Pre-Migration Activities
Before migrating, there are a number of preparatory activities that each
company should complete. Most importantly, be sure that migration is
planned well in advance during annual IT planning sessions.

Discuss software
upgrades.
When is it the correct time to upgrade to new software versions? The
answer varies by company, depending on system stability, required
specifications, and need for new product features. To get started review
the following resources:
Features
and benefits of WebSphere Application Server V7.0
IBM WebSphere Application Server drives
business agility by providing millions of developers and IT Architects
with an innovative, performance based foundation to build, reuse, run,
integrate and manage Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) applications and
services; especially business critical and key company wide applications
that require the highest levels of reliability, availability, security and
scalability.
Knowledge
Collection: Migration planning for WebSphere Application Server
A focused compilation of links to documents
and resources to help you plan and perform your migration to IBM WebSphere
Application Server.

Consider
end-of-life planning.

Consider
hardware and operating systems migrations.

Create
an end-to-end, comprehensive migration plan.
Creating a detailed and realistic migration plan with a critical path can
help you stay on track and meet your software upgrade goals. You might
want to review articles like:
IBM
WebSphere Developer Technical Journal: The Ideal WebSphere Development
Environment.
This article describes the ideal environment
for WebSphere Application Server and closely related WebSphere products,
such as WebSphere Portal. The word "environment" is used in the largest
sense possible -- it includes virtually every aspect of enterprise
application ownership, from development to production. This article
explains why each stage is necessary, and ways of reducing costs, when
appropriate.
WebSphere
Application Server V7.0 Roadmap
This document outlines all documentation and
support material available with the general release of IBM WebSphere
Application Version 7.0. You can use this document to locate Application
Server V7.0 content, including download instructions, fixes, and more.
Migrating
from WebSphere Application Server for z/OS V5.0 to V6.0 - An Example
Migration
With IBM WebSphere Application Server for
z/OS version 6.0 on the shelves, the question of migrating a configuration
from version 5.0 naturally comes to mind. This white paper will provide an
illustration of an actual migration, step-by-step, so that you can see how
it is accomplished and what some of the problems might be when you attempt
it.

Review
proposed project time lines.
Ensure that the planned time line is accurate by assessing risk, project
change, and interoperability requirements such as operating system
upgrades, networking information, Java Virtual Machine (JVM) settings, and
3rd party application impacts.

Assess
the environment and mitigate known migration pitfalls.
Eliminate common errors before migrating by
installing
available fix packs and checking your system health. For example, you
might want to review resources such as:
Recommended
fixes for WebSphere Application Server
A comprehensive list of recommended,
generally available (GA) fixes for IBM WebSphere Application Server
releases. Fix Packs are cumulative. When a prerequisite or co-requisite
Fix Pack is recommended, that specific Fix Pack or a later Fix Pack may be
applied. For example: if Fix Pack 6.0.2.17 is required, applying Fix Pack
6.0.2.17, 6.0.2.19, 6.0.2.21 or a later Fix Pack is valid.
New
IBM Education Assistant content for WebSphere Application Server V7.0
New online multimedia educational content
was recently published on IBM Education Assistant (IEA) for IBM WebSphere
Application Server V7.0.
Webcast
replay: WebSphere Application Server Migration - Best Practices and
Sources
This WebSphere Support Technical Exchange is
designed to demonstrate how the migration from one version of IBM
WebSphere Application Server to another has been a steadily improving
story. Good planning and applying known Best Practices to your environment
is critical to your success. Learn what you can do to make this job easier
for yourself based on experiences of others.
IBM
Education Assistant: Common mistakes and solutions for upgrade
A collection of documents that offer extra
information and solutions related to the upgrade best practices
tutorials.
Webcast
replay: Malpractices: How Customers get in trouble
This WebSphere Support Technical Exchange
conducted on 24 August 2006 presented by Katie Barrett, is designed to
talk about the top problem causes that WebSphere Application Server
Support SWAT team has observed when working with customers. You may not do
them, or you may and not realize it yet.
These malpractices have also been observed by various other IBM Software
Group SWAT teams.
Common
malpractices whitepaper (Eleven ways to wreck a deployment)
The WebSphere Serviceability Team has the
opportunity to visit customer sites to solve complex situations. Although
this situation is not a regular practice, we extend our service when
on-site support is absolutely necessary. After each visit, we document
what we have done and observed on site. Often, we revisit our database to
determine how and why our customers got into trouble. This white paper
explains the practices and patterns that we have observed while assisting
customers.
A
quick guide for migrating to IBM WebSphere Application Server V6.0
This guide provides a high level overview of
the process for migrating from IBM WebSphere Application Server versions
4.0 or 5.0 to WebSphere Application Server version 6.0.
During Migration
After completing the Pre-Migration activities, migration should consist of
executing the plan and monitoring progress.

Webcast

Redbooks
WebSphere
Application Server V6.1: System Management and Configuration
This IBM Redbook provides system
administrators, developers, and architects with the knowledge to configure
a WebSphere Application Server version 6.1 runtime environment, to package
and deploy Web applications, and to perform ongoing management of the
WebSphere environment.
WebSphere
Application Server V6.1: Planning and Design
This IBM Redbook discusses the planning and
design of IBM WebSphere Application Server version 6.1 environments. The
content of this redbook is oriented to IT architects and consultants who
require assistance when planning and designing small implementations to
large and complex implementations.
Post Migration
At the completion of any project, review the execution of the migration
plan.

Recovering from
Migration Failure
How
to restore a migrated configuration.
When performing an IBM WebSphere Application
Server V5.0 to V5.1 Migration, it is recommended that you
not have any region constraints in place, such as IEFUSI
limits, as these can cause unpredictable JVM errors.