Content Matrix 9.10 - SharePoint Edition

Optimal Setup for Best Performance Migrating SharePoint On Premises

Question

What is the optimal setup for best performance for Content Matrix?

Answer

The optimal setup for performance with Content Matrix is to have the application itself installed on the target server, and the Metalogix Extensions Web Service (MEWS) installed on the source server. Then use a SharePoint Database (DB) connection to connect to the source. The Metalogix Extensions Web Service would not need to be installed on the target since the application itself would be installed, allowing for a direct connection to the SharePoint Object Model (OM).

There are a few trade-offs for using the DB connection for the source. In these cases you will be limited with: no write access, no server level connections or actions, and the potential to run into issues when dealing with custom site templates. If these are trade-offs that you are not willing to deal with then it is recommended to connect to the source using a Metalogix Extensions Web Service connection.

The main issue that can cause slowdown with the Content Matrix Console is copying file structure. If the content that is being migrated contains a large file structure the migration will go slower because Content Matrix will try to recreate this structure.

For example, if we have two sites that contain the same amount of data, Site A and Site B, and Site A uses a more complex file structure than Site B, the migration of Site A will run slower then the migration of Site B. Even though these sites contain the same amount of data Content Matrix will require more time to recreate the complicated structure of Site A, resulting in Site B finishing it's migration first.

Using Proxies, Load Balancing or Alternate Access Mappings

Question

How does Content Matrix deal with environments that use proxies, load balancing and/or alternate access mappings (AAM)?

Answer

Content Matrix Console should not run into any issues with these three things. Content Matrix uses the Metalogix Extensions Web Service (MEWS), which deploys over a whole farm and functions identically to a regular SharePoint web service. SharePoint web service's get the benefits of IIS redirection, proxy pushing, and anything else that SharePoint can utilize, such as Alternate Access Mappings (AAM). Since the Metalogix Extensions Web Service acts the same as a SharePoint web service it also gets all of these benefits.

In the case for load balanced environments the Metalogix Extensions Web Service would need to be deployed through the target side SharePoint farm. When the Web Service is installed it automatically gets deployed to all the SharePoint instances within that farm, as a SharePoint solution. Once the Web Service is installed on the target server, then load balancing should no longer be an issue.

There are, however, some cases where proxy settings may not work correctly by default. In these cases it is possible to set some specific proxy settings for the specified connection. Please see the Configuring Proxy Settings page for more details.

Extensions Web Service Installation Files

Question

Before I can install the Metalogix SharePoint Extensions Web Service I need to know specifically what files are installed, and where. Can this information be provided?

Answer

Yes, we can provide some information on what files are installed.

The Metalogix Extensions Web Service installs as a SharePoint solution (.WSP file) that is automatically deployed by the Web Service installer, and pushed out to all Web Front Ends (WFE's) in the farm. Inside the solution file are the necessary files for the Web Service. These files are:

·An ASMX file and two ASPX files, which are put in the SharePoint hive. These three files will be listed under a folder that is added for that specific version of the Web Service. For example, three files will be listed under: C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft shared\Web Server Extensions\[hive_number]\ISAPI\ML\[version_number]

·A DLL file, which gets deployed to the Global Assembly Cache (GAC).

After installation the Metalogix Extensions Web Service sits idle on the server until requests are made to it, by the Content Matrix client. For more information about the Metalogix Extensions Web Service, please see the Installing the Metalogix Extensions Web Service in the Content Matrix Advanced Installation Guide.

Migrating JavaScript

Question

Can I use Content Matrix to migrate JavaScript content from my source to my target SharePoint server?

Answer

It is possible to migrate some JavaScript using Content Matrix, depending on the type of JavaScript being migrated. If the JavaScript from the source is embedded in a Content Editor Web Part, or embedded in a publishing page (in a pages library), it should be migrated the same as other SharePoint content. If the JavaScript is not embedded in either of these, then it will not be migrated with Content Matrix. JavaScript can only be migrated into SharePoint, in locations that SharePoint itself will allow JavaScript to be manually added (in web parts and publishing pages).

There are two things to keep in mind if migrating JavaScript that is embedded in web parts or publishing pages. The first is that any links in the JavaScript will not be corrected. This is because the links are also embedded in the content, so they would not be picked up as part of the link correction process. These links must be manually corrected. In order for Content Matrix to correct these links it would have to edit the actual contents of the web part or publishing page, and this is something we try to avoid.

The second thing to keep in mind is that if the Reattach Publishing Page Layouts check-box is selected any customizations for the page (including JavaScript and any other customizations) will be lost.