The old Sunnydale servers are a bust. A recent... *incident*... revealed they're sitting on a Hellmouth of security flaws. It's time to evacuate. The new servers in Cleveland are clean, demon-free, and running Windows Server 2025 with SQL Server 2019. But moving **38 databases** across three interconnected servers—one of which is also running the town's public-facing web server (IIS)—is harder than stopping the apocalypse. Good thing we have a plan.
Every battle starts with research. Before we move a single byte, we need Giles to hit the books. Our "books" are the **Data Migration Assistant (DMA)**, which will scan all 38 databases. We also need to consult the forbidden texts on web server configuration to map out the IIS dependencies. This is no longer a simple scan; it's a full-scale intelligence operation.
DMA has returned from the stacks. Its findings are recorded below.
Click a finding to read Giles's notes.
Simply knowing the demons isn't enough. We need to test our new weapons. This is a job for Willow and the **Database Experimentation Assistant (DEA)**. DEA is our magic box: it captures a workload from our old Sunnydale servers and replays it on a test version of our new Cleveland server. We can see if any of our spells (queries) backfire before the real fight.
Run the DEA replay to compare Sunnydale vs. Cleveland.
We're not using Log Shipping—that's a permanent bridge, and we need to *abandon* this place. Instead, we'll establish a **chain of protection spells**: a continuous, automated relay of Log Backups every 15 minutes. This keeps a warm copy of our databases ready in Cleveland without creating a permanent link to the Hellmouth. This map shows the server roles and their chaotic connections.
We didn't leave Sunnydale just for better weather. The new Council HQ needs to be a fortress. A security event *forced* this move, so we're not cutting corners. This is the armory, where we equip our new SQL *and* IIS servers with every weapon in our arsenal.
Select a weapon to learn how it protects us.
This is it. The final battle. We've done our research, tested our spells, and fortified our position. Now, we perform the final ritual to shut down the Sunnydale Hellmouth and bring the Cleveland Council online. This includes migrating the IIS configuration and deploying the application code. Follow the checklist precisely. There's no room for error.