PlateSpin Transformation Manager 1.1 is a planning, tracking, and automation solution for data center transformation projects. It features familiar project roles, progress visualization with a dashboard, and support for all workload transformation methods. Import with automatic discovery simplifies and standardizes the setup of workloads and target hosts for planning. In Automated Mode, you can control the transformation workflow from import to cutover from a single point of control across large server farms of PlateSpin Migrate servers. Your team can increase project predictability, transformation speed, and success ratios, which helps reduce overall project costs and time to completion.
PlateSpin Migrate Connector supports workload and host discovery, load-balances the assignment of migration jobs to PlateSpin Migrate servers, and manages communications for the execution and monitoring of transformation plans for your VMware migration projects.
Many features in this product were made in direct response to suggestions from our customers. We thank you for your time and valuable input. We hope you continue to help us ensure that our products meet all your needs. You can post feedback in our online Micro Focus Communities that also include product information, blogs, and links to helpful resources.
The documentation for this product is available on the NetIQ website in HTML and PDF formats. If you have suggestions for documentation improvements, click comment on this topic at the bottom of any page in the HTML version of the documentation posted at the PlateSpin Transformation Manager Documentation website.
To download this product, see PlateSpin Transformation Manager on the NetIQ Downloads website.
Public Internet access is required for communications with the Micro Focus License Server. See Section 7.1, Internet Access.
PlateSpin Transformation Manager 1.1 introduces new features and enhancements, improves performance, and resolves several known issues.
PlateSpin Transformation Manager 1.1 Appliance provides the following enhancements:
PlateSpin Migrate Connector. PlateSpin Transformation Manager 1.1 Appliance includes an instance of PlateSpin Migrate Connector 1.1 that is automatically installed and configured to work with the PlateSpin Transformation Manager server running on the Appliance.
Web Interface Session Timeout.
The Session Timeout interval option allows the appliance administrator to configure the interval of inactivity that triggers a timeout for sessions in the Web Interface. See Web Interface Session Timeout
in the PlateSpin Transformation Manager Appliance Guide.
Update Channel.
You can use the Online Update option to manage product updates for Transformation Manager 1.1 server software, product updates for the PlateSpin Migrate Connector 1.1 software for the installed instance, and security updates for the software and operating system on the Appliance host VM. See Online Update
in the PlateSpin Transformation Manager Appliance Guide.
PlateSpin Transformation Manager 1.1 Web Interface provides several new features and enhancements:
Automatic discovery of source workloads and target VMware hosts.
You can automatically discover details about a workload or host if a PlateSpin Migrate Connector and valid login credentials are available during import. You can retry failed discoveries, and rediscover modified workloads or hosts. See About Workload Discovery
and About Automated Host Discovery
.
Import with auto-discovery. Enhanced import capabilities leverage PlateSpin Migrate Connector to provide automatic discovery on import. PlateSpin Migrate servers are not required for discovery. They can be set up later in for your VMware migration projects.
Target VMware Cluster hosts.
The Create Host dialog allows you to import target VMware Cluster hosts using a single IP address. It automatically discovers and creates resources for the host’s networks, datastores, and resource pools. See Discovery Requirements for Target Hosts
.
Source Workloads.
You can use Import or Spreadsheet Import for import with automatic discovery. See Discovery Requirements for Source Workloads
.
Import source workloads using a single IP address or a range of IP address (0 to 255). You can specify up to four Credentials resources to try.
Import source workloads using a Import spreadsheet that provides minimal details. Discovery is available for a workload only if you specify a valid Credentials resource or the credentials to create one.
Automated execution and tracking for VMware migration projects.
In a PlateSpin Migration Environment, you can automate the execution of migrations for your VMware migration projects. See PlateSpin Migration Factory Environment
and About Automated Migration
.
Planning Mode and Automated Mode. The Mode setting for a project determines whether default migration settings apply to workloads on import.
Work in Planning Mode for planning and tracking any-to-any migration projects with manual execution.
Work in Automated Mode for planning, executing, and tracking VMware migration projects with automated execution in a PlateSpin Migration Environment. See PlateSpin Migration Factory Environment
.
