Configuration Guide
Novell®
PlateSpin® Portability Suite
novdocx (en) 13 May 2009
AUTHORIZED DOCUMENTATION
8.1
August 3, 2009
www.novell.com
PlateSpin Portability Suite 8.1 Configuration Guide
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novdocx (en) 13 May 2009
4 PlateSpin Portability Suite 8.1 Configuration Guide
Contents
About This Guide 7
1 Portability Suite Product Licensing 9
1.1 Activating Your Product License . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
1.1.1 Online Activation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
1.1.2 Offline Activation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
1.2 About Per-Migration and Per-Workload Licensing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
1.3 Using the License Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
1.3.1 Managing Available License Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
1.3.2 Managing Workload Designations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
1.4 License Splitting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2 Configuring Portability Suite and Your Network Environment 15
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2.1 Setting Up User Authorization and Authentication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
2.1.1 Portability Suite Roles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
2.1.2 Assigning Portability Suite Roles to Windows Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
2.2 Setting Up User Activity Logging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
2.3 Network Communication Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
2.3.1 Network Communication Prerequisites for Discovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
2.3.2 Network Communication Prerequisites for Workload Migration and Protection . . . . 19
2.4 Fine-Tuning Data Transfer Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
2.4.1 Fine-Tuning File-Level and VSS-Aware Block-Level Transfer Performance . . . . . . . 21
2.4.2 Fine-Tuning Block-Level Data Transfer Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
2.5 Increasing the Size Limit on Post-conversion Actions Uploaded to Portability Suite Server . . 23
2.6 Configuring Portability Suite Default Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
2.6.1 General Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
2.6.2 SMTP Notifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
2.6.3 User Activity Logging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
2.6.4 Default Job Values. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
2.6.5 Source Service Defaults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
2.6.6 Target Service Defaults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Contents 5
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6 PlateSpin Portability Suite 8.1 Configuration Guide
About This Guide
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This guide provides information about licensing your PlateSpin® Portability Suite version 8.1
®
product (PlateSpin
Protect or PlateSpin® Migrate), managing your license keys, setting up your
network environment in preparation for your workload migration and protection jobs, and
configuring your product’s default settings and behavior.
Chapter 1, “Portability Suite Product Licensing,” on page 9
Chapter 2, “Configuring Portability Suite and Your Network Environment,” on page 15
Audience
This guide is intended for IT staff, such as data center administrators and operators, who use
Portability Suite in their ongoing workload migration and protection projects.
Feedback
We want to hear your comments and suggestions about this manual and the other documentation
included with this product. Please use the User Comments feature at the bottom of each page of the
online documentation, or submit your comments through the Novell Documentation Feedback site
(http://www.novell.com/documentation/feedback.html).
Documentation Updates
For the most recent version of this text, visit the PlateSpin
®
Portability Suite version 8.1 Web site
(http://www.novell.com/documentation/platespin_portabilitysuite_810/).
Additional Documentation
This guide is part of the PlateSpin® Portability Suite documentation set. Below is a complete list of
the set:
Portability Suite 8.1 Release Notes Provides late-breaking information, as well as information
about known issues and suggested workarounds.
Portability Suite 8.1 Installation Guide Provides information about installing, upgrading, and
uninstalling the product.
Portability Suite 8.1 Configuration Guide Provides information about licensing your product and
managing license keys, setting up your network
environment, and configuring your product’s default settings.
Portability Suite 8.1 User Guide Provides information about using the product in your
workload migration and protection projects.
Portability Suite 8.1 Integrated Help All product documentation in compiled HTML help (CHM)
format, integrated with the product.
Portability Suite 8.1 Online
Documentation
All product documentation in WebHelp format for browserbased access over the Internet. This distribution should
contain the latest updates at all times.
About This Guide 7
Additional Resources
We encourage you to use the following additional resources on the Web:
PlateSpin User Forum (http://forum.platespin.com): A Web-based community with a variety of
discussion topics.
PlateSpin Knowledge Base (http://support.platespin.com/kb2/): A collection of in-depth
technical articles.
Technical Support
Telephone (North America): +1-877-528-3774 (1 87 PlateSpin)
Telephone (global): +1-416-203-4799
E-mail: support@platespin.com
You can also visit the PlateSpin Technical Support Web site (http://www.platespin.com/support/).
