---
name: vmwaresolutions-vcda-migrating-cloudtocloud-vmaas
title: Migrating VCF as a Service workloads with cloud-to-cloud connections
description: ''
last-updated: 2026-03-04
---

> ## Documentation Index
> The table of contents for this documentation set is at https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/vmwaresolutions?format=markdown
> The index for all IBM Cloud docs is at: https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use these files to discover more information as needed.

{:video: .video}

# Migrating VCF as a Service workloads with cloud-to-cloud connections
{: #vcda-migrating-cloudtocloud-vmaas}
{: toc-content-type="tutorial"}
{: toc-services="vmware-service"}
{: toc-completion-time="30m"}

As of 17 July 2025, new automated installations of Red Hat® OpenShift® for VMware® are no longer available for new or existing deployments of VMware Cloud Foundation for Classic - Automated instances. You can still use or delete your existing Red Hat OpenShift for VMware automated installations until 16 July 2026. The service will no longer be available from 17 July 2026.
{: deprecated}

You can use VMware Cloud Director Availability (VCDA) to create cloud-to-cloud connections to migrate your workloads between IBM Cloud for VMware Cloud Foundation as a Service instances. Find out how to migrate VMware® by Broadcom virtual machine (VM) workloads across VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) as a Service environments in the following video.

![Migrate workloads within VCF as a Service environments](https://cdnapisec.kaltura.com/html5/html5lib/v2.101/mwEmbedFrame.php/p/1773841/uiconf_id/27941801/entry_id/1_vdo0bb3k?wid=_1773841&iframeembed=true&entry_id=1_vdo0bb3k){: video output="iframe" data-script="none" id="mediacenterplayer" frameborder="0" width="560" height="315" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozAllowFullScreen}

## Objectives
{: #vcda-migrating-cloudtocloud-vmaas-objectives}

In this tutorial, you learn how to create cloud-to-cloud connections between your instance and other VCF as a Service instances.

## Before you begin
{: #vcda-migrating-cloudtocloud-vmaas-prereqs}

The VCDA service is optionally included in your VCF as a Service single-tenant Cloud Director site order at no charge and is included as a default option in VCF as a Service multitenant virtual data centers (VDCs).

This tutorial requires:

* An IBM Cloud [billable account](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/account?topic=account-accounts&format=markdown).
* Required user permissions. Ensure that your user account has sufficient permissions [to create and manage VCF as a Service resources](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/vmware-service?topic=vmware-service-getting-started&format=markdown).
* [A preprovisioned VCF as a Service Cloud Director site](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/vmwaresolutions?topic=vmwaresolutions-tenant-ordering&format=markdown).
* [The VCDA service is installed on your Cloud Director site instance](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/vmware-service?topic=vmware-service-vcda-adding-deleting&format=markdown).
* An existing VCF as a Service instance to migrate.

## Create a pairing between VCF as a Service instances
{: #vcda-migrating-cloudtocloud-vmaas-pairing}
{: step}



1. In the VMware Solutions console, install VCDA on a VCF as a Service single-tenant source instance. For more information, see [Adding and deleting VCDA](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/vmware-service?topic=vmware-service-vcda-adding-deleting&format=markdown#vcda-adding-deleting-add-proc). {: #step-1}
1. Install VCDA on a VCF as a Service single-tenant destination instance.
1. Go to the source instance details page where you installed VCDA and click the **Add-on services** tab.
1. Click the **VCF as a Service pairings** tab and click **Create pairing**.

1. In the **Create connection** panel, complete the following configuration.
   1. For **Zones**, the default zone of the resource pool is displayed. If the instance has multiple PVDCs belonging to different zones, all the zones are displayed. Select the zone pairing.
   1. For **Peer geography**, the geography where the peer site is installed is displayed.
   1. For **Peer site name**, return to the VMware Cloud Director Availability details page and click the **Instance endpoints** tab. Click the **Copy to clipboard** icon for the **Site name** for the instance to pair. Paste the site name in the **Create connection** configuration.
   1. For **Peer region**, select the region where the peer site is installed.
   1. For **Administrator notes**, you can enter notes to provide more information for the pairing. The maximum length is 200 characters and the % & < > " ' / characters are not supported.