PlateSpin Migrate Connector global settings.
The Configuration > Migrate Connector page provides settings that apply globally to all PlateSpin Migrate Connector instances assigned to PlateSpin Transformation Manager or to specific projects. See Configuring PlateSpin Migrate Connector
.
Migration sub status messages. The Status column on the Workloads page includes migration sub status messages for events that occur on an assigned PlateSpin Migrate Server. The sub status also appears below the Status at the top of the Transformation dialog. Mouse over the sub status to see more information about the issue as a tooltip.
Synchronization of workload migration settings. In Automated Mode, Transformation Manager synchronizes workload migration settings with the assigned Migrate server to ensure data integrity of the transformation plan. You can edit a workload migration configuration in Transformation Manager or in PlateSpin Migrate.
Transformation planning enhancements for Automated Mode.
Use the Migration Settings panel to set workload preferences for automated migration. See Migration Settings
.
Specify whether to Install VMware Tools in the Location panel. See Location
.
Specify a NIC for use during replication in the Network Interfaces panel. Configuring the Source NIC to Use for Replication
.
Specify Testing Network Interfaces for test cutover. See Testing Network Interfaces
.
Use Auto Assign in the Transformation Plan panel to allow Migrate Connector to assign a Migrate server for the workload’s migration job. See Auto Assign
.
Storage settings are restricted to the Same as Source storage mapping strategy. You can remove disks and volumes (preventing them from being replicated to the target environment), set the datastore location for volumes, and add remote storage, but you cannot otherwise modify the storage profile. See Storage
.
During migration execution, the migration sub-status messages are available below the status. See Migration Sub Status
.
Transformation planning enhancements for all modes.
Retry is available for recoverable failed states or failed discovery.
Rediscover is available for source workloads and target hosts.
The ID tooltip includes the Migration Server WL ID and Discovery IP address.
The Storage panel provides a tree view of the workload storage infrastructure by Disks or Volumes.
After submitting the workload for transformation, you can modify the Wave, Batch, Start Date and Time, Cutover Date and Time, and On Hold options without withdrawing the workload. You can also create user-provided notes in the Transformation History. See Editing a Workload Transformation after Submit
and Adding User Notes to the Transformation History
.
The Transformation History records events in the workload’s transformation workflow as well as user-provided notes. See Viewing the Transformation History
and Adding User Notes to the Transformation History
.
Advanced Search.
The layout of options has been reorganized to keep like options together. See Advanced Search of Data
.
The Sub Status option allows you to search on migration sub status events for workloads. See Migration Sub Status
.
Bulk Edit.
The Bulk Edit dialog adds support for migration-related settings. See About Bulk Edit
.
Replication Network resource
Migration Server resource
For more information, see the PlateSpin Transformation Manager User Guide.
PlateSpin Migrate Connector 1.1 provides the following new features and enhancements:
PlateSpin integration. Migrate Connector integrates Transformation Manager and your PlateSpin Migrate servers by using event messaging and secure REST API communications.
Multiple Connector instances. You can have multiple Connector instances for a single Transformation Manager server, where each instance is associated with a separate project.
Global configuration settings.
Global configuration settings on the Migrate Connector page in PlateSpin Transformation Manager apply to all Connector instances. See Configuring PlateSpin Migrate Connector
in the PlateSpin Transformation Manager User Guide.
Automated discovery. Migrate Connector supports automated discovery of source Windows and Linux workloads and target VMware Cluster hosts for your project.
Round-robin load-balancing for migration jobs. Migrate Connector uses round-robin load-balancing to distribute workload migration jobs evenly across large server farms of the PlateSpin Migrate servers in your project.
Automated execution of transformation plans. Migrate Connector drives the automated execution of workload migrations for your VMware migration projects in a PlateSpin Migration Environment. Global settings control when submitted migration jobs are set up before migration and when the jobs are removed after cutover.