Documentation Conventions
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In Novell documentation, a greater-than symbol (>) is used to separate actions within a step and
items in a cross-reference path.
A trademark symbol (
®
, TM, etc.) denotes a Novell trademark. An asterisk (*) denotes a third-party
trademark.
8 PlateSpin Portability Suite 8.1 Configuration Guide
1
Portability Suite Product
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Licensing
This section provides information about licensing and activating your PlateSpin® Portability Suite
product (PlateSpin
Section 1.1, “Activating Your Product License,” on page 9
Section 1.2, “About Per-Migration and Per-Workload Licensing,” on page 11
Section 1.3, “Using the License Manager,” on page 11
Section 1.4, “License Splitting,” on page 13
1.1 Activating Your Product License
For product licensing, you must have a license activation code. If you do not have a license
activation code, request one through the Novell
www.novell.com/customercenter/). A license activation code will be e-mailed to you.
When you launch the Portability Suite Client for the first time after installation, the License
Activation Wizard opens and prompts you to activate your product license.
Figure 1-1 License Activation Wizard
®
Migrate or PlateSpin® Protect), as well as managing your license keys.
®
Customer Center Web site (http://
1
You have two options for activating your product license: online or offline.
Section 1.1.1, “Online Activation,” on page 9
Section 1.1.2, “Offline Activation,” on page 10
1.1.1 Online Activation
Online activation requires that your Portability Suite Client have Internet access.
Portability Suite Product Licensing
9
NOTE: HTTP proxies might cause failures during online activation. If you are using an HTTP
proxy server and are having problems with online activation, try the offline activation method.
1 In the License Wizard, select the Online Activation option and click Next.
2 Enter the e-mail address that you provided when placing your order, and the activation code
you received.
The Portability Suite Client obtains the required license over the Internet and activates the
product.
1.1.2 Offline Activation
For offline activation, you obtain a license key over the Internet by using a machine that has Internet
access.
1 In the License Wizard, select the Offline Activation option and click Next.
The Activate License dialog box is displayed:
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2 Save your hardware ID for use in the next steps.
3 Use a computer with Internet access to obtain a license key by using the Web-based license
activation utility (http://www.platespin.com/productactivation/ActivateOrder.aspx).
NOTE: To obtain a license key, you must have a Novell® account. If you are an existing
®
PlateSpin
your existing PlateSpin
customer and you don’t have a Novell® account, you must first create one. Use
®
username (a valid e-mail address registered with PlateSpin) as input
for your Novell® account username.
4 Save your new license key in a location accessible to your Portability Suite Client.
5 In the License Wizard, type the full path to, or browse to and select, the Portability Suite license
file, then click Next.
The product is activated based on the selected license.
10 PlateSpin Portability Suite 8.1 Configuration Guide
1.2 About Per-Migration and Per-Workload Licensing
Portability Suite licenses are sold on a per-migration or per-workload basis.
A per-migration license entitles you to perform a specific number of migrations, used on an
unlimited number of workloads. Each time a migration is performed, the Conversions remaining
number is decremented.
A per-workload license entitles you to an unlimited number of migrations on a specific number of
workloads. With every migration, a workload unit of the license is assigned to either the source or
the target. The machine that has the workload unit assigned to it can subsequently be migrated an
unlimited number of times. Each time a workload is assigned, the Workloads remaining number is
decremented.
The following is a summary of workload assignment behavior by portability task.
Table 1-1 Portability Suite Workload License Assignment by Migration Type
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Task Workload Assignment Behavior
Copy Workload A workload license remains with the source.
Move Workload A workload license is transferred from the source to the target.
Protect Workload On failover, a workload license is transferred from the source to the target.
Server Sync
Capture Image Not applicable
Import Image Not applicable
Deploy Image Not applicable
One-time Server Sync: Not applicable
Workload protection with Server Sync: On failover, a workload license is
transferred from the source to the target.
1.3 Using the License Manager
Use the License Manager to manage product licensing, add and delete license keys, generate
licensing reports, view activation codes, and reset workload licensing. If you have multiple license
keys and you want to select a specific, non-default license key for a particular migration job, see
“Selecting a License Key for a Migration or Protection Conversion” in your User Guide.
To access the License Manager, in your Portability Suite Client, click Tools > License Manager.
