AutoVirt introduces a data migration software solution for Windows that preserves data integrity and minimizes business impact. Data migration projects are often time consuming, resource intensive, disruptive, and inconvenient. With AutoVirt, data migration is fully automated and out-of-band, so you can dedicate your resources to other important initiatives. AutoVirt software extends the native capabilities of your existing Windows environment without compromising data integrity, data security, client access, or network performance.

Data Migration

Data migration projects are driven by the need to move data. The typical business reasons are listed in the table below.

A significant commitment of time and resources are required to migrate data. Typical projects include:

• Project planning
• Maintenance window scheduling
• Offline data movement operations
• Access control assignments
• Client redirects
• Clean up issues

The risks associated with these projects include:

• Compromising data integrity
• Business downtime - scheduled and unscheduled
• Disrupting client access to networked data
• Preserving access security attributes
• Complying with regulatory requirements
  

AutoVirt Solution

AutoVirt simplifies data migration with:

• Policy-based, fully automated operations
• Online and out-of-band runtime operations
• Transparent client redirects
• Automated preservation of security attributes

The goal of AutoVirt's software solution is simple: use software to automate manual tasks.  Data migration with AutoVirt is as simple as selecting data sources, selecting data destinations, and scheduling the data migration.  These tasks are easily accomplished using the AutoVirt Web-based user interface. 

Migration Path Comparison

AutoVirt's data migration software eliminates the need for:

• Data migration maintenance windows
• Manual updates of client referrals
• Manual updates of ACL assignments

AutoVirt Components

AutoVirt installation is non-intrusive to your existing Windows environment. No appliances or software agents need to be installed.There are three major components to install in your Windows environment:

• Data Storage Controller (DSC) – AutoVirt’s policy engine and central control component
  
• Global Namespace Server (GNS) – AutoVirt’s virtual namespace
  
• Data Engine (DE) – data movement software
  

These components may be installed on dedicated physical and/or virtual servers in your environment.

Virtualization

Virtualization is the key enabler of AutoVirt's transparent migration of online data. AutoVirt's file virtualization transforms the physical client-server connection to a virtual client-server connection. This change allows you to move data between servers without limitation or client disruptions. All client network mappings remain intact and AutoVirt's global namespace resolves all client redirects to the new storage device.

Installing AutoVirt is an automated process that includes:

1. Inventory of your Windows file server environment
   
2. Creation of a global namespace
   

The AutoVirt global namespace provides the necessary level of control for client redirects and enables data migration tasks to run without disrupting client access.

Note that Installing AutoVirt is non-intrusive. You control which file servers get managed by AutoVirt.  Only file servers managed by AutoVirt are virtualized.

Filer Management
AutoVirt is designed to extend your Windows environment with minimal impact on your file server environment, network environment, and clients. AutoVirt renames filers that you assign for management. AutoVirt automatically updates your Active Directory to reflect the new server name.

Client-Server Referrals
AutoVirt inserts itself in the client-server referral stream. AutoVirt intercepts client requests and refers the client to the new location and sends this referral to the DNS. This referral process maintains the integrity of your DNS service without impacting network performance.

Policy-Based Automation

AutoVirt was designed to move unstructured content. This content typically consists of MS Office productivity files. Transactional data and live databases are not considered good candidates for data migration by AutoVirt.

AutoVirt’s Web-based GUI allows you to effectively manage your Windows filer environment. You can create policies to migrate data between filers, volumes, or shares. AutoVirt enables you to migrate data between multiple sources with a single policy or create multiple policies to more closely manage data migration tasks.

Creating a policy is a wizard-based process that includes:

1. Selecting file server sources
   
2. Select file server destinations
   
3. Scheduling data migration tasks
   

AutoVirt User Interface

All data migration operations are completely transparent to your clients. The client network mappings remain static while AutoVirt resolves any client requests that target new storage locations.

Performance
AutoVirt evaluates the migration load for each policy, measures network performance, and parses migration tasks to optimize performance. The DSC routinely performs health checks on all AutoVirt components and triggers alerts if any issues are present. The DSC also validates attributes of each policy before executing runtime operations. AutoVirt's built-in monitoring function helps you identify and resolve issues quickly.