Retired VM Sizes confusion

Question

I've received messages about VM sizes that are retiring and that reservations for them are no longer going to be supported starting 7/1/26. I need to migrated to supported VM sizes.

Here is my confusion. If I look at the documentation (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-machines/migration/sizes/d-ds-dv2-dsv2-ls-series-migration-guide), these are the VM sizes that it says are retiring in the D series:

D

Ds

Dv2

Dsv2

It also gives a suggestion of new supported sizes to migrate to.

Here is my confusion. These are the current VM sizes I am utilizing:

Standard_DS3_v2

Standard_DS4_v2

Are these the DSv2 series from the retirement list or are the the Ds series? Are they any of the retired sizes? I'm not sure that Microsoft could make this more confusing.

I have some other sizes too but I'm guessing since the size names end with _v3 and _v4 that they are still good and not retiring. Is this a true assumption?

Answer 1

Standard_DS3_v2 and Standard_DS4_v2 are part of the Dsv2 series.

From the migration guide FAQ table, the D-family series listed for retirement are:

• D
• Ds
• Dsv2
• Dv2
• Ls

For these series, the table shows:

• Dsv2 – 3-year RI expiration: 05/01/2025, 1-year RI expiration: 07/01/2026, Retirement Date: 05/01/2028.

So:

1. Standard_DS3_v2 and Standard_DS4_v2 are Dsv2 sizes and are on the retirement list.
   • They fall under the “Dsv2” row in the table.
   • They will be retired on 05/01/2028; after that date, any VMs still on these sizes will be deallocated and stop working.
2. For Dv3/Dsv3/Ev3/Esv3:
   • The FAQ states: “Dv3, Dsv3, Ev3, and Esv3 are not being retired until further notice. However, three- and one-year reserved instances discounts will no longer be available for new purchases or renewals after July 1, 2026.”
   • In the table, Dv3, Dsv3, Ev3, Esv3 all show “Product active” in the Retirement Date column.
   • This means:
     • Existing VMs on v3 sizes are still supported and not scheduled for retirement yet.
     • But new or renewed 1-year and 3-year RIs for Dv3/Dsv3/Ev3/Esv3 won’t be available after 07/01/2026; workloads will fall back to pay-as-you-go unless moved to Savings Plan or to newer VM generations.
3. For v4/v5/v6 sizes:
   • The provided context only explicitly covers the D, Ds, Dv2, Dsv2, Dv3, Dsv3, Ev3, Esv3, and other listed series.
   • It does not list v4/v5/v6 sizes as retired; they are the recommended migration targets from the retiring D/Ds/Dv2/Dsv2 and E-series:
     • “If you are looking to migrate from Dv3/Dsv3, recommended VM series include Dsv5, Ddsv5, Dasv5, Dadsv5, Dsv6, Ddsv6, Dasv6, and Dadsv6.”
     • “For Ev3/Esv3, recommended replacements include Esv5, Edsv5, Easv5, Eadsv5, Esv6, Edsv6, Easv6, and Eadsv6.”
   • This supports the assumption that newer v5/v6 series are the supported next-gen options.
4. Retirement behavior:
   • When a VM size reaches its retirement date, “any remaining VMs in a retired series are deallocated, stop working, stop incurring charges, and no longer have SLA or support.”
   • Managed disk data is preserved; to resume service, the VM must be resized to a supported size and restarted.
5. What to do next for Standard_DS3_v2 / DS4_v2:
   • Treat them as Dsv2 and plan migration before 05/01/2028.
   • Use the migration guide’s recommendation to move to newer D-series generations (for example Dsv5/Ddsv5/Dasv5/Dadsv5 or Dsv6/Ddsv6/Dasv6/Dadsv6) based on workload requirements.

---

References:

• Retired VM Sizes Migration Guide
• Retired Azure VM size series
• Previous-gen and retired VM size series

Answer 2

Hi John,

Thank you for reaching out Q/A. I understand the confusion regarding the VM naming conventions and retirement guidance.

To clarify, Standard_DS3_v2 and Standard_DS4_v2 are both part of the DSv2 series and are directly included in Microsoft's retirement guidance covering the D, Ds, Dv2, Dsv2, and Ls VM families. These sizes should be planned for migration to a supported replacement series before the retirement date of May 1, 2028, after which affected VMs will be deallocated and will no longer be covered by Microsoft's SLA or support.

Regarding VM sizes ending in _v3 or _v4, it is generally true that these belong to newer VM generations and are not part of the current Dsv2 retirement announcement.

For reference, please review the following Microsoft documentation:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-machines/sizes/retirement/retired-sizes-list

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-machines/sizes/retirement/retirement-overview

Hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any queries in comments.

Answer 3

Hi John,

Standard_DS3_v2 and Standard_DS4_v2 are both Dsv2-series, and as such as scheduled for retirement on May 1, 2028.

I have some other sizes too but I'm guessing since the size names end with _v3 and _v4 that they are still good and not retiring. Is this a true assumption?

A: Your assumption is correct, assuming you are referring to D*_3, D*_4. These are not on the retirement list as of today. DSv3 are a previous generation series. Please post precise VM size names and I will confirm to be certain.

Please click Accept Answer and upvote if the above was helpful. Please add a comment below if you still have questions/concerns.

Thanks.

-TP