Section 1.3.1, “Managing Available License Keys,” on page 11
Section 1.3.2, “Managing Workload Designations,” on page 12
1.3.1 Managing Available License Keys
You can manage available license keys on the License Manager’s Available License Keys tab (in
your Portability Suite Client, click Tools > License Manager > Available License Keys).
Portability Suite Product Licensing 11
Figure 1-2 Available License Keys
The tab displays the license name (Module) along with its expiry date and entitlements. These
depend on the license type. The Number of Servers column indicates the number of machines you
can discover. This is generally the same as the number of machines that you can migrate. Use the
buttons at the bottom for related license management tasks:
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Table 1-2 License Manager Command Buttons
Command Description
Add Adds licenses.
Delete Deletes expired licenses.
View Activation Code(s) Select a license and click this button to see the activation code and
the date it was activated.
Generate Licensing Report Creates a
troubleshoot licensing issues.
*.psl
file that is used by Technical Support to
1.3.2 Managing Workload Designations
You can manage workload licensing on the License Manager’s Workload Designations tab (in your
Portability Suite Client, click Tools > License Manager > Workload Designations).
The tab lists workloads with assigned licenses. In the Portability Suite Client Servers view, each of
these servers has a key icon adjacent to it.
You can reset workload licensing so that a license is no longer assigned to a particular machine. For
example, you might want to do this when decommissioning servers that are already in the inventory
of the Portability Suite Server, or that are currently under workload protection by Portability Suite.
To reset workload licensing:
1 On the License Manager’s Workload Designations tab, select the required workload and click
Transfer Selected Workload.
The Transfer License dialog box is displayed.
12 PlateSpin Portability Suite 8.1 Configuration Guide
2 Use the displayed Workload Transfer Request string to obtain a workload transfer code from
the License Entitlement Web portal (http://www.platespin.com/entitlementmgr/). Log in with
credentials associated with your purchase order.
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NOTE: You must have a Novell® account. If you are an existing PlateSpin® customer and you
don’t have a Novell
username (a valid e-mail address registered with PlateSpin) as input for your Novell
username.
3 Return to the License Manager and specify the newly obtained transfer code. Click Next.
Portability Suite resets the selected workload.
®
account, you must first create one. Use your existing PlateSpin®
®
account
1.4 License Splitting
A license entitles you to one instance of Portability Suite per workload. Depending on the license
you purchased, you can split a license either on a per-migration or a per-workload basis.
You can only split a license that has not yet been activated. For example, you can split a perworkload license of 1000 workloads into one license covering 400 workloads and another covering
600 workloads. You can split a per-migration license for 3000 migrations into one license for 1200
migrations and one license for 1800 migrations.
For assistance with multi-license scenarios, especially where you are uncertain how to utilize
licenses across your network environment, see Knowledge Base Article Q20876 (http://
support.platespin.com/kb2/article.aspx?id=20876).
Portability Suite Product Licensing 13
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14 PlateSpin Portability Suite 8.1 Configuration Guide
2
Configuring Portability Suite and
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Your Network Environment
This section provides information about setting up user authorization and authentication,
configuring your network environment, and managing your product’s default settings and behavior.
Section 2.1, “Setting Up User Authorization and Authentication,” on page 15
Section 2.2, “Setting Up User Activity Logging,” on page 17
Section 2.3, “Network Communication Prerequisites,” on page 18
Section 2.4, “Fine-Tuning Data Transfer Performance,” on page 20
Section 2.5, “Increasing the Size Limit on Post-conversion Actions Uploaded to Portability
Suite Server,” on page 23
Section 2.6, “Configuring Portability Suite Default Options,” on page 24
2.1 Setting Up User Authorization and Authentication
Portability Suite’s user authorization and authentication mechanism is based on user roles, and
controls application access and operations that users can perform. The mechanism is based on
Integrated Windows* Authentication (IWA) and its interaction with Internet Information Services
(IIS).
2
Portability Suite’s user auditing functionality is provided through the capability to log user actions
(see “Setting Up User Activity Logging” on page 17).
Section 2.1.1, “Portability Suite Roles,” on page 15
Section 2.1.2, “Assigning Portability Suite Roles to Windows Users,” on page 17
2.1.1 Portability Suite Roles
A Portability Suite role is a collection of Portability Suite privileges that entitle a particular user to
perform specific actions. During installation, the Portability Suite installation program creates three
local Windows groups on the Portability Suite Server host: Portability Suite Administrators,
Portability Suite Power Users, and Portability Suite Operators. These groups map directly to the
three Portability Suite roles that control user authorization and authentication:
Portability Suite Administrators: Have unlimited access to all features and functions of the
application. A local administrator is implicitly part of this group.
