DocumentationExperience Cloud KCS

Content synchronization strategy for AEM 6.5 to AEM LTS migration

Last update: September 10, 2026

This article outlines a recommended approach for synchronizing content between Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) 6.5 and AEM LTS during a production migration, focusing on version history preservation and minimizing downtime.

Description description

Environment

  • Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) 6.5
  • Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) LTS

Issue/Symptoms

  • Organizations migrating from AEM 6.5 to AEM LTS require a reliable content synchronization process to support a seamless production transition.
  • Need to preserve page and asset version history during migration.
  • Requirement for periodic content synchronization after the initial LTS server setup.
  • Requirement to identify all repository paths that require synchronization, such as /content, /conf, and relevant workflow payloads.
  • Requirement to validate the synchronization process in a staging environment before executing it in production.
  • LTS target environment can be taken offline during synchronization windows to support data consistency.
  • High business impact due to the migration’s effect on production deployment and rollout plans.

Cause

A robust content synchronization strategy is required to ensure data integrity, version history preservation, and minimal downtime during AEM 6.5 to LTS production migrations.

Resolution resolution

Follow the steps below to resolve the issue:

  1. Confirm version history requirements.

    • Determine if preserving page and asset version history is mandatory for your migration.
    • If version history preservation is required, use oak-upgrade for migration.
    • If version history preservation is not required, consider alternative methods such as package-based migration or replication agents.

  2. Identify repository paths for synchronization.

    • Compile a comprehensive list of repository paths to be synchronized. Common paths include:

      • /content
      • /conf
      • /etc/acs-commons/lists
      • Workflow and payload paths under /var, for example, /var/workflow, /var/audit, and /var/cfsunpublishpayloads.

    • Review and validate these paths with stakeholders to ensure all required content is included.

  3. Plan synchronization cadence and downtime.

    • Decide on the synchronization frequency, for example, daily or weekly, based on business needs and migration timelines.
    • Ensure the LTS target environment can be taken offline during synchronization to avoid serving traffic and ensure data consistency.

  4. Select the synchronization tool and approach.

    • Use oak-upgrade for migrations requiring version history preservation.
    • Packages and replication agents are not recommended in this scenario.

  5. Validate the process in a staging environment.

    • Test the full synchronization process from AEM 6.5 staging to LTS staging before executing it in production.
    • Validate that all required content and version history are preserved and accessible after migration.

  6. Monitor and adjust.

    • Monitor load on the source AEM 6.5 environment during synchronization operations to avoid performance degradation.
    • Adjust scheduling and sizing as needed based on observed impact and business requirements.

  7. After completing synchronization, verify that all required content and version history are present and accessible in the AEM LTS environment.

Note

Avoid synchronizing transient runtime state, for example, /var/workflow/instances, unless specifically required.

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