This is an original planning guide. It is not a vendor manual, an official standard, or legal advice. Example addresses use documentation ranges. Review every command before you paste it.
A strategy is one verb for one system
The seven moves are rehost, replatform, repurchase, refactor, relocate, retain, and retire. The selector helps you pick a verb from answers you type. The readiness check is a questionnaire. Neither tool moves a system, and neither tool logs into a platform.
One system gets one verb. A programme that lists every server is not this hour. If two verbs seem true, you have not finished the sentence about what must stay the same.
Retain and retire are successful answers. Not every system should move. Retire needs an owner and a date. Retain needs a reason that is not fear. The cost guide prices a move. It does not force one.
The virtualisation companion on the system desk is useful when the system is a guest you already run. This page does not pick a hypervisor for you, and it does not start a cutover.
One system, one verb, a reason the next person can repeat
Name the system and what it does in one sentence. Answer the selector honestly. Record the verb and the reason. If the tool's suggestion disagrees with the reason, the reason wins and you write why.
Run the readiness questions for that one system. A low score means the move waits. It does not mean you start anyway. Data you may move, the owner, and the rollback of the current system are the three lines that must exist before any later cutover ticket.
Rehost is a copy of the same shape. Replatform changes a part, such as a database service, and the database desk owns that part. Refactor is an application change with its own project. Repurchase is a product decision. Relocate is a site move. Do not mix the verbs in one sentence.
Nothing is migrated in this window. The proof is the paragraph. A cutover plan with a clock belongs to a later ticket that names the maintenance hour.
# Migration note. One system. One verb.
# Rehost, replatform, repurchase, refactor, relocate, retain, retire.
# Retain and retire are allowed answers.
# This hour does not cut over.
# A readiness score does not start a move by itself.A change you can finish
The later change is a lab copy or a written retire date, not a production cutover.
Rollback of a decision is choosing a different verb before anything moves. Rollback of a cutover is a plan you do not need yet because you did not cut over.
- Name one system and its job.
- Pick one verb and write the reason.
- Answer the readiness questions for that system.
- If the score is low, the move waits.
- Write data, owner, and what stays running today.
- Price the idea with the cost guide only if the verb spends money.
- Leave the cutover unscheduled.
Mistakes that outlive the command
the 7 Rs fails in the same few ways. Each one looks finished on the day you type it. The list is here so the ticket can forbid them before the window, not so you can recognise them in an incident review.
- Seven verbs for one system.
- A cutover in the decision hour.
- Moving a system you do not administer.
- A customer extract as the test copy.
- Retire with no owner and no date.
- Retain written only as 'maybe later'.
- Ignoring a low readiness score.
- Refactor disguised as a weekend rehost.
- A database change with no database owner.
- A clock time before the verb is agreed.
Decisions to write down before the window
Decision 1 for the 7 Rs. One system is named. Write that decision in the ticket before you change the host. The proof is the smallest command or screen that confirms it, recorded with the hostname and the time. If the host disagrees, the ticket changes. A second change does not go on top of a failed check. The rollback is the previous value you wrote down, not a reboot that hides which line mattered.
Decision 2 for the 7 Rs. One verb is chosen. Write that decision in the ticket before you change the host. The proof is the smallest command or screen that confirms it, recorded with the hostname and the time. If the host disagrees, the ticket changes. A second change does not go on top of a failed check. The rollback is the previous value you wrote down, not a reboot that hides which line mattered.
Decision 3 for the 7 Rs. The reason is a sentence. Write that decision in the ticket before you change the host. The proof is the smallest command or screen that confirms it, recorded with the hostname and the time. If the host disagrees, the ticket changes. A second change does not go on top of a failed check. The rollback is the previous value you wrote down, not a reboot that hides which line mattered.
Decision 4 for the 7 Rs. Readiness was answered. Write that decision in the ticket before you change the host. The proof is the smallest command or screen that confirms it, recorded with the hostname and the time. If the host disagrees, the ticket changes. A second change does not go on top of a failed check. The rollback is the previous value you wrote down, not a reboot that hides which line mattered.
