Create Azure Migration Appliance

To set up Azure Migrate and migrate a VM using the Azure Portal, follow these steps:

1. Log in to the Azure Portal, type azure migrate in the search box, and select it from the list that appears. (See Figure 3-1.)

   

2. Under Servers, Databases and Web Apps, click the Discover, Access and Migrate button. (See Figure 3-2.)

   

3. Click the Create Project button. (See Figure 3-3.)

   

4. In the Create Project page, enter the following information (see Figure 3-4) and click Create:

   • SubscriptionSelect the subscription you want to use to create the project.

   • Resource GroupSelect the resource group you want to use to create the project. Alternatively, click the Create New link and follow the prompts.

   • ProjectType a unique name for the project.

   • GeographySelect the country in which to create the project. Although you can select any country, it is recommended that you choose the country where you intend to host your workloads.

   • Connectivity MethodChoose Public Endpoint or Private Endpoint (as shown here).

After the project is created, you will be prompted to set up the discovery process.

5. In the Azure Migrate: Discovery and Assessment page, click the Discover link. (See Figure 3-5.)

6. On the Discover page (see Figure 3-6), select the following options:

   • Discover Using ApplianceClick this to select it.

   • Are Your Servers VirtualizedChoose Yes, with Hyper-V from the drop-down list.

   • Name Your ApplianceEnter a unique name for your appliance.

7. Click the Generate Key button.

   This generates a key file, which you will need later to register the appliance with this Azure Migrate project. Save this key in a safe location.

   

   

8. Under Download Azure Migrate Appliance, select the VHD File option button and click Download.

9. When the download is complete, move or copy the downloaded VHD file to your Hyper-V host where you intend to deploy the appliance.

10. Open Hyper-V Manager and connect to the Hyper-V host to which you want to import.

11. Right-click the Hyper-V host in the pane on the left and choose Import Virtual Machine. (See Figure 3-7.)

    

12. On the Before You Begin page of the Import Virtual Machine wizard (see Figure 3-8), click Next.

    

13. In the Locate Folder page (see Figure 3-9), click Browse, and select the folder in which you saved the VHD file you downloaded earlier. Then click Next.

    

14. On the Select Virtual Machine page (see Figure 3-10), verify that the VM has a name similar to AzureMigrateAppliance_vXX.XX.XX.XX and click Next.

    

15. On the Choose Import Type page (see Figure 3-11), select Register the VM In-Place (Use the Existing Unique ID) or Copy the VM (Create a New Unique ID) and click Next.

    

16. On the Connect Network page (see Figure 3-12), select the virtual switch that will set up the VM in a network that provides internet connectivity once the appliance is online and click Next.

    

17. On the Summary page (see Figure 3-13), check your settings and click Finish to import the VM.

    

Configure Azure Migrate Appliance

18. After the VM has been created, connect to it in the Hyper-V console.

19. On the License Terms page (see Figure 3-14), read the license terms and click Accept.

    

20. On the Customize Settings page (see Figure 3-15), in the Password and Reenter Password boxes, enter a secure password for the built-in administrator account. Then click Finish.

    

21. Use the password you just set up to log in to the VM.

    The Microsoft Edge browser opens automatically and connects to the local web server on port 44368 to launch the Appliance Configuration Manager (see Figure 3-16). The manager checks to make sure certain prerequisites have been met. For example, it verifies connectivity to Microsoft Azure, ensures that the appliance is set with the correct date and time, and checks whether there are any updates available to install. If it detects any errors, you will need to rectify them and click the Rerun Prerequisites button before you can proceed.

    

22. Under Register with Azure Migrate (see Figure 3-17), copy the key you generated earlier, paste it into the box, and click the Login button.

    

23. In the Continue with Azure Login pop-up box (see Figure 3-18), click the Copy Code & Login button.

    

24. A new tab opens in Microsoft Edge that prompts you to enter the code you copied earlier (see Figure 3-19). Paste in the code and click Next.