Portability Suite Power Users: Have access to most features and functions of the application
with some limitations, such as restrictions in the capability to modify system settings related to
licensing and security.
Portability Suite Operators: Have access to a limited subset of system features and functions,
sufficient to maintain day-to-day operation.
Configuring Portability Suite and Your Network Environment
15
When a user attempts to connect to a Portability Suite Server, the credentials provided through the
Portability Suite Client are validated by IIS. If the user is not a member of one of the Portability
Suite roles, connection is refused. If the user is a local administrator on the Portability Suite Server
host, that account is implicitly regarded as a Portability Suite Administrator.
The following is a list of permissions for each role.
Table 2-1 Portability Suite Roles and Permission Details
Role Details Administrators Power Users Operators
Licensing: Add, delete licenses; transfer workload licenses yes no no
Machines: Discover, undiscover yes yes no
Machines: Delete virtual machine yes no no
Machines: View, refresh, export yes yes yes
Machines: Import yes yes no
Machines: Export yes yes yes
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Portability Suite Networks: Add, delete yes no no
Jobs: Create new job yes yes no
Jobs: View, abort, change start time yes yes yes
Workload Protection: Protect workload, cancel protection yes yes no
Workload Protection: View, start synchronization in existing
schedules
Imaging: Protect image, cancel synchronization schedule yes yes no
Imaging: View, start synchronization in existing contracts yes yes yes
Imaging: Consolidate increments, apply increments to base,
delete increments, install/delete image servers
Block-based Transfer Components: Install, upgrade,
remove
Device Drivers: View yes yes yes
Device Drivers: Upload, delete yes yes no
Portability Suite Server access: View Web services,
download client software
Portability Suite Server settings: Edit settings that control
user activity logging and SMTP notifications
yes yes yes
yes yes no
yes no no
yes yes yes
yes no no
Portability Suite Server settings: Edit all server settings
except those that control user activity logging and SMTP
notifications
Run Diagnostics: Generate detailed diagnostic reports on
jobs.
Post-conversion Actions: Add, update, delete yes yes no
16 PlateSpin Portability Suite 8.1 Configuration Guide
yes yes no
yes yes yes
2.1.2 Assigning Portability Suite Roles to Windows Users
To allow specific Windows domain or local users to carry out specific Portability Suite operations
according to designated role, add the required Windows domain or user account to the applicable
Windows local group (Portability Suite Administrators, Portability Suite Power Users, or
Portability Suite Operators) on the Portability Suite Server host. For more information, see your
Windows documentation.
2.2 Setting Up User Activity Logging
By default, Portability Suite records all user activities in a log file,
PortabilitySuite.UserActivityLogging.log
the following directory:
, located on your Portability Suite Server host, in
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..\PlateSpin Portability Suite Server\logs
.
The format of an individual log entry is:
date|Category|description|user|details1|details2
The
Category
Security, Inventory
element describes the functional area applicable to a particular action; for example,
(discovery operations),
LicenseManagement
, or
Migration
(workload
portability operations).
Elements
details1
and
details2
depend on the
Category
and provide additional information if
applicable.
Below is an example of a log entry recording the login action of a user with the domain account
MyDomain\John.Smith
2008-09-02 14:14:47|Security|User logged in|MyDomain\John.Smith
.
When the size of a log file reaches a specified value, it is rolled over to a new file with a sequential
number appended to the name:
PortabilitySuite.UserActivityLogging.log.1
PortabilitySuite.UserActivityLogging.log.2
PortabilitySuite.UserActivityLogging.log.3
When the number of log files reaches a specified value, the system starts overwriting the oldest file
each time a rollover is performed.
To enable or disable user activity logging, and to specify log file size and rollover options:
1 In Portability Suite Client, click Tools > Options.
2 Click the Logging tab.
3 Specify the required options, then click OK.
Configuring Portability Suite and Your Network Environment 17
2.3 Network Communication Prerequisites
Machines that you plan to designate as migration sources or targets, such as production workloads
and virtual machine servers, must have certain prerequisite software components installed and
specific ports for transport layer protocols open. The following sections summarize these
requirements.