Decision 5 for the 7 Rs. A low score stops the move. Write that decision in the ticket before you change the host. The proof is the smallest command or screen that confirms it, recorded with the hostname and the time. If the host disagrees, the ticket changes. A second change does not go on top of a failed check. The rollback is the previous value you wrote down, not a reboot that hides which line mattered.
Decision 6 for the 7 Rs. The owner is named. Write that decision in the ticket before you change the host. The proof is the smallest command or screen that confirms it, recorded with the hostname and the time. If the host disagrees, the ticket changes. A second change does not go on top of a failed check. The rollback is the previous value you wrote down, not a reboot that hides which line mattered.
Decision 7 for the 7 Rs. Today's system keeps running. Write that decision in the ticket before you change the host. The proof is the smallest command or screen that confirms it, recorded with the hostname and the time. If the host disagrees, the ticket changes. A second change does not go on top of a failed check. The rollback is the previous value you wrote down, not a reboot that hides which line mattered.
Decision 8 for the 7 Rs. No cutover is scheduled. Write that decision in the ticket before you change the host. The proof is the smallest command or screen that confirms it, recorded with the hostname and the time. If the host disagrees, the ticket changes. A second change does not go on top of a failed check. The rollback is the previous value you wrote down, not a reboot that hides which line mattered.
Decision 9 for the 7 Rs. Data to move is described without copying it. Write that decision in the ticket before you change the host. The proof is the smallest command or screen that confirms it, recorded with the hostname and the time. If the host disagrees, the ticket changes. A second change does not go on top of a failed check. The rollback is the previous value you wrote down, not a reboot that hides which line mattered.
Decision 10 for the 7 Rs. The cost guide is involved only if money changes. Write that decision in the ticket before you change the host. The proof is the smallest command or screen that confirms it, recorded with the hostname and the time. If the host disagrees, the ticket changes. A second change does not go on top of a failed check. The rollback is the previous value you wrote down, not a reboot that hides which line mattered.
Decision 11 for the 7 Rs. The infrastructure file is later, if a file is even needed. Write that decision in the ticket before you change the host. The proof is the smallest command or screen that confirms it, recorded with the hostname and the time. If the host disagrees, the ticket changes. A second change does not go on top of a failed check. The rollback is the previous value you wrote down, not a reboot that hides which line mattered.
Decision 12 for the 7 Rs. A second person can say the verb. Write that decision in the ticket before you change the host. The proof is the smallest command or screen that confirms it, recorded with the hostname and the time. If the host disagrees, the ticket changes. A second change does not go on top of a failed check. The rollback is the previous value you wrote down, not a reboot that hides which line mattered.
The hour you stop
Write the account, the project or subscription, the region, and the clock time before you change anything for the 7 Rs. If this account is serving people and you do not have a way back, this hour is a plan. A plan you can read tomorrow is a success. A change you cannot undo is not.
Use a lab account, a lab project, or a lab subscription you administer. You do not point a CLI, a pipeline, or a browser tool at an account you do not run. The tools on this site run in the browser. They draft text. They do not log in, and they do not scan.
prompt-for-this is a reminder that a secret is missing. It is not an access key, a token, a password, or a kubeconfig you save. The real secret stays in the password store or the platform's secret store. If a file, a log, a ticket, or a pipeline still contains a live secret, stop and rotate it. Then delete the copy.
One change. A network, a virtual machine, a policy, and a pipeline do not share a window. If two things move and the outcome is wrong, you will not know which one did it. The rollback is the previous file, the previous plan, or the resource you can delete because it was only a lab.
A second person reads the scope aloud: which account, which region, which name. If they cannot find it in the ticket, the ticket is not ready. Silence is not agreement.
