Agent-Based vs. Agentless Migration: Understanding the Key Differences
  

George Fady Lv2Posted 2026-Jul-19 17:42

When planning a migration to Sangfor HCI, selecting the appropriate migration approach is essential for ensuring efficiency, minimizing downtime, and maintaining compatibility with your source environment.
Migration methods are generally categorized into Agent-Based and Agentless migration. While both achieve the same goal of moving workloads, they differ significantly in how they collect data and interact with the source system.
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FeatureAgent-Based MigrationAgentless Migration
ImplementationRequires installing a migration agent on the source Windows or Linux operating system before migration begins.Communicates directly with the virtualization platform (such as VMware vCenter) through APIs without installing software inside the guest operating system.
Supported SourcesPhysical servers (P2V), virtual machines running on Xen, KVM, Hyper-V, and public cloud platforms.Primarily designed for VMware vSphere environments (vSphere 5.5–7.0).
Migration MethodsWindows Converter, SCMT (for P2V and non-VMware V2V), and Hot Backup Migration.VMware Integration/Migration and SCMT for VMware-to-Sangfor HCI migration.
Impact on Source SystemConsumes a small amount of system resources during migration (peak memory usage is typically below 260 MB).Leaves no software footprint on the guest operating system and relies on hypervisor-level snapshots for data collection.
Which approach should you choose?

  • Choose Agent-Based Migration when migrating physical servers or virtual machines hosted on Hyper-V, Xen, KVM, or public cloud platforms.

  • Choose Agentless Migration when migrating VMware vSphere workloads and you prefer a solution that does not require installing software inside the guest operating system.


Both approaches are fully supported within the Sangfor migration ecosystem, and the best choice depends on your source infrastructure and migration requirements.

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Humayun Ahmed Lv4Posted 2026-Jul-20 13:03
  
Thanks to share!
ND Lv3Posted 2026-Jul-20 15:29
  
Thanks for sharing!