Section 2.3.1, “Network Communication Prerequisites for Discovery,” on page 18
Section 2.3.2, “Network Communication Prerequisites for Workload Migration and
Protection,” on page 19
2.3.1 Network Communication Prerequisites for Discovery
The following are software, network, and firewall requirements that systems in your environment
must meet for the discovery and inventory process. For information about the actual discovery
procedures, see “Discovering Source Workloads and Migration Targets” in your User Guide.
Table 2-2 Network Communication Prerequisites for Discovery Operations
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System Prerequisites
Portability Suite Server Open port 80 (HTTP). Required to maintain communication among
Portability Suite Server, sources, and targets.
Microsoft* Windows* Server
2008 and Windows Vista*
sources
1. Built-in
2. The Remote Registry service enabled (disabled on Vista by default).
3. Firewall configured with these Inbound Rules enabled and set to
Administrator
(mere membership in the local Administrators group is insufficient).
On Vista, the account must be enabled (it is disabled by default).
Allow
:
or domain admin account credentials
File and Printer Sharing (Echo Request - ICMPv4In)
File and Printer Sharing (Echo Request - ICMPv6In)
File and Printer Sharing (NB-Datagram-In)
File and Printer Sharing (NB-Name-In)
File and Printer Sharing (NB-Session-In)
File and Printer Sharing (SMB-In)
File and Printer Sharing (Spooler Service - RPC)
File and Printer Sharing (Spooler Service - RPC-EPMAP)
NOTE: The firewall settings above are configured using the Windows
Firewall with Advanced Security utility (
the same result by using the basic Windows Firewall utility
firewall.cpl
(
of exceptions.
): select the File and Printer Sharing item in the list
wf.msc
). You can achieve
18 PlateSpin Portability Suite 8.1 Configuration Guide
System Prerequisites
novdocx (en) 13 May 2009
All supported Windows
sources prior to Windows
Server 2008 and Windows
Vista
All Linux* sources
VMware* ESX Server 2.5
VMware ESX Server 3.0.x
Citrix* Xen* Server
Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) installed
Open ports 135/445 (TCP) for DCOM/RPC
Windows NT* Server does not include WMI as part of the default
installation. Obtain the WMI Core from the Microsoft Web site. If WMI is
not installed, discovery of the workload fails.
WMI (RPC/DCOM) can use TCP ports 135 and 445 as well as random or
dynamically assigned ports above 1024. If problems occur during the
discovery process, consider temporarily placing the workload in a DMZ or
temporarily opening the firewalled ports for the discovery process only.
For additional information, such as guidance in limiting the port range for
DCOM and RPC, see the following Microsoft technical articles.
Using DCOM with Firewalls (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/
ms809327.aspx)
Configuring RPC dynamic port allocation to work with firewalls (http:/
/support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;154596)
Configuring DCOM to work over a NAT-based firewall (http://
support.microsoft.com/kb/248809)
Secure Shell (SSH) server
Open port 22 (TCP)
For ESX 2.5 and 3.0, use an account other than root unless the SSH
server is configured for root access. For information on how to use a nonroot account, see Knowledge Base Article Q20711 (http://
support.platespin.com/kb2/article.aspx?id=20711).
Custom SSH ports are supported. Specify the port number during
discovery.
VMware Server VMcom API (optional VMware Server installation component).
Also install on the Portability Suite Server host. See Knowledge Base
Article Q20297 (http://support.platespin.com/kb2/article.aspx?id=20297).
VMware ESX Server 3.5,
ESX 4; ESXi; vCenter
Server
All Solaris source workloads
and targets
Open port 443 (HTTPS)
The user must be assigned a primary administrator profile through Solaris
RBAC (role-based access control). See Knowledge Base Article 20711
(http://support.platespin.com/kb2/Article.aspx?id=20711).
2.3.2 Network Communication Prerequisites for Workload Migration and Protection
The following are firewall requirements that systems in your environment must meet for problemfree operation during workload migration and protection jobs.
Configuring Portability Suite and Your Network Environment 19
Table 2-3 Network Communication Prerequisites for Workload Portability and Protection Operations
System Open Port Remarks
Portability Suite Server host 80 (TCP) Required for HTTP communication among the
Portability Suite Server, sources, and targets.