Documentation addresses stay in the note. 192.0.2.0/24, 198.51.100.0/24, 203.0.113.0/24, and 2001:db8::/32 are not prefixes you type into a production network. example.com is not your zone. A generated file that opens 0.0.0.0/0 is a file you edit before it is applied. A source you can name is the rule you keep.
Do not apply a draft you have not read. A cost estimate, a policy, a manifest, and a Terraform plan are reading material. Apply, a resize of a live machine, and a delete of a bucket are later decisions with their own proof. Read the names. Then decide.
Keep the previous file. A generator draft is not the previous file. The previous file is what you put back if the new one is wrong. You practised the path back, including the serial console or a second admin, before you changed a network or a lockout setting.
If a step fails twice, stop. The failure is the result. Adding a command from a forum beside a half-applied stack produces an account nobody can explain. Rebuild the lab from the copy you kept.
When the checks pass, the next account waits until someone else can repeat the proof from the notes. the 7 Rs is done for this window when the proof is written, not when a CLI printed a success line.
This page is a planning guide. It is not a vendor manual, not an official standard, not legal advice, and not an audit opinion. If an auditor must see the decision, they see the ticket and the evidence, not this paragraph.
Hand the finished note to the neighbouring guide that owns the next step, and leave this account alone until that guide has its own window.
Migration checks before anyone schedules a cutover
Check 1 in Migration checks before anyone schedules a cutover. The system name is in the ticket. Record the device name, the result, and the time on the same line. If the result does not match this check, stop and fix the ticket before you add another change. The rollback for this check is the previous value you wrote down, not a reboot. A reboot hides whether the check was the one that mattered. When the check passes, move to the next one. When it fails, the incident is this check.
Check 2 in Migration checks before anyone schedules a cutover. The verb is one of the seven. Record the device name, the result, and the time on the same line. If the result does not match this check, stop and fix the ticket before you add another change. The rollback for this check is the previous value you wrote down, not a reboot. A reboot hides whether the check was the one that mattered. When the check passes, move to the next one. When it fails, the incident is this check.
Check 3 in Migration checks before anyone schedules a cutover. The reason matches the verb. Record the device name, the result, and the time on the same line. If the result does not match this check, stop and fix the ticket before you add another change. The rollback for this check is the previous value you wrote down, not a reboot. A reboot hides whether the check was the one that mattered. When the check passes, move to the next one. When it fails, the incident is this check.
Check 4 in Migration checks before anyone schedules a cutover. Readiness is recorded. Record the device name, the result, and the time on the same line. If the result does not match this check, stop and fix the ticket before you add another change. The rollback for this check is the previous value you wrote down, not a reboot. A reboot hides whether the check was the one that mattered. When the check passes, move to the next one. When it fails, the incident is this check.
Check 5 in Migration checks before anyone schedules a cutover. No data was copied in this window. Record the device name, the result, and the time on the same line. If the result does not match this check, stop and fix the ticket before you add another change. The rollback for this check is the previous value you wrote down, not a reboot. A reboot hides whether the check was the one that mattered. When the check passes, move to the next one. When it fails, the incident is this check.
Check 6 in Migration checks before anyone schedules a cutover. No account you do not run was opened. Record the device name, the result, and the time on the same line. If the result does not match this check, stop and fix the ticket before you add another change. The rollback for this check is the previous value you wrote down, not a reboot. A reboot hides whether the check was the one that mattered. When the check passes, move to the next one. When it fails, the incident is this check.
Check 7 in Migration checks before anyone schedules a cutover. Retire has a date, or retire was not chosen. Record the device name, the result, and the time on the same line. If the result does not match this check, stop and fix the ticket before you add another change. The rollback for this check is the previous value you wrote down, not a reboot. A reboot hides whether the check was the one that mattered. When the check passes, move to the next one. When it fails, the incident is this check.
Check 8 in Migration checks before anyone schedules a cutover. The current system is still the one serving people. Record the device name, the result, and the time on the same line. If the result does not match this check, stop and fix the ticket before you add another change. The rollback for this check is the previous value you wrote down, not a reboot. A reboot hides whether the check was the one that mattered. When the check passes, move to the next one. When it fails, the incident is this check.
