Data center relocation glossary
Plain definitions of the terms used in data center relocation, consolidation and migration projects, from PMO and DFS to Device Spec Sheets and move groups.
Last updated · By the MIGRA Systems project team
- Data center relocation
- The physical move of servers, storage and network equipment from one facility to another, including planning, de-installation, packing, transport, re-installation, cabling and testing. Also called a data center move. Learn more
- Data center consolidation
- Combining equipment from several data centers or scattered server rooms into one facility, usually alongside decommissioning the equipment and sites left behind. Learn more
- Data center migration
- Moving IT workloads to a new environment, either physically (moving the hardware) or virtually (moving data and applications to new servers or platforms). Learn more
- Virtual migration
- Moving data and applications from one server or platform to another over the network, without physically moving hardware. Learn more
- Data center decommissioning
- Retiring data center infrastructure in a way that removes any risk of sensitive data falling into the wrong hands, including hard drive destruction and disposal of electronic equipment, cooling systems and infrastructure. Learn more
- De-racking (de-installation)
- Removing devices, cables, power cords and rails from their racks so they can be packed and moved.
- Re-racking (re-installation)
- Installing devices into their assigned rack positions at the destination and reconnecting their cabling.
- Present Method of Operation (PMO)
- A documented picture of the current environment: a detailed inventory, Visio drawings, the physical network infrastructure and the logical application linkages for every device. It is the baseline every later planning phase builds on.
- Desired Future State (DFS)
- The documented design of the new environment, including net new equipment, telecommunications changes and the network within the building. The move plan is the roadmap from the PMO to the DFS.
- Day of Move (DOM) plan
- The detailed script for move day, listing each task, its owner and its prerequisites. MIGRA breaks DOM plans down in 15-minute increments. Learn more
- Move group
- A set of devices that are shut down, moved and brought back up together. Splitting a move into priority groups reduces downtime and limits risk.
- Move window
- The period of time the business allows for systems to be offline while equipment is moved, for example a 12-hour window over a holiday weekend.
- Test move
- A small rehearsal move, for example 40 devices a month before the main move, used to measure de-installation, packing, transport and re-installation time per device and to size the crew.
- Device Spec Sheet
- A label attached to each packed device listing the server name, serial number, the number of cables, cords and rails, and its destination rack and U location.
- Rack unit (U) and U location
- A rack unit (U) is the standard 1.75-inch height increment in an equipment rack. A device's U location is its exact vertical position in a specific rack.
- Rack elevation
- A drawing of a rack showing which device occupies each U position. Rack elevations guide both de-installation and re-installation.
- Fully integrated rack move
- Moving a rack with its devices still installed rather than empty. It depends on the rack being built for transport, for example equipped with casters.
- Hot aisle and cold aisle
- A data center layout where rack fronts face each other across a cold aisle that supplies cool air, and rack backs face each other across a hot aisle where exhaust air is collected.
- OEM re-certification
- A check by the original equipment manufacturer, after a move, that its device is installed and working as specified, often required to keep support contracts valid.
- GPS-traceable transport
- Moving equipment in vehicles whose location can be tracked by GPS throughout the trip.
- Disaster recovery (DR) plan
- The documented, tested process for restoring systems and data after an outage or data loss. During a relocation, a DR site can keep core operations running while production equipment is in transit. Learn more
- Failover
- Switching operations from primary systems to a backup site or system. A test failover before move day confirms the backup will work if it is needed.
- PDU and KVM
- A PDU (power distribution unit) distributes power to the devices in a rack. A KVM (keyboard, video, mouse) switch lets one console control several servers. Both move along with the servers they support.
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