Portability Suite Server host 443 (TCP) Required for HTTPS communication (if SSL is
used) between the Portability Suite Server and the
source or target machines. This is also the default
port for the VMware Infrastructure 3 Web service.
All source workloads 3725 (TCP) Required for targets to initiate communication
during file-level data transfer, except for I2X jobs,
during which this port needs to be open on the
migration target only. For Server Sync jobs
required for both sources and targets.
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Windows workloads and
targets
All targets 9999 (TCP) Required during block-level data transfer for
All targets 10000-10026 (TCP) Required for block-level data transfer, with a
Portability Suite Server host;
all sources
All Linux sources
VMware ESX Server 2.5
VMware ESX Server 3.0.x
Citrix Xen Server
Portability Suite Server host;
All Windows sources
137 - 139 (NetBIOS) Required for NetBIOS communications.
communication between source and target.
distinct port for each target volume.
SMB
(TCP 139, 445 and
UDP 137, 138)
22 (TCP) Required for Take Control communication.
135/445 (TCP) For DCOM/RPC communication between
Required for Take Control communication and filelevel data transfer.
Portability Suite Server and a source for taking
control of and rebooting the workload through
WMI.
NOTE: WMI (RPC/DCOM) can use TCP ports 135
and 445 as well as random/dynamically assigned
ports above 1024.
2.4 Fine-Tuning Data Transfer Performance
You can fine-tune data transfer during migration jobs for optimum performance over your network.
The specifics of functionality and configuration procedures depend on the data transfer method
selected for a particular job. See “Supported Transfer Methods” in your User Guide.
Section 2.4.1, “Fine-Tuning File-Level and VSS-Aware Block-Level Transfer Performance,”
on page 21
Section 2.4.2, “Fine-Tuning Block-Level Data Transfer Performance,” on page 22
20 PlateSpin Portability Suite 8.1 Configuration Guide
2.4.1 Fine-Tuning File-Level and VSS-Aware Block-Level Transfer Performance
You can fine-tune your over-the-network data transfer for optimum performance in your specific
environment. For example, you might need to control the number of your TCP connections or
impose a packet-level compression threshold.
This functionality is supported for migration jobs that use the following data transfer methods:
File-level
Block-level with the Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) option selected
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Fine-tuning is done by modifying the product’s
productinternal.config
configuration file,
located on your Portability Suite Server host in the following directory:
..\PlateSpin Portability Suite Server\Web
Below is a list of the configuration parameters with two sets of values: the defaults and the values
recommended for optimum operation in a high-latency WAN environment.
Table 2-4 Parameters for Fine-Tuning File-Level Data Transfer Performance
Parameter Default Value For High-Latency WANs
fileTransferThreadcount
Controls the number of TCP connections opened for filebased data transfer.
fileTransferMinCompressionLimit
Specifies the packet-level compression threshold in bytes.
fileTransferCompressionThreadsCount
Controls the number of threads used for packet-level data
compression. Ignored if compression is disabled.
Because the compression is CPU-bound, this setting might
have a performance impact during Live Transfer.
2 4 to 6 (max)
0
(disabled)
2n/a
max 65536 (64 KB)
fileTransferSendReceiveBufferSize
TCP/IP window size setting for file transfer connections;
controls the number of bytes sent without TCP
acknowledgement, in bytes.
When the value is set to 0, the default TCP window size is
used (8 KB). For custom sizes, specify the size in bytes.
Use the following formula to determine the proper value:
((LINK_SPEED(Mbps)/8)*DELAY(sec))*1024*1024
For example, for a 100 Mbps link with 10 ms latency, the
proper buffer size would be:
(100/8)*0.01 * 1024 * 1024 = 131072 bytes
Configuring Portability Suite and Your Network Environment 21
0 (8192 bytes) max 5242880 (5 MB)
2.4.2 Fine-Tuning Block-Level Data Transfer Performance
You can fine-tune over-the-network block-level data transfer for optimum performance in your
specific environment by implementing bandwidth throttling and compression.
This functionality is supported for migration jobs that use the block-level data transfer method
without the Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) option.
