Executing live data center network migrations without drama
Ahmed Abutaleb explains how Nokia IT executed complex brownfield migrations—from two different non-Nokia vendor environments—into a common, modern architecture built on Nokia SR Linux with Nokia Event-Driven Automation (EDA), and did so with no visible downtime for application teams.
Key tactics:
- Network-as-code with a full SDLC (Git branches, tests, controlled merges) so intent stays as real code and is continuously verified against what’s deployed.
- A true digital twin (supported in EDA) that runs the same code and control plane as production and ingests the exact same intent/configs. This let the team model migrations, run “what-if” scenarios, validate every node/port/VLAN and avoid building massive physical labs.
Two migration patterns:
- Live interconnect of legacy data centers to the SR Linux environment, then server-by-server moves on shared subnets so apps keep talking without disruption.
- One-shot management-platform swap (repointing every node in a maintenance window) executed safely thanks to twin-driven prechecks and automation.
- Change management and culture: initial resistance from CLI-centric engineers gave way as the digital-twin approach proved safer and faster.
- Outcomes include cloud-like, consistent operations on-prem, verified intent with drift detection, safer changes and about an 80% ticket reduction.
This blog post is the fourth in a series of five with Ahmed Abutaleb and Scott Robohn on Nokia’s data center network migration. To see the other posts, visit: Data center networks blogs.
