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Insane mode FAQ

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In this article, you can find the answers to frequently asked questions about Insane mode, data security, and installing the Server Extension.

Questions index

What is Insane mode?

Insane mode is a setting found in the the ShareGate migration tool app that allows you to migrate or import your content and objects faster.

You can use Insane mode with both on-premises and Microsoft 365 environments.

With Microsoft 365, Insane mode uses Microsoft's Migration API to move larger volumes of data, facilitated by your Microsoft Azure storage account. With on-premises, Insane mode uses the Server Extension (version 1.8.3 or greater) on your destination server to improve migration performance and speed.

Is my data secure?

The data that transitions through the ShareGate migration tool is encrypted when you connect to a SharePoint site that uses HTTPS.

When you use Insane mode in a Microsoft 365 environment, Microsoft encrypts your content with AES CBC 256 Standard encryption when it is uploaded to your Azure storage.

For more information, see Encryption and security.

Should I install the Server Extension for Insane mode on my production server, and if yes, are there any exceptions?

Yes, for on-premises migrations we highly recommend installing the Server Extension on your production server, without exception. Please see our Server Extension checklist article for more information and instructions on installing it on your web front-end servers.

Note: The Server Extension is not compatible with SharePoint 2003. Also, the extension is not required when migrating to Microsoft 365.

When we use Insane mode on our production server, will there be an impact on users who access it?

Insane mode generally has less of an impact on your server(s).

For Microsoft 365 (which does not require server extension installation), Insane mode allows the ShareGate migration tool to quickly push files to Azure, where the Microsoft Datacenter pushes them back in place properly at your source environment. Everything is hosted in the cloud, so there is minimal impact.

For an on-premises migration, Insane mode allows the data to be obtained at a quicker rate than Normal mode, so though there will be an impact, it will again be minimal as long as you have the Server Extension installed (since this results in fewer calls for each operation).

Always keep your performance options in mind. These are separate from Insane mode or Normal mode (Insane mode and Normal mode are migration settings, whereas performance options pertain to server requests). Play around with the performance options to find the number of simultaneous requests you can comfortably allow to minimize the impact on your server. The setting can also be adjusted during a live migration, so you are in control the whole time.

If I change the migration speed, when will Insane mode take effect?

When you change your migration speed from Normal mode to Insane mode, Insane mode will take effect for all future migrations. If you change your migration speed during a migration the change will not impact that specific migration.

You do not need to restart ShareGate for a change in migration speed to take effect.

What limitations are associated with Insane mode?

Here are the most common limitations for Insane mode:

An Insane mode migration to Microsoft 365 is most beneficial for Copy content only procedures. In a Copy structure and content, site objects (with exceptions) are re-created with the proper settings at the destination. The impact gets lowered if most of the content is structural. Having the server extension properly installed always lowers the chance of any potential issues.

You can access a full list of our migration limitations in the Limitations portion of the help center.

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