1. Click **Create pairing**. The **Creating** status is displayed. When the **Waiting for peer pairing status** is displayed, repeat the previous steps to complete the pairing connection with the Cloud Director site to pair.
1. In the VMware Solutions console, click **Resources > VCF as a Service** from the left navigation panel.
1. In the **VMware Cloud Foundation as a Service** table, click the **Cloud Director site** tab, then click a single-tenant instance name to pair with the first pairing.
1. Click the **Add-on services** tab, then expand the **VMware Cloud Director Availability** service.
1. On the **VCF as a Service pairings** tab, click **Create pairing**.

1. In the **Create connection** panel, complete the following configuration.
   1. For **Zones**, the default zone of the resource pool is displayed. If the instance has multiple PVDCs belonging to different zones, all the zones are displayed. Select the zone pairing.
   1. For **Peer geography**, the geography where the peer site is installed is displayed.
   1. For **Peer site name**, return to the VMware Cloud Director Availability details page and click the **VCF as a Service pairings** tab. Click the **Copy to clipboard** icon for the **Peer site name** that you created for the first pairing. Paste the site name in the **Create connection** configuration.
   1. For **Peer region**, select the region of the first pairing.
   1. For **Administrator notes**, you can enter notes to provide more information for the pairing. The maximum length is 200 characters and the % & < > " ' / characters are not supported.

1. Click **Create pairing**. The **Available** status is displayed when the pairing is complete.

The following pairing status options are available.

| Status | Description |
| :------ | :----------- |
| Creating | The pairing task starts. |
| Waiting for peer pairing | The pairing is complete on one site. |
| Available | The pairing is complete on both sites. |
{: caption="Pairing status" caption-side="bottom"}

## Migrate your virtual machine through the VCF as a Service pairing
{: #vcda-migrating-cloudtocloud-migrate-pairing}
{: step}



2. In the VMware Solutions console, go to the instance where you created the pairing and click **VMware console**. {: #step-2}
2. Click **More > Availability ``datacenter_name``**. For example, *Availability (sdirw360t04vcda)*.
2. From the left navigation panel, click **Incoming Replications**.
2. On the **Incoming Replications** page, click **ALL ACTIONS > New migration**.
2. Provide the login credentials for the peer site and click **LOGIN**.

2. Select the following options in the **New Incoming Migration** window.
   * For **Source VMs and vApps**:
      2. In the **SELECT SITE** menu, select the name of the paired instance. The source VM for migration is displayed.
      2. If the source VM is a multitenant instance, select the source organization ID from the **Source organization** menu.
      2. Select the VM to migrate and click **NEXT**.
   * For **Destination VDC and Storage policy**:
      2. Select the target VDC to migrate the VM to.
      2. If the destination VDC is a multitenant instance, select the target organization ID from the **Target organization** menu.
      2. Click **NEXT**.
   * For **Settings**, keep the default options and click **NEXT**.
   * For **Ready to complete**, review the settings and click **FINISH**.

   The VM is first configured and then synchronized. The replication is complete when the **Last changed** column moves from *Synchronizing* to the date and time of the replication.

2. When the replication is complete, ensure that the newly replicated VM is selected and click **ALL ACTIONS > Migrate** to begin the migration.

2. Select the following options from the **Migrate** window.
   * For **Migrate Settings**, keep the default options and click **NEXT**.
   * For **Ready to complete**, review the settings and click **FINISH**.

   The VCDA service copies the runtime data from the source VM to the destination VM. When the replication is complete, the migrated VM powers on in the Cloud Director site and powers off in the source instance. The migration is complete when the **Recovery state** column moves from *Not started* to *Failed-Over*.

2. Click the destination virtual data center name to verify the migration. Click **Compute > Virtual Machines** to view the VM.
2. After the migration is complete, delete the failed-over migration. Click **ALL ACTIONS > Delete replication**.

The migration metadata is deleted. Deleting the replication does not delete the source or the destination VMs.
{: note}