrade.sh /filepath/migration_specific_backup
```
```
WASPostUpgrade C:\filepath\migration_specific_backup
```
See WASPostUpgrade command for more information.
The WASPostUpgrade tool records information specific to each enterprise bean it deploys in the migration_specific_backup/WASPostUpgrade.log file.
Modify the configuration using the WebSphere Application Server Version 8.5 administrative console.
1. Change user IDs and passwords to match security requirements.
  You might have to change user IDs and passwords if they are not identical to those in use on the Version 6.1 or later machine.
2. Change other machine-specific information.
  The configuration might refer to other software products or configurations that do not exist on the new machine. For example, the old machine might have a database. Modify the data source to point to the database on the old machine.

Results

You have migrated WebSphere Application Server from Version 6.1 or later to a remote Version 8.5 machine.