    

25. On the Sign-In page (see Figure 3-20), sign in with a privileged account that has rights to your Azure subscription to connect using Azure PowerShell and register the appliance. Then click Next. Then, when sign-in is complete, close the browser window.

    

26. The Register with Azure Migrate section of the Appliance Configuration Manager shows that the appliance has been registered successfully. (See Figure 3-21.)

    

27. In the Manage Credentials and Discovery Sources section of the Appliance Configuration Manager, under Step 1, click the Add Credentials button.

28. Enter the local administrative credential information for the first Hyper-V host to which the appliance should connect and discover VMs for migration to Azure:

    • Friendly name

    • Username (for each admin account)

    • Password (for each admin account)

29. Repeat the previous two steps as needed until you’ve entered the local administrative credential information for necessary Hyper-V hosts.

30. Under Step 2,click the Add Discovery Source button.

31. Enter the following information about the first Hyper-V host to which the appliance should connect for VM discovery (see Figure 3-22):

    • Source type

    • Mapped credentials

    • IP address/FQDN of the Hyper-V host

    • Port number for the management service

    

32. Repeat the previous two steps until you’ve added all the Hyper-V hosts.

33. Click the Start Discoverybutton.

34. When the discovery process is complete, you’re ready to assess the readiness of the discovered servers for migration to Azure.

Setup Assessment

35. Switch back to the Overview tab for the Azure Migrate project you created earlier.

36. Locate the Discover tab in the Assessment Tools section, under Azure Migrate: Discovery and Assessment. The Discovered Servers section of this tab shows how many VMs were discovered. (See Figure 3-24.)

    

37. Under Discovered Servers, click the numeral that represents the number of servers found in discovery.

38. On the Discovered Servers page (see Figure 3-25), click Create Group.

    

39. On the Create Group page (see Figure 3-26), enter the following information, select the VMs you want to include in your assessment, and click Create:

    • Discover SourceSelect the servers discovered by the Azure Migrate appliance.

    • Group NameEnter a unique name for the group.

    • Group PurposeSelect I Want to Use This Group to Create Azure VM Assessments from the drop-down list.

    • Appliance NameSelect the appliance you created earlier from the drop-down list.

    

40. After the group has been created, click the Assess button on the group’s page. (See Figure 3-27.)

    

41. On the Create Assessment page (see Figure 3-28), enter a unique name for the assessment, choose Azure VM from the Assessment Type drop-down list, and click Create.

    

View Assessments Results

42. The results of the assessment appear on the Assessments page (see Figure 3-29). The initial analysis will likely have a low confidence rating. If you wait for a more thorough assessment, you will likely receive a higher confidence rating and a more accurate assessment of the VM’s compute, memory, and storage requirements.

    

43. To view the specifics of the assessment, click the entry for the assessment in the Assessments page.

    The assessment report opens. The Overview tab of the assessment report (see Figure 3-30) shows an initial assessment of the VM’s readiness for migration to Azure, and monthly cost estimates for the different VM components, including compute and storage (broken up by storage type).

44. Click the assessment report’s Azure Readiness tab to view details about the VMs that are part of the assessment, including the following information (see Figure 3-31):

    • The Azure VM readiness state of each VM

    • The recommended Azure VM size

    • The suggested tool to use to migrate the VM to Azure

    • The current OS running on the VM

    • The VM boot type

    • The number of disks attached to the VM on-premises

    

45. Click the assessment report’s Cost Detailstab to view monthly cost estimates for each of the VMs that are part of the assessment, including the following information (see Figure 3-32):

    • The recommended Azure VM size (this is the same as shown on the Azure Readiness tab)

    • The different Azure managed disks that each VM will require

    • A monthly compute cost estimate (USD) for each VM

    • A monthly storage cost estimate (USD) for each VM

    

    With the discovery and assessment complete, you’re ready to replicate the VMs to Azure.

Setup Replication Appliance

46. In the Overviewtab for the Azure Migrate project, in the Migration Tools section, under Azure Migrate: Server Migration, click Discover. (See Figure 3-33.)

