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Checklist for Porting an Existing Application to Cloud

This sample checklist lists out major tasks required for porting an existing application to the cloud platform. It is based on the following scenario -

• The existing system includes a web based Internet application managed by the application owner ( "owner" ) with an application server, a database server and a web server.
• The exercise involves porting all of the three-tiered servers to a Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) cloud provider ( "provider" ) with fully compatible OS and server software.
• The application owner will have the technical expertise (which can be acquired through outsourcing) to perform the porting.

Porting an existing application to cloud normally involves three key steps: (a) Preparation, (b) Migration and (c) Switchover.

During the preparation step, checking and customizations will be required on the environment setup, application configuration and data security settings to ensure compatibility and tighten data security in the cloud environment. The cloud platform will also be configured during this step. Network service settings (such as firewall, load-balancing and other access controls) should be reviewed and updated according to the network connectivity requirements of the cloud provider and also the application owner.

In the migration step, application software and respective data from the latest backup will be migrated to the cloud platform and thoroughly tested to ensure that the application can work under the cloud environment. To facilitate migration, Physical-to-Virtual (P2V) tools can be deployed where applicable to minimize the discrepancy in server configuration setup between the physical and virtual environments. The P2V tools can convert majority of physical machines and third-party clone image formats to virtual machines for working in the cloud. The final switchover date can then be fixed when the migration and testing have been completed.

During the switchover step, the application service will often need to be suspended (or frozen) for a short period during which the last minute production data will be copied to the cloud platform. Subsequent access to the application will be switched to the cloud platform and the whole porting process will then be completed.

The major tasks for porting to the cloud platform will basically be the same for both development and production sites. Porting of development site should be conducted first so that the experience gained can be used to enable a smoother porting of production site and minimize the risks.

Checklist of Major Tasks

Sample Test Plan