IBM Mobile Foundation service instances can now be managed as a resource on IBM Cloud.
“Resource” is a broad term that can mean anything from an instance of a service like IBM Mobile Foundation, a Cloud Foundry application, a virtual machine, a container, a software image, a data set, or other entity associated with an account.
Resources can be managed uniformly and grouped in resource groups in an IBM Cloud account. Previously, Mobile Foundation service instances were created as a Cloud Foundry service instance.
Creating a Mobile Foundation service instance
In the past, when you created a Mobile Foundation service instance, it automatically created a Mobile Foundation backend server—a Cloud Foundry Liberty Application created in the same org and space as the Mobile Foundation service instance.
With support for resources, the Mobile Foundation backend server will continue to be created as a Cloud Foundry Liberty Application. However, when creating the Mobile Foundation service instance, you will now have to specify the org and space in addition to the resource group. The Mobile Foundation service is created in the selected resource group, and the Mobile Foundation backend server is created in the selected org and space.
Migrating an older Cloud Foundry service to a resource
As the Mobile Foundation service is now moving from from Cloud Foundry to resources, you will see the -> icon next to your existing Mobile Foundation services on your resource list. You must start a migration for your service instances to move from their current Cloud Foundry org and space to a resource group.
When you migrate existing Cloud Foundry service instances to a resource group, the group that you choose can’t be changed after the migration is complete—it’s essential to plan how you want to organize resources in the account before you migrate. This might mean that you need to create one or more resource groups before migrating.
Additionally, when migrating a service instance from a Cloud Foundry org and space to a resource group, a new linked service instance is created in the resource group. The original instance in the Cloud Foundry org and space becomes an alias. The alias counts towards the quota for your organization, but you’re billed for your usage of the service instance in the resource group.
Service instances are migrated one at a time when you’re notified on the resource list by the -> icon that is associated with your Cloud Foundry service instance.
There is no pricing change for your Mobile Foundation instance post-migration to a resource group. The Mobile Foundation service prices remain unchanged, and the Mobile Foundation backend server which runs as a CF application will continue to be charged separately. You will see zero impact on pricing post-migration.
The following snapshot shows the Mobile Foundation instance ‘mfdemo’ before migration, with an -> icon suggesting migration.
Steps to migrate
- Open the More actions menu.
- Select Migrate to a resource group to get started.
- Select a resource group.
- Click Migrate and the instance is migrated for you.
- Since you can migrate only one instance at a time, you can continue migrating eligible instances after you migrate the first one.
After you successfully migrate an instance, you see it in the Services section of your resource list. The alias stays in the Cloud Foundry section of the resource list.
The Mobile Foundation backend server (which is a Cloud Foundation Liberty application server) will continue to run in the same org and space as it used to run before. Do not delete this CF application.
The following snapshot shows the Mobile Foundation service instance after migration on the services section, and an alias with the same name retained in Cloud Foundry services section:
Learn more
For more information about why you should migrate your Cloud Foundry service instances and apps to resource groups, see “Migrating Cloud Foundry service instances and apps to a resource group.”
Get started today with IBM Mobile Foundation.