    

47. On the Discover page (see Figure 3-34), enter the following information and click Create Resources:

    • Are Your Machines Virtualized?Select Yes, with Hyper-V.

    • Target RegionSelect the region you want to use as your target region.

    • Confirm That the Target Region for Migration Is “West US 2”Select this check box to confirm that the target region you selected is correct.

    

48. Azure Migrate creates the required back-end resources. (This might take a few minutes.) After the resources are created, you’ll see the options shown in Figure 3-35.

    

49. Under Prepare Hyper-V Host Servers, click the Download link to download the Hyper-V replication provider software installer.

50. Still under Prepare Hyper-V Host Servers, click the Download button to obtain a copy of the registration key. Store this key in a safe location.

51. Switch to the Hyper-V host that you want to integrate with the Azure Migrate service and run the installer you just downloaded.

The Azure Site Recovery Provider Setup (Hyper-V Server) wizard starts.

52. On the Microsoft Update tab (see Figure 3-36), leave the On option button selected (use Microsoft Update to check for available updates during the install process) and click Next.

    

53. On the Provider Installation tab (see Figure 3-37), click Browse to locate and select the folder in which you want to install the software. Then click Install.

    

54. When the installation is complete, click Register. (See Figure 3-38.)

    

    The Microsoft Azure Site Recovery Registration wizard starts.

55. On the Vault Settings tab (see Figure 3-39), click Browse, locate and select the registration key you downloaded in step 50, and click Next.

    

56. On the Proxy Settings tab (see Figure 3-40), select either the Connect Directly to Azure Site Recovery Without a Proxy Server or the Connect to Azure Site Recovery Using a Proxy Server option button, depending on your needs, and click Next.

    

    The Microsoft Azure Site Recovery Registration wizard automatically registers the Hyper-V host. The Registration tab shows the progress of the operation. (See Figure 3-41.)

    

57. When registration is complete, click Finish. (See Figure 3-42.)

    

58. Switch back to Discover page in the Azure Portal. (See Figure 3-43.) Under Finalize Registration, next to Registered Hyper-V Hosts, you’ll see the number of Hyper-V hosts connected to your project. When all your hosts have been connected, click Finalize Registration.

    

59. After you have successfully registered all the necessary Hyper-V hosts, you’re ready to start the replication process.

Start VM Replication

60. In the Overview tab for the Azure Migrate project you created earlier, in the Migration Tools section, under Azure Migrate: Server Migration, click Replicate. (See Figure 3-44.)

    

61. In the Source Settings tab of the Replicate wizard (see Figure 3-45), open the Are Your Machines Virtualized? drop-down list and select Yes, with Hyper-V. Then click Next.

    

62. In the Virtual Machines tab (see Figure 3-46), open the Import Migration Settings from an Assessment drop-down list and do one of the following:

    • Choose the assessment you selected earlier. If you opt for this approach, all the relevant VMs and assessment results will be applied throughout the rest of this wizard.

    • Choose No, I’ll Specify the Migration Settings Manually.This example uses this option, because it enables you to review all the configuration settings you want to implement.

    

63. In the Virtual Machines box, enter all the VMs you want to replicate to Azure. Then click Next.

64. In the Target Settings tab (see Figure 3-47), enter the following information and click Next:

    • SubscriptionSelect the subscription you want to use as the target environment.

    • Resource GroupSelect the resource group to use.

    • Replication Storage AccountSelect the storage account to use to store the replication logs.

    • Virtual NetworkSelect the virtual network to use post-migration.

    • SubnetSelect the subnet to use for the VM.

    • Availability OptionsSelect the availability options that you would like to set for the VM.

    • Azure Hybrid BenefitIf your Microsoft license supports this benefit, click Yes, and select the I Confirm I Have an Eligible Windows Server License… check box.

