Advanced Infrastructure Modernization — AMI’s Comprehensive Cloud Migration and GitLab Optimization.

About the company 

American Megatrends Inc. (AMI) creates and manufactures key hardware and  software solutions for the global computer marketplace, providing the highest quality  and compatibility necessary to build today’s advanced computing systems. Established  by S. Shankar in 1985, AMI’s mission is to design state-of-the-art computer solutions  and develop advanced technology for the best computing solutions in the world.  Today, AMI is the world’s largest BIOS firmware vendor, with AMIBIOS® deployed in  a high proportion of all computers worldwide. 

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Customer Challenges 

AMI faces the challenge of managing 250+ servers across Azure, Oracle Cloud, and  on-premises, with a goal to consolidate on a single cloud platform. They seek to  migrate specific workloads, including Preprod of GitLab, File Server, and GitLab  Secondary, from Azure to AWS. Key drivers for this migration are cost savings,  scalability, high availability, and resiliency. With 6 virtual machines and 1 object  storage currently on Azure, the migration of GitLab to AWS will enable AMI to leverage  AWS benefits, optimize performance, and enhance their digital technology platform for  seamless collaboration and farm-level integration. 

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Why Minfy 

AMI chose Minfy as their partner for the migration project due to Minfy's status as  AWS's premier partner, their extensive experience in handling large-scale migrations,  and their proven competency in building the proposed solution. With Minfy's expertise,  AMI could rely on their deep knowledge of AWS services and their ability to deliver a  successful migration that aligns with their specific requirements and ensures a smooth  transition to the cloud. 

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Minfy’s Solution 

Lift and Shift & Greenfield deployment: To migrate VMs from Azure to AWS, we  configured AWS MGN and installed an agent on Azure VMs. Simultaneously, we  launched new servers with a Greenfield deployment approach, deploying the required  applications and services. Data replication from Azure to AWS was successfully  performed, ensuring a seamless transition. To validate the environment, we conducted  a thorough dry run and addressed any potential issues. Finally, we executed the final  backup, restore, and cutover to AWS, terminating all connections with the source. 

Automated deployment of servers using CloudFormation templates: To  streamline the server deployment process, we harnessed the power of CloudFormation  templates. These templates enabled us to provision and configure servers rapidly and  consistently, based on predefined specifications. By automating the deployment  process, we reduced manual effort, minimized errors, and achieved faster and more  reliable server deployments

Gitlab modernization using EKS deployment on Windows and Linux: For  GitLab modernization, we hosted a mirror of the on-premises GitLab server within a  private subnet of the N. Virginia region VPC. This mirror GitLab server was effectively frontended by a Network Load Balancer, ensuring optimal handling of  both SSH and HTTPS traffic. To establish secure communication between the on premises data center and the cloud GitLab server, we leveraged a Site-to-Site VPN,  terminating on a VPN Gateway in the cloud. This robust setup facilitated seamless  collaboration and significantly enhanced performance for both Windows and Linux  environments. 

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Tech Stack and AWS Services used 

Java 

.Net 

Node JS 

EKS 

RDS PostgreSQL 

Network Load Balancers 

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Challenges and Fixes 

One of the challenges encountered was the unstable connectivity between an on premises location in Beijing, China, and AWS due to arbitrary firewall restrictions. To  address this, options such as Direct Connect and OpenSwan were proposed. After  careful consideration, the customer opted for OpenSwan as the preferred solution to  establish a reliable VPN tunnel and ensure consistent connectivity between Beijing  and AWS. 

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Learnings 

The lessons learned from this fix have enabled us to develop a reusable solution that addresses firewall restrictions in China. Minfy can now leverage this knowledge  and implement the solution effectively for similar challenges in the future. 

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Specific Outcomes 

The implementation of the solution yielded substantial benefits for the organization,  including a cost savings of 40%. Furthermore, the GitLab modernization initiative  brought tangible advantages such as improved collaboration, enhanced  performance, and increased efficiency in software development and version control  processes. These outcomes contributed to greater operational effectiveness and  cost optimization, creating a streamlined and productive environment for the  organization 

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