NEW - You can now accelerate your migration and modernization with AWS Transform. Read Getting Started in the AWS Transform User Guide.

General questions

This section contains answers to general questions about AWS Transform MGN.

Why was AWS Application Migration Service renamed to AWS Transform MGN?

AWS Application Migration Service has been renamed to AWS Transform MGN. The new name reflects the close link between MGN and AWS Transform. AWS Transform uses MGN replication technology to rehost servers.

You can access AWS Transform MGN in two ways:

At the rehosting stage, you can continue with the agentic workflow or switch to the MGN console if you prefer a more hands-on experience.

AWS Transform is also available through Kiro, Claude, Cursor, and Codex via the AWS Transform MCP server.

Can MGN protect or migrate physical servers?

Yes. MGN can migrate both virtual and physical servers. The replication process works at the OS level, so it handles both server types the same way.

What data is stored on and transmitted through MGN service?

MGN stores only configuration and log data. This data is kept in an encrypted database. Your replicated data stays in your own VPC. All data in transit is encrypted.

What should I consider when replicating Active Directory?

There are two main approaches when it comes to migrating Active Directory or domain controllers from a disaster:

Does AWS Transform MGN work with LVM and RAID configurations?

Yes, AWS Transform MGN works with any such configuration.

What is there to note regarding SAN/NAS support?

If the disks are represented as block devices on the machine, as most SAN are, AWS Transform MGN will replicate them transparently, just like actual local disks.

If the disks are mounted over the network, such as an NFS share, as most NAS implementations are, the AWS Replication Agent would need to be installed on the actual NFS server to replicate the disk.

Does AWS Transform MGN support Windows License migration?

AWS Transform MGN conforms to the Microsoft Licensing on AWS guidelines.

Can you perform an OS (Operating System) upgrade with AWS Transform MGN?

Yes. AWS Transform MGN allows you to perform an OS upgrade using a predefined action. The action will clone your machine and upgrade the clone. After the upgrade, verify that the cloned machine is working well, and then you can begin using it.

What are the AWS Transform MGN quota limits?

The following are the AWS Transform MGN service quota limits:

You can learn about the AWS Transform MGN limits in the AWS General Reference.

What are the Private APIs used by MGN to define actions in the IAM Policy?

MGN uses the following Private API resources as actions in the IAM Policy. Learn more about Actions, resources, and condition keys for MGN.

Which post-launch scripts does MGN support?

MGN can run scripts on a launched test or cutover instance. This is done by creating the following folder on the source server and placing the scripts within that folder.

Linux: /boot/post_launch (any files that are marked as executable)

Windows: C:\Program Files (x86)\AWS Replication Agent\post_launch\ (any .exe, .cmd, or .bat files)

Once you put these scripts in the above folders on the source server, the folder will be replicated to the test or cutover instance and be executed once after the instance boots for the first time.

Uninstalling VMTools from Windows

The following script can be utilized to uninstall VMTools post migration from Windows. This is a powershell script. It needs to be wrapped by a .CMD file, as powershell scripts are not run automatically by the post_launch.

        $regpath = "HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\uninstall"

        Get-childItem $regpath | % {

        $keypath = $_.pschildname

        $key = Get-Itemproperty $regpath\$keypath

        if ($key.DisplayName -match "VMware Tools") {

        $VMwareToolsGUID = $keypath

        }

        MsiExec.exe /x $VMwareToolsGUID /qn /norestart

        }
      

What happens if I use a custom DNS?

Custom DNS settings can cause issues in the replication servers.

Therefore, if you are using a custom DNS, you will need to add a TCP port 53 to the security group outbound rules, for replication and conversion servers.

Can I use AWS Transform MGN to migrate servers from VMware Cloud on AWS (VMC) to Amazon EC2?

Yes, you can. For migrations of source servers from VMC to EC2 you have two options. You can install the agentless appliance in your VMC environment, and migrate your servers using agentless replication, or install the AWS replication agent on each of your source servers, and use agent-based replication for your migration.

When should I use AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery (AWS DRS) for migration?

In cases that DRS supports a feature that does not exist in MGN, DRS can be used for migration. You can install the DRS replication agent on your source servers. Following replication, you can launch recovery instances in your target environment, to complete the migration.

DRS can be used for migration, as the DRS and MGN services use shared technology for performing block level replication. Both MGN and DRS have a replication agent, for replicating servers into a staging area in AWS. MGN supports launching test and cutover instances from the staging area. DRS supports launching recovery instances from the staging area. The technology used by both of these services for launching instances in AWS is very similar. DRS also has the capability to failback to the source environment, after the source environment has recovered. This capability does not exist in MGN.

Note that you cannot install the DRS and MGN agents on the same server at the same time. If you already installed the MGN agent on a server, and want to use DRS for migration, you must uninstall the MGN agent before installing the DRS agent.

Note that there are costs associated with using the DRS service. For DRS pricing information see AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery pricing.