The system’s default settings for block-level data transfers impose no limitations on bandwidth
consumption and do not compress data being transferred. Portability Suite provides two methods for
enabling bandwidth throttling and data compression:
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System-wide: By editing the Portability Suite Server’s
web.config
file. Bandwidth throttling
and data compression specified this way apply to all block-level migration jobs, including
transfers of complete volume data, as well as incremental synchronizations.
Per-workload: By importing a custom Windows Registration (
*.reg
) file into the source
Windows machine’s registry. This enables you to define customized bandwidth throttling and
data compression settings for specific workloads to use during migration jobs.
Both methods control bandwidth throttling and data compression on a per-volume basis. Settings
specified through the Windows registry override those in the
web.config
file. Neither method
requires a reboot or other intervention for the changes to take effect.
Before using either method to fine tune block-level data transfer performance, determine appropriate
compression and bandwidth values that balance CPU usage and network efficiency for your
particular system, network, and workload.
“Fine-Tuning Block-Level Data Transfer Performance System-Wide” on page 22
“Fine-Tuning Block-Level Data Transfer Performance on a Per-Workload Basis” on page 23
Fine-Tuning Block-Level Data Transfer Performance System-Wide
1 Make sure there are no workload migration jobs underway.
2 Use a text editor to open the
web.config
file located on your Portability Suite Server host in
the following directory:
..\PlateSpin Portability Suite Server\Web
3 Find the following lines:
<add key="BlockBasedTransferCompressionLevel" value="0" />
<add key="BlockBasedTransferBandwidthThrottlingInKB" value="0" />
4 Edit the lines:
4a In the first line, change the compression level value in quotes to a number from 0-9 (with
0 for no compression and 9 for maximum compression).
4b In the second line, change the bandwidth throttling value in quotes to a number
representing kilobytes per second.
For example, for a required compression level of 3 and bandwidth cap of 512 KB/sec per
volume being transferred, the appropriate lines in
<add key="BlockBasedTransferCompressionLevel" value="3" />
<add key="BlockBasedTransferBandwidthThrottlingInKB" value="512" />
5 Save the
22 PlateSpin Portability Suite 8.1 Configuration Guide
web.config
file.
web.config
look like this:
6 For the changes to take effect, restart the following services on the Portability Suite Server, in
the specified order:
6a World Wide Web Publishing Service.
6b Portability Suite Service.
6c PlateSpin Operations Framework Controller.
Fine-Tuning Block-Level Data Transfer Performance on a Per-Workload Basis
1 Make sure the Block-based Transfer Component is already installed on the source machine.
2 Use the text below to create a Windows Registration (
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\PlateSpin\BlockBasedTransfer]
"CompressionLevel"=dword:00000000
"BandwidthThrottling"=dword:00000000
*.reg
) file:
Replace the last digit of the dword value for "CompressionLevel" with a number from 0-9
(with 0 for no compression and 9 for maximum compression), and replace the dword value for
"BandwidthThrottling" with a number representing bits per second (for example, 512 kilobytes
per second would be 00512000).
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These values override any settings made in the Portability Suite Server’s
3 Use your Windows Registry Editor to import the
*.reg
file into the Windows Registry.
web.config
file.
2.5 Increasing the Size Limit on Post-conversion Actions Uploaded to Portability Suite Server
By default, Portability Suite sets a 64 MB upload limit for each individual post-conversion action,
including its dependencies. See “Managing Custom Post-conversion Actions” in your User Guide.
You can increase this limit by modifying the Portability Suite Server’s
web.config
file.
IMPORTANT: Decreasing the default size limit might have a negative impact on the stability of
your Portability Suite Server.
1 Using a text editor, open the
..\PlateSpin Portability Suite Server\Web
2 Locate the line defining the value of the
web.config
configuration file, located in the following directory:
httpRuntime
element’s
maxRequestLength
attribute:
<httpRuntime maxRequestLength="8192" />
3 Replace the existing value with the required new value in kilobytes. For example, to increase
8192
with
16384
the size to 16 MB, replace
:
configuration
<httpRuntime maxRequestLength="16384" />
4 Save the
web.config
file.
5 Restart the Portability Suite Client.
Configuring Portability Suite and Your Network Environment 23
2.6 Configuring Portability Suite Default Options
Default options control Portability Suite’s global settings and its default behavior. Configure the
default options following installation or to reflect changes in your environment.
