Install the node servers

Nodes are servers that perform the scanning or migrating actions of the partitions. They help balance the migration work across available servers.

About node servers

Node servers process tasks from the platform's queue. Google Workspace Migrate dynamically determines the node that picks up a task from the queue depending upon its available resources. Due to this, some nodes might appear idle even though tasks are sitting in the queue. In this case, you can either review and change your data mapping to let the platform create multiple smaller tasks or add more resources (such as memory) to your node servers.

The number of node servers you should deploy in your setup depends on the number of users in your organization and the amount of data that you want to migrate.

Step 1: Consider how many node servers you need

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Cloud-based data sources

SharePoint data	Amount of data	Recommended number of node servers
Files only		20 *Additional nodes are unlikely to improve performance.
Files & file permissions	Fewer than 10 million items	20
Files & file permissions	More than 10 million items	40 *Don't set up multiple clusters with different SharePoint credentials. Due to API quota limits and capabilities of the MySQL server, it won't enhance performance.
Other data sources (number of users)
Less than 100 users	Fewer than 1 million items	20
100–5,000 users	1–5 million items	40
More than 5,000 users	More than 5 million items	40 *To increase migration speed, create multiple clusters of 40 nodes during the migration phase.

On-premises data sources

We recommend that you start with half of the number of node servers recommended in the table in the previous table and monitor the load on your source servers.

Add extra nodes if there are resources available to sustain them. To check the resources, run a test migration and add 5 nodes at each step. Monitor the following critical performance counters to ensure that the servers don’t exceed acceptable thresholds:

Exchange Servers—Processor, memory, and database read counters. For details, go to Exchange 2013 Performance Counters and Manage health sets and server health in Exchange Server.
SharePoint Servers—Processor, disk, memory, and SQL server connection performance counters. For details, go to Monitoring and maintaining SharePoint Server 2013 and Overview of monitoring in SharePoint Server.
File shares—CPU, memory, and disk I/O utilization.

Stop adding nodes if:

Performance counters of the majority of on-premises servers are exceeding acceptable thresholds.
Bridges aren’t completing at a faster rate than before.

Step 2: Prepare servers

Ensure that the Microsoft Windows Server where you plan to install the Google Workspace Migrate node has sufficient space. For details, go to System requirements.
Keep your Windows Server updated, but we recommend turning off automatic updates during a migration so the process isn't interrupted.
Copy GoogleWorkspaceMigrate_Node_Installer to the Windows Servers where you plan to install each node.
We recommend that you follow Microsoft's guidance for noncritical service recovery settings.

Step 3: Install the node servers

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Install the nodes manually

On the Windows Server for the node:

Run GoogleWorkspaceMigrate_Node_Installer as an administrator.
Select a language for the installer and click OK.
Accept the license agreement and click Next.
Choose where to install the Google Workspace Migrate node and click Next.
Choose a start menu folder and click Next.
Select the additional shortcut options and click Next.
Enter a port number or accept the default port 5131 and click Next.
Enter an access key. The platform uses the access key to connect to the node.
Important: You need the access key to associate the node with the platform. So record and keep it in a secure place
Review the installation and click Install.
Click Next and then Install.
After installation, click Finish.
Repeat these steps for each node server you want to install. See Step 1 for details on how many node servers you need.

Tip: If you use Google Compute Engine, you can easily add additional node servers by cloning your computer. You should clone your computer at this point (when a node has been installed but before the nodes are associated).

Install nodes using the command line

When you install from the command line, the installer chooses these setup options:

Google Workspace Migrate install location (C:\Program Files\Google Workspace Migrate)
Start menu folder (Google Workspace Migrate)
Desktop shortcut created for all users
Google Workspace Migrate management app automatically opens when Windows starts

On the Windows Server for the node:

Run Microsoft PowerShell as an administrator.
Enter GoogleWorkspaceMigrate_Node_Installer_version-number.exe and any optional parameters (details in the next table).
Example:

GoogleWorkspaceMigrate_Node_Installer_version-number.exe /ACCESSKEY=access-key /NORESTART /SP- /SUPPRESSMSGBOXES /VERYSILENT
Enter Start-Service -Name AppBridge.Local.ServiceNode to start the Google Workspace Migrate node service.
From the Start menu, open the Google Workspace Migrate management app. Alternatively, let the app reopen automatically when you restart Windows.

Optional command-line parameters

For more details on the command-line parameters available, consult the documentation for Inno Setup.

Parameter	Description
/ACCESSKEY	Access key string Important: You need the access key to associate the node with the platform. So record and keep it in a secure place.
/LOG	File name of the log file Creates a log file with output from the installer. If the installer doesn’t work as expected, you can view the log file for information.
/NORESTART	Prevents a system restart during installation
/PORT	Port number for the Google Workspace Migrate service (the default is 5131)
/SP-	Turns off prompts at the beginning of a setup
/SUPPRESSMSGBOXES	Suppresses all message boxes
/VERYSILENT	Turns off the setup wizard and windows during the installation process

Next step

(Optional) To configure your node servers to use TLS or an HTTP proxy server, go to Optional setup steps for node servers.
Go to Set up the encryption key.

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