This session will discuss issues that arise when migrating from Red Hat Enterprise Linux to SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. The session will focus on tools and techniques that can be used in aiding the migration, covering basic migration issues, analysis of the installation base, and moving third-party applications from Red Hat to SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. The session will also briefly touch on the Novell Expanded Support program.

1. Migration from
Red Hat to SUSE ®
Linux Enterprise Server
Olaf Kirch
Director Server (OPS)
Novell, Inc
(okir@novell.com)

2. Overview
Aspects of Migration
Quick Introduction to SUSE Linux ®
Enterprise Server Expanded Support
Tools to Help with Migration
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3. Aspects of Migration

4. Stages of a Migration
• Identify your workload
• Deploy servers
– Template based deployment using autoyast
– Image based deployment using ZLM
• Migrate services
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5. Application Support
• Will this application run on SUSE Linux ®
Enterprise Server?
– Check our list of certified ISV applications at
http://www.novell.com/partners/isv
– Check with your vendor
– Using LSB AppChecker
• What if it won't?
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6. Migrating Data and Configuration
• Feedback we have received so far says “no
magic scripting, please!”
• We have created a few migration guides for
specific topics:
– Migration overview
– Migration of specific services (Apache2, BIND, NFS,
Samba, etc)
– Available from www.novell.com
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7. SUSE Linux Enterprise Server
®
Expanded Support

8. The Problem
Migrations do not happen overnight
Customers need However, paying
interim support for twice is not
their existing install attractive.
base for the duration
of the migration.
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9. Our Solution
• We provide technical support and maintenance for your
existing Red Hat Enterprise Linux install base during
your migration
• Patches distributed via Novell Customer
®
Center/Subscription Management Tool
– For legal reasons, the original RHEL patches have to be
rebuilt by us before we can given them to you
• If you need support, you call NTS just like you would for
any SUSE Linux Enterprise Server or PlateSpin issue
® ®
• We call this “Expanded Support”
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10. What Is Covered?
• RHEL 3, RHEL 4 (including RH Cluster Suite),
and RHEL 5 (including RH Cluster Suite)
• The program was initially designed for customers
who are fully patched when they decide to migrate
– In other words, on 3.9, 4.7 or 5.2
– We have started to extend our package base backwards
into history
• If you're on CentOS, we support you as if
you're on RHEL
• If you're on Oracle Unbreakable Linux, we may be
able to support you - within limits
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11. It's Not a Distro
It's important to understand that we only provide:
Patches
Updates
We do not provide:
Install media
(In particular, we do not support new installations.)
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12. Receiving Patches from Novell ®
• How to hook up your Red Hat Enterprise Linux
system to the Subscription Management Tool
– Described in Technical Article TID 7004324
– In a nutshell, you just redirect up2date or yum to your
local SMT server
• ZENworks Linux Management can support
®
Red Hat Enterprise Linux clients, too
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13. Using the Analyzer Tools

14. Identifying What's on Your System
• One of the biggest issues with larger scale
migrations is:
– Knowing what's on a system
> In particular, what applications
– Knowing what was changed from the default
• We created an analyzer tool that we hope
will be helpful
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15. An Outline of the Analyzer Tools
This is an engineer's tool box, so don't expect
mahogany veneer or brass handles
Coming in two flavors: ASCII and web based
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16. Quick Demo of the Analyzer
This is just a quick tour
If you want to know more, or share ideas, find
me at the demo counter or around the hallways
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17. Demo Break

18. LSB AppChecker

19. What is the LSB App-Checker?
• This tool was created by the Linux Foundation
• Intended to help verify whether an application has
a chance of running on a given target system
– Validates the Application Binary Interface (ABI)
– Does not check other aspects like configuration file syntax,
or bug for bug compatibility of libraries or system utilities
– But well-written applications shouldn't rely on such
things anyway :-)
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20. How to Use the App-Checker
• Download from the Linux Foundation
– http://ldn.linuxfoundation.org/lsb/check-your-app
• Install on the system you want to check
• Connect via web browser, and give it the name of a
directory or single binary to check
• Generates a list of platforms with matching ABI
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21. Question and Answers
Any questions?
For further questions, you can reach me at
okir@novell.com
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