Migrate on-premises VMs to Azure: Assessment step-by-step Guide

Azure Migration

In my previous article I explained how to configure Site-to-site VPN between a Cisco Meraki MX80 and Azure (which is my lab configuration).

Here after are all the detailed steps to configure the Assessment of your local VMs.

Azure Migrate: Server Assessment

On-premise OVA deployment

  • To start the process of on-premises server assessment, we will need to connect on Azure and search for Azure Migrate
  • Click on Azure Migrate
  • Click on Assess and migrate servers
  • Click on Add tool(s)
  • Provide the following information:
    • Subscription
    • Resource Group
    • Migrate project name
    • Geography
  • Select Azure Migrate: Server Assessment and click on Next
  • Select Azure Migrate: Server Migration and click on Next
  • Verify information and click on Add tool(s)
  • Under Azure Migrate: Server Assessment click on Discover
  • Click on Download
  • Once the OVA is downloaded, switch to your vCenter and select Deploy OVF Template…
  • Click on Browse
  • Select the downloaded OVA and click on Open
  • Click on Next
  • Provide a name for the VM, ensure the folder in which you want to deploy it and click on Next
  • Select the cluster and click on Next
  • Click on Next
  • Select the storage and click on Next
  • Select the VM Network and click on Next
  • Review the information and click on Finish

Server configuration

  • Start the Server
  • Click on Accept to accept the license terms
  • Provide a password for the local Administrator account and click on Finish
  • The server restart, press Ctrl+Alt+Delete to unlock and sign with the local administrator account
  • Check the Box
  • When prompt, provide local administrator credentials and click on OK
  • If requested, click on here
  • Check the box
  • Click on Download
  • Extract the downloaded files in C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Virtual Disk Development Kit and click on Verify and Install
  • Click on Continue
  • Click on Login
  • Connect to your Azure portal
  • Once authenticate, close the Tab
  • Select the subscription, the Migrate project, provide a name for the appliance and click on Register
  • Click on Continue
  • Provide the information and click on Validate connection
  • Click on Save and start discovery
  • You will need to wait some minutes for the assessed VMs to appear on Azure Portal
  • Click on Go to portal
  • Click on Continue to Azure Portal website

Server Assessment

After the Azure Migrate server has been configured, we can now start the Assessment.

  • Click on Assess
  • Provide Assessment name, Group and select the server. Click on Create assessment
  • Click on Refresh to see when initial Assessment is done
  • Click on Assessments to see details
  • You will see information. Note: the initial assessment will provide few stars on the confidence rating, you will need to wait around 24 hours to have the 5 stars
  • If you have some, click Ready with conditions
  • As you can see above, all my conditions are based on the fact that my VMs are with boot type EFI
  • If you click on Unsupported boot type, you will see the following information from Microsoft:
IssueRemediation
Unsupported boot typeAzure doesn’t support VMs with an EFI boot type. We recommend that you convert the boot type to BIOS before you run a migration.

You can use Azure Migrate Server Migration to handle the migration of such VMs. It will convert the boot type of the VM to BIOS during the migration.
  • The Boot type cannot be changed within vCenter without impact, but I would like to verify this, so let’s try it
  • First, take a snapshot of the VM
  • Then Shut Down Guest
  • Go in Virtual Machine Settings
  • Click on VM Options tab
  • Change Boot option from EFI to BIOS and click on OK
  • Power on the VM
  • In fact if you change it, the VM will not boot anymore.

  • I will test with 1 VM to see if Microsoft Azure Migrate Server Migration can convert it correctly.

It will by in my next Article.

Stay tuned…