arnaudAzure, Migration

In my previous article I explained how to configure Assessment for Azure Migration.

Here after are all the detailed steps to Migrate local VMs to Azure and validate.

Azure Migrate: Server Migration

This is a 3 steps process:

  • Replicate
  • Test migration
  • Migrate

Replicate

  • Click on Replicate
  • Select Yes, with VMware vSphere, select the on-premises appliance and click on Next: Virtual machines
  • Select Yes, apply migration settings from a Azure Migrate assessment, select group, assessment and the VM(s) you want to migrate. Click on Next: Target settings
  • Provide information and click on Next: Compute
  • As it’s for test purpose, I will keep the proposed Azure VM Size and click on Next: Disks
  • Click on Next: Review + Start replication
  • Click on Replicate
  • The process starts
  • After the resource creation, the server replication starts

Test migration

  • Click on Overview
  • Click on Test migration
  • You can click on Refresh to see the percentage of advancement

  • When you see Test migration pending under Migration phase, make a right-click and select Test migration
  • Select the Virtual Network and click on Test migration
  • The Test migration begins
  • When you see Test clean up pending under migration phase, click on the server
  • Ensure everything is green and click on Virtual Machine
  • Click on the VM
  • Click on Connect
  • Click on Download RDP File
  • Click on Open
  • Provide credentials and click on OK
  • Validate that you can open a session and all the roles are present. Logoff from the VM

Switch back to Azure Migrate – Servers

  • Click on Replicating servers
  • Make a right-click on the server and select Clean up test migration
  • Provide a comment, select the box to delete the test virtual machine and click on Cleanup Test

Migration

  • When Migration phase indicate Ready to migrate, make a right-click and select Migrate
  • Keep the option to Shutdown the VM and click on Migrate
  • Once the VM is migrated, the status change to Migrated

Validation

  • Click on Virtual Machines
  • Click on the VM
  • Click on Connect
  • Click on Download RDP File
  • Click on Open
  • Provide credentials and click on OK
  • Click on Yes (or No depending your requirements)
  • This server is a Domain Controller which acts also as DNS server so I will need to make some changes:
    • Add Site Name
    • Add Site Subnet
    • Add another

Feedback

The tool is easy to implement and use, the conversion from EFI to BIOS for Boot option which is integrated is useful and, I think, mandatory to help customer to migrate, as VMware recommend EFI for Boot option.

Be careful if you test this tool as, it’s a migration tool, so you will not be able to switch back to on-premises.

If you want to test it, just take Snapshot of the VM before for quick and easy rollback.

Do not test with a Domain Controller, if replication occurs between Azure and on-premises you should have some issue with the rollback.

If you have any comment feel free to share here.

Thanks