The Azure Migrate based solution enables you to migrate VMs from Hyper-V and VMware to an Azure Stack HCI, version 23H2 system. This FAQ answers questions you might have about the migration of a VM from a Hyper-V or a VMware VM to an Azure Stack HCI cluster using Azure Migrate. Tabs have questions about VMware and Hyper-V VMs, VMware VMs only, and Hyper-V VMs only.
FAQs
I have a Windows Server 2008 R2 virtual machine (VM) running. How can I migrate this VM to my Azure Stack HCI cluster?
The Windows Server 2008 R2 VM requires to have the Service Pack 1 (SP1) running as a baseline requirement, along with the following update patch installed: KB3138612. This patch allows the appliance to successfully discover Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 VMs. You can then update all the patches to get the latest Hyper-V integration services.
Run winrm quickconfig to add winrm access through firewall as this doesn't happen automatically.
After you replicate and migrate the VM, set the VM version to the latest supported version on the target. For Azure Stack HCI, version 22H2, it's version 10.
Note
Migration is a one-way process and can't be reversed. The VM version can't be downgraded.
To make sure that all the VMs are version 10, run the following cmdlet:
Get-VM * | Format-Table Name, Version
Here's a sample output:
Name Version
------------- ---------
migtarg01 10.0
ws2019-01 10.0
Centos9-01 10.0
ws2008R2 10.0
My cluster shared volume (CSV) storage is full or almost full. What should I do?
Expand your cluster shared volume. Follow the instructions in Expand volumes on Azure Stack HCI and Windows Server clusters.
How do I remove appliances from the Azure Migrate project?
To remove the target appliance from the project and create a new appliance, run the following command:
.\AzureMigrateInstaller.ps1 -RemoveAzMigrate
After removing the appliance, follow the instructions in the documentation to reinstall.
I have Linux VMs running on my source environment. Can I migrate these VMs to Azure Stack HCI?
Yes. There are many Linux distributions that can run on VMs that are migrated to Azure Stack HCI. For the full list, see Supported operating systems.
I'm located in a geography that isn't in the listed supported geographies. Does this mean I can't use this migration solution?
You can still use this solution. Just create the Azure Migrate project and the storage account in one of the supported geographies, since your migrated VMs can be in any geography.
Will I be charged for this migration solution?
There are no tool usage charges for migration for 180 days. The time starts when you begin replicating the VMs in your project.
Migration requires some services like storage account and key vault that are created in your subscription. These services accrue some charges.
To install the source or target appliance with the downloaded .zip file, I need a Windows Server 2022 operating system (OS). How can I get the Windows Server 2022 OS?
You can use your own licensed images to install these appliances. You can also use a Windows Server 2022 Evaluation version, free for up to 180 days.
My source VMs use static IP addresses. Are these addresses preserved when I migrate my VMs to Azure Stack HCI?
Currently both VMware and Hyper-V migrations only support VMs configured with DHCP. For a source VM with a static IP address, first migrate it to the target Azure Stack HCI system. After the migration, connect to the VM using Hyper-V Manager and manually change the IP configuration.
I use DHCP reservation for IP addresses for my source VMs. Does migration ensure that the MAC address is preserved so that my migrated VM can get the same IP address?
This scenario is not supported in this release.
Are VMs that have secure boot enabled, supported for migration?
Both Linux and Windows VMs that have secure boot enabled aren't supported in this release.
How do I enable guest management on my migrated VMs?
First, ensure that the target HCI cluster that hosts the migrated VMs is updated to 2405.1. This version contains a fix for guest enablement of migrated VMs. Then, follow the instructions in Enable Guest Management on Arc VMs.
Can I use the same Azure Migrate Project for both Hyper-V and VMware migrations?
No, this is not a supported scenario with this release. Create a separate project for each source from which you wish to migrate.
How many VMs can I replicate in parallel from VMware?
Within the Azure Migrate portal, you can select up to 10 machines at once for replication. To replicate more machines, add in batches of 10 (agentless migration overview).
Each Azure migrate appliance supports replication of 52 disks in parallel (scheduling logic).
For example, if you selected to replicate 100 VMs (in batches of 10), with each VM containing two disks each, resulting in 200 (100 x 2) disks in total. The Azure migrate appliance starts replicating 52 disks in parallel. As soon as one disk finishes initial replication, the next disk immediately takes its spot in the queue, while still continuously replicating the remaining 52 disks. This continues with all the remaining disks until all 200 disks have been replicated.