    

65. In the Compute tab (see Figure 3-48), enter the following information and click Next:

    • Azure VM NameEnter a unique name for the VM in Azure. (This can be the same name as the one the VM currently has in the on-premises environment.)

    • Azure VM SizeSelect the VM SKU to assign post-migration or select Automatically Select Matching Configuration to allow Azure to choose one based on the VM assessment or current size.

    • OS TypeChoose Windows or Linux.

    • OS DiskSelect the disk that is hosting the operating system for the VM.

    

66. In the Disks tab (see Figure 3-49), under Disks to Replicate, select the disks you want to replicate to Azure. Alternatively, select All Selected to replicate all disks associated with the VM. Then click Next.

    

67. In the Tags tab (see Figure 3-50), enter any tags you would like to associate with the VMs, and click Next.

    

68. In the Review + Start Replication tab (see Figure 3-51), review your settings and click Review + Start Replication.

    

69. In the Enable Replication page (see Figure 3-52), monitor the replication jobs for each VM you set up in the earlier steps to make sure they complete successfully.

    

70. In the Overview tab for the Azure Migrate project you created earlier, in the Migration Tools section, under Azure Migrate: Server Migration, click Overview. (Refer to Figure 3-44.)

71. Select each of the replicating VMs, one at a time, to view its Overview tab. This shows the status of the VM. (See Figure 3-53.) When the VM has synced completely with Azure, its status is listed as Protected.

    

Test Migration

72. When a replicated VM’s status has switched to Protected, you can perform a test migration for it.

73. In the replicated VM’s page, click the Test Migration button. (See Figure 3-54.)

    

74. On the Test Migration page (see Figure 3-55), open the Virtual Network drop-down list and choose the virtual network in which you want to set up the test VM. Then click OK.

    

75. In the Test Failover page (see Figure 3-56), monitor the progress of the test failover job to make sure all the job steps complete successfully.

    

    When the failover job is complete, the on-premises VM(s) appear in the Virtual Machines page with a -test suffix.

76. Select the VM and log in to it using the IP provided in the Overview tab. (See Figure 3-57.)

77. Confirm that all your data and applications are available as required and perform any testing you like.

    When you finish testing, you need to clean up the test VM.

Cleanup Test Migration

78. In the Overview tab for the VM that is being replicated (see Figure 3-58), click Clean Up Test Migration.

    

79. In the Test Migrate Cleanup dialog box (see Figure 3-59), type any notes from the test that you would like to record in the Notes box. These could include the test participants, test outcomes, issues encountered, or changes to incorporate in future tests or after testing the replication configuration.

    

80. Select the Testing Is Complete. Delete Test Failover Virtual Machines check box and click OK to initiate the cleanup job.

81. From the Test Failover Cleanup page (see Figure 3-60), monitor the cleanup job to ensure it completes successfully.

    

    When testing is complete, you are ready to migrate the VM to Azure.

Perform Migration to Azure

82. In the Overview tab for the Azure Migrate project you created earlier (see Figure 3-61), in the Migration Tools section, under Azure Migrate: Server Migration, click Migrate.

    

83. On the Migrate page (see Figure 3-62), enter the following information and click OK.

    • Shutdown Machines Before Migration to Minimize Data LossSelect Yes.

    • Virtual MachinesSelect the VMs to migrate.

84. In the Planned Failover page (see Figure 3-63), monitor the progress of the migration job to confirm it completes successfully.

When the migration is complete, the on-premises VM(s) appear in the Virtual Machines page with the name you set earlier. You can now turn off replication for that VM.

85. Select the VM and log in to it using the IP provided in the Overview tab.

86. In the replicating VM’s Overview tab (see Figure 3-64), click Stop Replication.

    

87. In the Stop Replication page (see Figure 3-65), open the Remove Replication Settings drop-down list and choose Stop Replication and Remove Replication Settings. Then click OK.

    

88. In the Disable Replication page (see Figure 3-66), monitor the progress of the job to ensure it completes successfully.

    

89. Repeat the steps in this section for all the other VMs you want to migrate to Azure.