D.1 Create Custom Blkwatch Drivers Manually

You must first determine whether your Linux workload kernel matches a supported precompiled blkwatch driver. If no match is found, manually create the custom blkwatch driver. For more information, review the following sections:

D.1.1 Analyze Your Linux Workload

Prior to determining whether PlateSpin Migrate has a blkwatch driver for your distribution, you need to learn more about the kernel of your Linux workload so that you can use it as a search term against the list of supported distributions. This section includes the following information:

Determine the Release String

You can determine the release string of the kernel of your Linux workload by running the following command at the workload’s Linux terminal:

uname -r

For example, if you run uname -r, you might see the following output:

3.0.76-0.11-default

If you search the list of distributions, you see there are two entries that match this string:

  • SLES11SP3-GA-3.0.76-0.11-default-x86

  • SLES11SP3-GA-3.0.76-0.11-default-x86_64

The search results indicate that the product has drivers for both 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit (x86_64) architectures.

Determine the Architecture

You can determine the architecture of your Linux workload by running the following command at the workload’s Linux terminal:

uname -m

For example, if you run uname -m, you might see the following output:

x86_64

With this information, you can determine that the workload has 64-bit architecture.

D.1.2 Search the Linux Driver Distibution List

You can search the List of Distributions to determine if the release string and architecture of your Linux workload kernel matches a supported distribution in the list. If you find your release string and architecture, PlateSpin Migrate has a precompiled version of the blkwatch driver. If your search is unsuccessful, you must create a custom blkwatch driver before you migrate the workload.

D.1.3 Create Custom Blkwatch Drivers

To manually create a custom blkwatch driver, follow the steps in the KB Article 7005873.

IMPORTANT:The folder that contains the custom driver must follow the naming convention: CustomKernel-<release string>-<architecture>

Self-compiled drivers are supported only for the Linux major and minor kernel versions that appear in the List of Distributions, or a patched version thereof. If the major and minor kernel version in the release string of your Linux workload kernel matches a major and minor kernel version in the list, your self-compiled driver will be supported.