Communications coordination. Migrate Connector supports polling and eventing types of communications in a PlateSpin Migration Environment. It listens for workflow events from projects and for migration status events from Migrate servers, and ensures that messages are received only by the appropriate destination.
User-provided callouts. Migrate Connector supports user-provided callouts during the transformation workflow that integrate Transformation Manager with your internal systems.
An instance of PlateSpin Migrate Connector 1.1 is automatically installed on the PlateSpin Transformation Manager 1.1 Appliance. It is preconfigured to work with PlateSpin Transformation Manager. You can also install instances of Migrate Connector on your SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP4 servers in different source networks.
For more information, see the PlateSpin Migrate Connector Quick Start.
PlateSpin Transformation Manager 1.1 adds support for the Japanese language in the Web Interface and in the Appliance Management Console (but not in the PTM plug-in). Set the Language setting in your web browser to Japanese and set it as the first language in order to view the translated UI. For translated Online Help for the Appliance, also set your Language preference on www.netiq.com and allow cookies.
PlateSpin Transformation Manager 1.1 addresses the following software issues:
Issue: On the Configuration > Licenses page, the License Key was considered invalid if its Start date was not yet active. (Bug 975625)
Fix: You can enter a license key that has a future start date. Its licenses cannot be used until the activation date.
Issue: License blocks have a specified fulfillment period with an activation date that can occur on a future date instead of the purchase date. License blocks with future activation dates might not appear on the Licenses page in the Web Interface. (Bug 974123)
Fix: License blocks with future activation dates appear on the Licenses page. Its licenses cannot be used until the activation date.
Issue: When you click the arrow on a combo box, it drops down the menu, but subsequent clicks on the arrow do not scroll down the listed items to allow you to find and select the item of interest. (Bug 938281)
Fix: You can click the arrow or manually scroll on combo box menus.
The PlateSpin Transformation Manager Appliance is a virtual machine that hosts the software and the database for your transformation projects. For information about the requirements to host the appliance in your VMware virtualization environment, see Appliance Requirements
in the PlateSpin Transformation Manager Appliance Guide.
To download the PlateSpin Transformation Manager Appliance OVF file for VMware, see PlateSpin Transformation Manager on NetIQ Downloads, then follow the download link on that page. Use your NetIQ account credentials to log in to this site.
NetIQ Corporation strives to ensure our products provide quality solutions for your enterprise software needs. The following issues are currently being researched.
If you need assistance with any issue, please contact NetIQ Technical Support.
The Appliance issues in this section are currently being researched.
Issue: If you configure non-standard ports for HTTP and HTTPS communications for the PlateSpin Transformation Manager Web Interface, your custom port setting for HTTPS is reset to the default port 8183 if you apply an appliance update file by running the zypper command instead of using the Appliance Management Console. (Bug 974553)
Workaround: After a zypper update, log in to the Appliance Management Console and use the Web Server Configuration option to reset your custom port values. See Web Server Configuration
in the PlateSpin Transformation Manager Appliance Guide.
Using the Online Update option in the Appliance Management Console does not affect your custom HTTP and HTTPS port settings. See Online Update
in the PlateSpin Transformation Manager Appliance Guide.
Issue: You cannot modify the System Administrator assignment and password for PlateSpin Transformation Manager in the Appliance Management Console.
Workaround: Assign the System Administrator role to a user in the Web Interface. Do not remove the System Administrator user that you configured in the Appliance.
The Web Interface issues in this section are currently being researched.
Issue: In the Web Interface, the dashboard values might be empty in the following scenarios:
When the System Administrator first logs in to the Web Interface after the installation, there are no projects defined. The dashboard values are naturally empty.
During the initial session, the System Administrator sets up one or more projects, then clicks on the Dashboard icon. The dashboard does not automatically re-scan the database to discover the new projects.
(Bug 974077)
Workaround: To view statistics for projects created during the initial session after installation, log out and log back in. The Web Interface discovers the newly created projects and begins polling for updates. The dashboard values are available automatically in subsequent sessions.
