In this Post

    Introduction

    Are you tired of dealing with the limitations and uncertain future of TIBCO EMS? Are you considering a switch from TIBCO EMS to Solace PubSub+ for enhanced performance, scalability, and advanced features? If so, we’ve got you covered! In this piece, you’ll learn about a proven set of six steps that will help you gracefully migrate from TIBCO EMS to Solace PubSub+.

    If you haven’t yet read this piece about the 3 main messaging migration strategies (message dual-publish, interface bridging, and flash cutover) you might want to do so before reading about this specific process.

    Following these six steps will ensure a successful and efficient switch from TIBCO EMS to Solace PubSub+. Each step is designed to streamline the migration process, minimize disruption, and maximize the benefits of adopting PubSub+.

    1. Assess Situation and Choose a Strategy
    2. Develop a Plan and Tools to Support It
    3. Ensure Operational Readiness
    4. Execute Pilot
    5. Implement and Refine
    6. Decommission

    Assess Situation and Choose a Strategy

    The first step is to inventory your operations and applications to gain a clear understanding of your TIBCO EMS landscape. As part of that you’ll want to review integration use cases and interface design to ensure that all integration points are accounted for, and gather deployment and performance data so you can accurately benchmark performance and capacity plan.

    With that done, it’ll be time to develop a migration strategy and project plan that establishes a clear path for the migration, and communicate with all relevant stakeholders and internal teams to make sure everyone understands and is aligned with the migration objectives. As part of that, you’ll want to define your chosen migration strategy: dual-publish, interface bridging, or flash cutover.

    On the technical side of things, you’ll need to set up a lab environment so you can validate functional and performance equivalency between the TIBCO and Solace systems, and set up a development environment so you can conduct iterative testing and development, and let everybody familiarize themselves with the new platform.

    To ensure a successful transition, you’ll need to develop a comprehensive regression test plan that covers all relevant use cases, and develop data models for use cases and interfaces to facilitate the process and ensure data consistency throughout the migration.

    Develop a Plan and Tools to Support It

    The next step is to define your plan with great specificity by addressing questions about the migration, like whether you need an API abstraction layer, a broker configuration migration tool, etc.  It’s important to verify the validity of the migrated configurations to confirm the accuracy and completeness of the migration, so you’ll want to build that ensure all settings and parameters are accurately migrated to the Solace PubSub+ environment, and wrappers that insulate applications from technological and product changes that occur throughout the migration.

    As part of that you’ll want to test and compare performance metrics across the TIBCO and Solace brokers to ensure that the migrated environment meets the required performance benchmarks.

    By focusing on tool development in this step, you can streamline the migration process, automate key tasks, and ensure a smooth transition from TIBCO EMS to Solace PubSub+.

    Ensure Operational Readiness

    To make sure you’re ready to deploy, you’ll prepare user acceptance test (UAT) and production environments, configure Solace brokers for production, and integrate them with essential services. You’ll also need to develop operational procedures to guide the management of the Solace messaging environment, and update monitoring and management systems for comprehensive visibility and control.

    It’s important to carefully transitioning to production operations, and support the process with training sessions that ensure architecture, development, and operations teams are well-versed in Solace’s functionality and management practices.

    Execute Pilot

    Once you’re confident in your operational readiness, you’ll want to run a pilot project to gain hands-on experience with Solace PubSub+ and validate the performance of at least one use case before you initiate full-scale implementation.

    Focusing on one pilot project lets you conduct targeted testing and evaluation within a controlled scope and by running through the entire migration process once, you can ensure a thorough understanding of the steps involved while creating an internal success story that showcases the benefits of Solace PubSub+.

    To establish a performance baseline, your pilot phase should include baseline testing of the application with TIBCO EMS to give you a reference point for measuring the performance improvements achieved with Solace PubSub+. Migrating the application involves modifying the code and creating a repeatable migration recipe, enabling streamlined future migrations.

    You’ll want to perform comprehensive regression testing to validate the functionality and compatibility of the migrated pilot application within Solace. You should also test your high availability (HA), disaster recovery (DR), and dynamic message routing (DMR) to assess the reliability and scalability of the new infrastructure.

     

    During this phase you’ll also want to check out PubSub+’s monitoring and management capabilities, so you can identify and address any gaps or additional requirements you need to ensure effective oversight and control of your environment.

    Through the pilot deployment, you should aim to identify reusable artifacts, such as configuration templates or migration scripts, in order to streamline future migrations and deployments.

    Once the pilot phase is successfully completed, you can confidently move forward with the deployment of Solace PubSub+ to production.

    Implement and Refine

    With a successful pilot project under your belt, you’ll be ready to implement and refine the migration process for other applications. Execute the application conversion process using the migration plan developed during the pilot phase:

    • Modify the code and configurations of the remaining applications.
    • Thoroughly test and validate the migrated applications through regression testing, ensuring their functionality, performance, and compatibility within Solace.
    • Continuously update and refine the artifacts and templates created during the migration process.

    Finally, deploy the migrated applications to the production environment, ensuring a smooth transition from TIBCO EMS to Solace PubSub+. With careful implementation and refinement, you can optimize the functionality and performance of the applications within the new messaging platform.

    Decommission EMS

    The final phase is decommissioning TIBCO EMS and fully embracing the Solace PubSub+ environment. First, you must verify that all messages are being successfully handled by Solace, confirming the complete transition of message processing and that no new messages are accumulating in the legacy system.

    Next, confirm that all applications have been migrated and are fully functional within the Solace environment. This validation ensures that no applications remain connected or reliant on the old messaging system. Once this is done, proceed to shut down the old TIBCO EMS instances, removing them from the operational environment.

    Additionally, you should remove any references to TIBCO EMS from utilities, processes, and procedures to ensure clarity and consistency across the organization. Identifying physical assets that are no longer needed as a result of the migration can help to optimize resource utilization and reduce costs.

    By following these decommissioning steps, you can fully retire TIBCO EMS and embrace the benefits of Solace PubSub+ in its entirety.

    Ensure a Smooth Migration with Solace Professional Services

    The six-step migration process from TIBCO to Solace PubSub+ offers a proven roadmap to successfully transition their messaging infrastructure, but the process can still be challenging – that’s where Solace Professional Services come into play.

    What Solace Professional Services Offers

    • Education and enablement to accelerate your team’s ramp-up​.
    • Best practices and tools for architecture, migration, monitoring, and more​.
    • A global support team is available 24×7.
    • True ownership of customer problems, regardless of root cause​.
    • The ability to understand what a customer wants to do before attempting to solve the problem.
    • Experience in many industries and an understanding of a wide range of use cases for PubSub+.

    Our team understands the intricacies and nuances involved in transitioning from TIBCO to Solace, and we bring in-depth knowledge of both platforms.

    By partnering with Solace Professional Services, you can benefit from tailored solutions and customized strategies that address their unique requirements and challenges. Our experts can provide comprehensive assistance throughout the entire migration journey, from assessment and planning to implementation and refinement. They offer invaluable insights, best practices, and proven methodologies that accelerate the migration process, minimize risks, and optimize the outcomes.

    Choosing Solace Professional Services for your migration brings peace of mind, knowing that you have a dedicated team supporting you every step of the way. Our expertise and experience ensure a smooth and successful migration, allowing you to focus on your core business operations and reap the full benefits of the powerful Solace PubSub+.