Verifying requirements

Before you begin a migration, verify the requirements for exporting your source products and for the installation of the new version.

The preferred method of migrating from an older version of InfoSphere® Information Server to a new version is to retain the original installation and to install the new version so both versions can be run at the same time. For Windows installations, the new version needs to be on new hardware or in a new virtual machine. For Linux® or Unix installations, if you have enough disk space and memory, you also have the option of installing the new version into a new location on the same machine.

Having both versions at the same time provides the following benefits:
  • You can continue using your existing system to run your business needs while validating the function on the new system.
  • You can reduce the system down time when you do the switch over to the new system.
  • You can stage the migration by product or project to match the availability of testing resources.
  • There are less stringent requirements on the export process because the source system is still available and you do not have to ensure that all collateral has been exported or backed up prior to un-installing and reinstalling.

If you do install your new version on new hardware, you should contact your IBM® account representative about a license waiver to cover licensing for both systems during the migration process. For more information about topology options for your new installation, see Designing the migration topology.

In addition to planning the hardware resources for the migration, you must also review the migration export process for the products you need to migrate. The asset interchange capabilities of different versions of InfoSphere Information Server vary. You need to confirm that export capabilities of your source system are sufficient to meet your migration requirements. For all versions of InfoSphere Information Server, InfoSphere DataStage®, InfoSphere QualityStage®, and InfoSphere Information Services Director products can be migrated using the documented migration instructions. In most cases, if you are migrating from Version 8.5 or later, you can use asset interchange to migrate your system for all products.