Issue: Workloads are imported without consuming licenses. The first edit you make to the workload details triggers the license consumption. The edit can be an individual edit or a bulk edit. When you save the first edit, PlateSpin Transformation Manager contacts the Customer Center to acquire a license from your available licenses before it applies the edit. This process can take two to five seconds. (Bug 970366)
Workaround: There is no workaround. Subsequent edits take only about 20 ms.
Issue: If a System Administrator removes an operating system from the OS Types List, subsequent imports fail for workloads with operating systems of that type. (Bug 1011496)
Workaround:
For import, a workload’s operating system must match an OS in the OS Types list. A Transformation Manager System Administrator can create or re-create operating systems in the OS Types List. See Creating an Operating System Type
in the PlateSpin Transformation Manager User Guide.
Issue: In a Spreadsheet Import, if the Workload Credential Name does not match an existing Credentials resource, and you have not provided values for the Workload User Name and Workload Password, the workload will not discover and a Retry option is not available for the workload in the Web Interface.
If you attempt to resolve the issue in the Transformation dialog by assigning a valid Credentials resource to the workload, the workload will consume a license, the workload still will not discover, and its state prevents re-import of the workload using the spreadsheet. (Bug 1013520)
Workaround: If an imported workload will not discover, do not attempt to fix a workload’s invalid Credentials resource by using the Transformation dialog to assign a valid one.
To re-import and discover the workload without consuming a license:
In the Web Interface, go to Resources > Credentials, select the newly created Credentials resource, then delete the resource or modify it to add a valid user name and password.
Update the values for the workload in the spreadsheet:
Locate the workload’s row.
Clear the workload’s Validation Status cell.
Specify a valid Credentials resource:
Provide the name of an existing Credentials resource in the Workload Credential Name column.
-OR-
Provide all three Credential fields to create a new Credentials resource: Workload Credential Name, Workload Credential User Name, and Workload Credential Password.
Save the spreadsheet.
In the Web Interface, import the spreadsheet again to re-import and discover the workload.
Issue: If the PlateSpin Migrate Connector associated with a project is not available when you perform a Spreadsheet Import, and the spreadsheet contains invalid Credentials for a workload, discovery fails for the workload. After the Connector becomes available, no messages about the discovery failure are generated and available to the user. (Bug 1013495)
Workaround: This issue is a messaging condition only. For failed discovery, ensure that the Migrate Connector is up and running, delete or correct the Credentials resource as needed in the Web Interface, and then correct the information in the spreadsheet and re-import the workload.
Issue: In the Workload dialog, if you edit settings for any of its panels while the panel is collapsed, the content of the panel does not render properly when you next expand the panel. (Bug 973893)
Workaround: To view the Workload dialog properly, close the Workload dialog, then reopen it. The changes you saved for the panel are not lost. To help avoid this issue, ensure that you expand the panel that you want to edit before you click its Edit option. Changes in some panels might initiate changes in settings in other panels.
Issue: If you attempt to navigate lists with the Up Arrow key or Down Arrow key, the cursor moves through the list of displayed items and then stops. The more you press the keys, the worse the scrolling responds. (Bug 961963)
Workaround: Use the scroll bar to move up and down lists in the Web Interface. Do not use the Up Arrow or Down Arrow keys to navigate lists. See Scrolling Up and Down in Lists
in the PlateSpin Transformation Manager User Guide.
There are no known issues for the PlateSpin Migrate Connector.
PlateSpin Transformation Manager must be able to communicate across the public Internet with the Micro Focus License Server, using the following URL:
https://www.novell.com/center/nodeactivationservice/1_0/subscriptions/getPTMLicenseCount
Internet access is required to activate your License Key on the Configuration > Licenses page in the PlateSpin Transformation Manager Web Interface. As you begin to configure workloads, Transformation Manager communicates with the License Server to verify license availability as you edit workloads individually or with bulk actions. It also synchronizes license information daily. See Managing Licenses
in the PlateSpin Transformation Manager User Guide.
To provide Internet access through a proxy server, you must configure the Appliance as a proxy client for that server. SeeConfiguring Proxy Client Settings
in the PlateSpin Transformation Manager Appliance Guide.
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