In the last post, we saw how to install IBM Transformation advisor. In this post, we will learn how to use it for analysis and creating migration artefacts
- Open your transformation advisor UI and it should look similar to this
You should get started by creating a new workspace that will be used to house your recommendations, this can be any string you want, such as the project name or the name for the portfolio of applications you will be analysing
- Click on ‘Add a new workspace’
- You will then be asked to enter a collection name, this is an opportunity for you to sub-divide your work even further into a more focused
- Click on ‘Let’s go
- If you have a data collector connecting to the IBM TA, then the data will be shown here
- Alternatively, if you had already run the data collector, then you can upload the resulting zip file
Data collector
The data collector is a downloadable zip file that needs to be extracted and run on your target server where the applications you wish to migrate are located ie your application server machine. You should choose the correct data collector for your target server’s operating system.
- Click on Data Collector [see above image]
- Select the source operating system and download the data collector.
- Copy the data collector to target server and extract it
- Select your domain and analysis type below and run the generated command from the data collector directory to begin scanning. Run the resulting command on the target server
- The Data Collector will return a .zip file containing your data in which you will need to manually upload to your Recommendations page. You can do this by going back to the Recommendations page and clicking “Upload data”.
- Upload and view the recommendations
Recommendations
The Recommendations view after the data collector has completed and uploaded results should display a screen similar to that shown below
The recommendations tab shows you a table with a summary row for each application found on your application server. Each row contains the following information:
- Application Name: The name of the EAR/WAR file found on the application server.
- Complexity: This is an indication of how complex Transformation Advisor considers this application to be if you were to migrate it to the cloud.
- Technology Match:This is a percentage and if less than 100% it indicates that there may be some
- technologies that are not suitable for the recommended platform. You should investigate the details and ensure your application is actually using the technologies.
- Dependencies: This shows potential external dependencies detected during the scan. Work may be needed to configure access to these external dependencies.
- Possible Issues: This indicates the number and severity of potential issues migrating the application.
- Migration Plan: clicking on the 3 dots will show you the option of viewing the Migration plan for the application.
Clicking on any application row will show you the details behind the analysis
Scrolling to the end of the Recommendations screen you will see three links to further detailed reports.
Technology Report
The binary scanner can examine your application and generate the Application Evaluation Report, which shows which editions of WebSphere Application Server are best suited to run the application. The report provides a list of Java EE programming models that are used by the application, and it indicates on which platforms the application can be supported.
Inventory Report
The binary scanner has an inventory report that helps you examine what’s in your application including the number of modules and the technologies in those modules. It also gives you a view of all the utility JAR files in the application that tend to accumulate over time. Potential deployment problems and performance considerations are also included.
Analysis Report
The binary scanner’s detailed migration report digs deeper to understand the nitty-gritty details of the migration. The detailed report helps with migration issues like deprecated or removed APIs, Java SE version differences, and Java EE behaviour differences. Please note that the Transformation Advisor uses a rule system based on common occurring events seen in real applications to enhance the base reports and to provide practical guidance. As a result of this some items may show a different severity level in Transformation Advisor than they do in the detailed binary scanner reports.
Migrate
Once you have decided on an application you would like to migrate, click on the 3-dots on the far-right end of the application name list and select view migration plan.
TA will automatically generate the artefacts you will need to containerise your application running on liberty and deploy to IBM Cloud Private.
You will have the opportunity on this page to upload your application binaries and any external drivers we have detected that you may need.
You can then download them all in a single zip and use them for the next steps to migrate.
Example – Migrating to Liberty profile on IBM Cloud (check the files created)
Example – Migrating to WebSphere Traditional container (check the files created)
Joseph's Cloud Notes 