Check 9 in Migration checks before anyone schedules a cutover. A second person repeats the verb. Record the device name, the result, and the time on the same line. If the result does not match this check, stop and fix the ticket before you add another change. The rollback for this check is the previous value you wrote down, not a reboot. A reboot hides whether the check was the one that mattered. When the check passes, move to the next one. When it fails, the incident is this check.
Check 10 in Migration checks before anyone schedules a cutover. The cutover line is blank. Record the device name, the result, and the time on the same line. If the result does not match this check, stop and fix the ticket before you add another change. The rollback for this check is the previous value you wrote down, not a reboot. A reboot hides whether the check was the one that mattered. When the check passes, move to the next one. When it fails, the incident is this check.
Check 11 in Migration checks before anyone schedules a cutover. A database move names the database owner, or there is no database move. Record the device name, the result, and the time on the same line. If the result does not match this check, stop and fix the ticket before you add another change. The rollback for this check is the previous value you wrote down, not a reboot. A reboot hides whether the check was the one that mattered. When the check passes, move to the next one. When it fails, the incident is this check.
Check 12 in Migration checks before anyone schedules a cutover. The note has no secret and no customer extract. Record the device name, the result, and the time on the same line. If the result does not match this check, stop and fix the ticket before you add another change. The rollback for this check is the previous value you wrote down, not a reboot. A reboot hides whether the check was the one that mattered. When the check passes, move to the next one. When it fails, the incident is this check.
Check 13 in Migration checks before anyone schedules a cutover. The hostname in the prompt matches the hostname in the ticket for the 7 Rs. Record the device name, the result, and the time on the same line. If the result does not match this check, stop and fix the ticket before you add another change. The rollback for this check is the previous value you wrote down, not a reboot. A reboot hides whether the check was the one that mattered. When the check passes, move to the next one. When it fails, the incident is this check.
Check 14 in Migration checks before anyone schedules a cutover. The result line includes the time and the person, not only the command. Record the device name, the result, and the time on the same line. If the result does not match this check, stop and fix the ticket before you add another change. The rollback for this check is the previous value you wrote down, not a reboot. A reboot hides whether the check was the one that mattered. When the check passes, move to the next one. When it fails, the incident is this check.
Check 15 in Migration checks before anyone schedules a cutover. You can point at the rollback value without searching a chat history. Record the device name, the result, and the time on the same line. If the result does not match this check, stop and fix the ticket before you add another change. The rollback for this check is the previous value you wrote down, not a reboot. A reboot hides whether the check was the one that mattered. When the check passes, move to the next one. When it fails, the incident is this check.
Check 16 in Migration checks before anyone schedules a cutover. Done is a sentence a second person can repeat: the proof for the 7 Rs happened, and the next host is not started early. Record the device name, the result, and the time on the same line. If the result does not match this check, stop and fix the ticket before you add another change. The rollback for this check is the previous value you wrote down, not a reboot. A reboot hides whether the check was the one that mattered. When the check passes, move to the next one. When it fails, the incident is this check.
Tools for this guide
These tools run in the browser on this site. They do not log into your machines.
Related pillar guides
Guides in this cluster
These supporting pages belong to this pillar. A published page is linked. The others are named until they are published.
- Checklist: Cloud Migration Checklist
- How-To: Planning Migration Waves
- Explainer: How Much Does a Cloud Migration Cost?
- Explainer: Well-Architected Framework Explained
- How-To: Drawing Cloud Architecture Diagrams
- Comparison: Cloud Disaster Recovery Strategies
- How-To: Choosing a Cloud Region
- How-To: Migrating Databases to the Cloud
- Explainer: Cloud Repatriation and Exit Planning
- Comparison: AWS vs Azure vs GCP
The content plan also names a companion in another desk: System: VMware vs Hyper-V vs Proxmox.