Migration to WebSphere Commerce V 6.0 - Multimedia presentation speakers notes

1. The following 10-minute presentation will help you plan your migration from WebSphere® Commerce V5.5 and above, to WebSphere Commerce v6. If you are migrating from previous versions -- for example, WebSphere Commerce V5.4 or earlier -- please contact IBM for assistance.
   

2. Migrate your WebSphere Commerce system requires time and resources. But the investment is well worth it. After migrating your site, you will be able to use a host of powerful, new features and enhancements:

   • Many built-in marketing, advertising, and convenience features provide mechanisms to increase revenue and improve your out-of-the-box experience. Some browser-based tools, such as WebSphere Commerce Accelerator, have been redesigned to serve you better.

   • You may be able to replace your custom code with new, built-in features. By rebuilding your store based on one of the new starter stores, you may be able to reduce customized code. This often results in lower operating costs.

   •  You will get the most up-to-date IBM technology, including:

     • The latest software levels

     • The current industry standards such as JavaServer Pages Standard Tag Library - JSTL 1.1 and Apache Struts Framework.

     • And the latest features to ensure that your site runs smoothly and efficiently.

   You can also prepare for your next migration knowing that earlier versions of WebSphere Commerce go out of service after two releases.

3. After seeing this presentation:

   • You will have an overview of the migration process.

   • You will know what's needed to plan your migration, and

   •   You will be aware of the resources available to assist you.

4. Migrate WebSphere Commerce requires careful planning. Since the process involves a number of interdependent software products, it can take a considerable amount of time, and requires specialized skills. Careful migration planning will ensure minimal impact on your business.

   The migration effort is determined by:

   • Your current version of WebSphere Commerce. The older the version, the greater the effort.

   • The site architecture and configuration, before and after migration.

5. The level of site customization, before and after migration, and

6. The integration of additional software products. And, to some extent, the size of the database.

7. Depending on your site, the migration process can take several weeks to several months.

8. There are three major phases in a migration project:

   • the planning phase,

   • the test migration phase

   • and the production migration phase.

   Careful planning and thorough testing are key factors in ensuring a successful and fast production migration, which is usually scheduled to occur within a short service window.

9. Your WebSphere Commerce migration team should have the following skills:

   • Database administration skills, to help migrate custom database extensions, such as new tables or views.

   • WebSphere Commerce development skills, to migrate custom Java™ code.

   •  WebSphere Commerce administration skills, to minimize the impact to your existing production site.

   • And operating system installation, configuration, and maintenance skills, to install and configure WebSphere Commerce and any additional software products.

10. As you recall, there are three major phases in a migration project. To plan your migration requirements, complete three tasks:

    • Inventory the existing WebSphere Commerce site assets which include: Enterprise Application Archives, databases, custom code, database customization, WebSphere Commerce software, third-party software, and machines.

    • Itemize the requirements for the post-migrated site. New requirements can include: upgrading or adding hardware, using new functionality, or replacing custom-code with out-of-the-box functionality.

    • And plan the migration activities. Typical activities include:

      • Install the WebSphere Commerce 6.0 software products, or upgrading to WebSphere Commerce 6.0 software levels

      • Migrate the WebSphere Commerce instance, including database, application and Web server (and if required, the Payments instance) to the WebSphere Commerce 6.0 level.

      • After you have migrated your site, test it to ensure that the site is performing well and with functionality that still meets your expectations. Use the caching technologies and stress-test the site to ensure that it can handle the load over peak periods.

11. You need to try out the migration process in a test phase. There are two environments that migrate in the test phase: your development environment and the runtime environment. In the test phase, you migrate your development environment first. This step involves migrating and testing your custom code in the development environment.  Next, perform a test migration of the runtime environment in a way that does not impact your production environment.  In the migrated runtime environment, deploy and test your custom code.

    When you perform a test migration you migrate tier by tier in the following way:

    1. Copy the WebSphere Commerce database

    2. Check the database for errors and then migrate the database

    3. Migrate the enterprise application to a new environment

    4. Migrate the WebServer to new a hostname

    Both the original instance and the migrated instance can be running at the same time.

12. The service window for production migration is relatively short and it is important to plan carefully ahead of time. This will ensure a smooth transition. You should also build an emergency response plan in case the attempt is unsuccessful or takes longer than expected.

13. When you perform a production migration, shut down your production site prior to migrating your database. Next, migrate your production runtime environment, deploy your custom code, and validate the site. Then, bring your newly migrated site on line. As the service window for production migration is relatively short, it is important to plan carefully ahead of time. If your service window is short you should migrate the original database.  This means that your original site stops working. If your service window is relatively long, migrate a copy of the database instead.

    Next, migrate your production runtime environment. The WebSphere commerce enterprise application is migrated into a new environment. Then redeploy customized code from your development environment into the new production environment. When you migrate the Web server, ensure that you reuse the original Web server host name.  This allows Web browsers to access the newly migrated site. Then bring your newly migrated site online.

14. We recommend you use the WebSphere Commerce Migration Wizard, to perform the migration. The Migration wizard guides you through the complete migration process step by step. Context-sensitive help is provided in the Migration wizard to describe input fields in the input panels. We also provide a command line interface for advanced users who are familiar with migrating WebSphere Commerce.

15. For detailed information on migrating to WebSphere Commerce 6.0, review the migration guides, the migration section in the WebSphere Commerce Information Center or the white papers on the DeveloperWorks / Commerce Zone. The IBM support team can help to address your issues or questions through the PMR process. You can also contact IBM if you need experienced and highly-skilled people to assist you in your migration project.