Sms Diagnostics

SMS Diagnostics

When to use

Any AWS Server Migration Service investigation — replication jobs, server catalog, AMI generation, application migration, multi-server coordination, or scheduling.

Investigation workflow

Step 1 — Collect and triage

aws sms get-connectors --max-results 20
aws sms get-servers --max-results 20
aws sms get-replication-jobs --max-results 20

Step 2 — Domain deep dive

aws sms get-replication-runs --replication-job-id <job-id> --max-results 10
aws sms list-apps --max-results 20
aws sms get-app --app-id <app-id>

Step 3 — Detailed investigation

aws sms get-app-replication-configuration --app-id <app-id>
aws sms get-app-launch-configuration --app-id <app-id>
aws cloudtrail lookup-events --lookup-attributes AttributeKey=EventSource,AttributeValue=sms.amazonaws.com --max-results 10

Read references/guardrails.md before concluding on any SMS issue.

Gotchas: SMS

• SMS is being replaced by Application Migration Service (MGN) for new migrations.
• SMS Connector is required in the source VMware/Hyper-V environment.
• Replication creates incremental snapshots, not full copies each time.
• AMIs are generated from replication snapshots.
• Application migration groups multiple servers for coordinated migration.
• SMS has a 90-day replication limit per server.

Anti-hallucination rules

1. SMS is legacy — recommend Application Migration Service (MGN) for new migrations.
2. SMS Connector must be deployed and healthy before replication can start.
3. Replication jobs have a 90-day limit — they must be completed within this window.
4. AMI generation happens after replication run completes, not during.
5. Application migration coordinates multiple servers but doesn't guarantee atomic migration.
6. Spend no more than 2 minutes on any single hypothesis. Pivot if inconclusive.

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