High-level guideline for a switchover migration

A switchover migration is a migration that is performed from a WebSphere Commerce production environment to an unused WebSphere Commerce environment on the same or different hardware. This process allows for an existing production system to be left in place until the moment that the new environment is ready. Site traffic can then be redirected to the new environment. This sample switchover migration plan can be used as an example to plan and size your own project.

Note: Use the following high-level steps as a guideline only. Your steps might differ significantly from the example presented.
  1. Schedule training, if necessary, on any new technologies that you want to use on the new WebSphere Commerce version. For example, your development team might want to learn to customize Management Center with OpenLaszlo.
  2. Create a regression test plan for the site.
  3. Review and update any custom scripts that you might use in your WebSphere Commerce site, including build, deployment, and data load scripts.
  4. Back up your existing assets, across all tiers, in your development, testing, staging, and production environments.
  5. Migrate your development environment:
    1. Upgrade your software levels to the levels required by WebSphere Commerce Version 7.0 - for example, your operating system level.
    2. Migrate a test database
    3. Migrate the custom code
    4. Perform post migration steps that are applicable to the development environment, including:
      • Migrating your promotions from WebSphere Commerce Accelerator to the Management Center
      • Migrating your marketing campaigns and activities from WebSphere Commerce Accelerator to the Management Center
    5. Upgrade and migrate any additional software that you are using, such as:
      • Virtual Member Manager
      • MQ
      • Deprecated featureLikeminds
      • WebSphere Portal Server
    6. Test your migrated site
  6. Migrate your testing or QA environment:
    1. Perform any required premigration steps on your source test WebSphere Commerce system
    2. Back up your source test WebSphere Commerce system
    3. Install the WebSphere Commerce software on the test server
    4. Migrate a copy of the source test WebSphere Commerce database
    5. Migrate the WebSphere Commerce application
    6. Complete the post instance and database migration steps.
    7. Upgrade and migrate any additional software that you are using, such as:
      • Virtual Member Manager
      • MQ
      • Deprecated featureLikeminds
      • WebSphere Portal Server
    8. Migrate your Payment Manager instance and database
    9. Deploy your custom code and perform a full regression test with the migrated database
    10. Use the test results to modify your sizings, project plan, and project schedule.
  7. Migrate your production environment:
    1. Perform any required premigration steps on your source production WebSphere Commerce system
    2. Back up instance information from your source production WebSphere Commerce system
    3. Install the WebSphere Commerce software on the new production server machines
    4. Migrate a copy of the source production WebSphere Commerce database
    5. Migrate the source WebSphere Commerce production application
    6. Complete the post instance and database migration steps
    7. Upgrade and migrate any additional software that you are using, such as:
      • Virtual Member Manager
      • MQ
      • Deprecated featureLikeminds
      • WebSphere Portal Server
    8. Migrate your Payment Manager instance and database
    9. Deploy your custom code and test with the migrated database
    10. Production cutover (to new production machines)
    11. Back up the source production WebSphere Commerce system
    12. Bring the source WebSphere Commerce production site fully offline
    13. Migrate the source WebSphere Commerce database
    14. Complete any post instance and database migration steps as required
    15. Migrate the Payment Manager database.
    16. Perform a full regression test on the migrated WebSphere Commerce site
  8. Go live with your migrated WebSphere Commerce system
  9. Re-create your staging server. For more information, see Creating a staging server on a migrated environment.