Section 2.6.1, “General Options,” on page 24
Section 2.6.2, “SMTP Notifications,” on page 25
Section 2.6.3, “User Activity Logging,” on page 25
Section 2.6.4, “Default Job Values,” on page 26
Section 2.6.5, “Source Service Defaults,” on page 26
Section 2.6.6, “Target Service Defaults,” on page 27
2.6.1 General Options
Use this tab to restore default settings, clear saved credentials, and to specify the locations of
executable files for external applications you can launch from within the Portability Suite Client
user interface. To access this dialog box in the Portability Suite Client, click Tool s > Op t ion s .
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Restore Defaults: When this option is selected, Portability
Suite resets the job configuration method (launches the
Actions dialog box after a drag-and-drop) and resumes
checking for software updates on the Client startup.
Clear Saved Credentials: Removes stored usernames and
passwords for source and target machines.
External Application Settings: Use the adjacent Browse
buttons to locate application executables.
Restore Defaults: Resets the paths to their defaults.
24 PlateSpin Portability Suite 8.1 Configuration Guide
2.6.2 SMTP Notifications
Use this tab to specify Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) server settings for event and job
progress notifications. To access this dialog box in the Portability Suite Client, click Too ls >
Options.
SMTP Server Settings: Specify your SMTP server’s IP
address, port, and a reply address for e-mail event and
progress notifications.
SMTP Account Credentials: Provide valid credentials if your
SMTP server requires authentication.
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You can also configure migration progress notifications on a per-migration basis. See “Configuring
Automatic E-Mail Notifications of Job Status and Progress” in your User Guide.
2.6.3 User Activity Logging
Use this tab to specify options related to user activity logging. See “Setting Up User Activity
Logging” on page 17.
To access this dialog box in the Portability Suite Client, click Tools > Options.
Enable Logging: When this option is selected, Portability Suite
logs all user activities.
Maximum file size before rollover (MB): When the size of a log
file reaches the specified value, it is rolled over to a new file
with a sequential number appended to the name.
Maximum number of files for rollover: When the number of log
files reaches the specified value, the system starts overwriting
the oldest file each time a rollover is performed.
Configuring Portability Suite and Your Network Environment 25
2.6.4 Default Job Values
Use this tab to specify default migration job values specific to the target virtualization platform. To
access this dialog box in the Portability Suite Client, click Tools > Options.
Target Container Name and Path Details: These variables
control naming conventions for target paths and containers.
Expand a variable set and click a variable to edit its value.
Job Conversion Defaults: Use this area to set defaults that
affect all migration jobs. Some of these defaults are platformspecific or job-specific. For example, Virtual Disk Sizing Mode
only applies for VMware Server or MSVS Target Containers.
Take Control Duplex Settings is only relevant for a migration
involving a physical source machine.
Reset: Restores default job values.
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2.6.5 Source Service Defaults
Use this tab to select Windows services to stop on the source workload during a Live Transfer
migration. See “Handling Services During Live Transfer (Windows Source Workloads)” in your
User Guide.
To access this dialog box in the Portability Suite Client, click Tools > Options.
Stop Services during Transfer section: Lists services that are
stopped by default. To stop a service during data transfer that
uses a specific transfer method by default, select the
corresponding check box. A deselected check box means the
service remains active during Live Transfer.
All Services section: Lists unique services on all discovered
machines. Click Add to add a selected service from the lower
section to the upper section and set it to stop during the
migration.
Update Defaults from Server: Retrieves defaults from Portability
Suite Server.
26 PlateSpin Portability Suite 8.1 Configuration Guide
2.6.6 Target Service Defaults
Use this tab to select Windows services whose mode on the target is to be different from that of the
source. See “Handling the Startup Mode of Services (Windows Targets)” in your User Guide.
To access this dialog box in the Portability Suite Client, click Tools > Options.
Configure Services section: Lists services and their target
startup modes. Select the Restore After Conversion check box
to use the selected mode during the migration. The service is
then restored to match the source after the migration is
complete and the target machine is ready to run.
All Services section: Lists unique services on all discovered
machines. Click Add to add a service to the upper section. Use
the Mode drop-down list to select the service state for the
target. This is set during the configuration step of the job.
Remove: Removes a service.
Reset: Clears the upper section. The modes of all services in
the target will match those on the source.
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Configuring Portability Suite and Your Network Environment 27
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28 PlateSpin Portability Suite 8.1 Configuration Guide
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