Frequently asked questions - Move Azure single instance virtual machines from regional to zonal target availability zones

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08/22/2024

This article answers common questions about Azure single instance virtual machines - regional to zonal move.

Regional to zonal move

Can I move virtual machine(s) in all Azure regions?

Currently, you can move virtual machine(s) across all public regions that are supported by Availability Zones. Learn more about the availability zone service and regional support.

Note

Azure China (China North 3) and Azure Govt (US Gov Virginia) are also supported.

Where is the metadata stored?

The service doesn't retain any customer data, and all data remains within the source virtual machine region. The following table shows the mapping between the virtual machine region and metadata region:

Region group	Region	Metadata region
Americas	eastus2	eastus2
	eastus	eastus2
	westus2	eastus2
	southcentralus	eastus2
	brazilsouth	brazilsouth
	canadacentral	canadacentral
	westus3	eastus2

Europe	northeurope	northeurope
	westeurope	northeurope
	uksouth	uksouth
	francecentral	francecentral
	switzerlandnorth	switzerlandnorth
	germanywestcentral	germanywestcentral
	norwayeast	norwayeast
	swedencentral	swedencentral
	polandcentral	polandcentral
	spaincentral	northeurope
	italynorth	northeurope

Middle East	uaenorth	uaenorth
	qatarcentral	qatarcentral

Asia Pacific	japaneast	japaneast
	eastasia	southeastasia
	southeastasia	southeastasia
	australiaeast	australiaeast
	centralindia	centralindia
	koreacentral	koreacentral

Africa	southafricanorth	southeastasia

Is the collected metadata encrypted?

Yes, the collected metadata is encrypted both during transit and at rest. While in transit, the metadata is securely sent to the Resource Mover service over the internet using HTTPS. The metadata is also encrypted while in storage.

What resources are supported for this Zonal Move?

Currently, managed disks are supported for virtual machines that only have a single instance.

What source resources can be used in the target zonal configuration, if preferred?

The following resources can be used in the target zonal configuration:

Networking resources such as VNET, Subnet, and NSG can be reused.
Public IP address (Standard SKU)
Load Balancers (Standard SKU)

What resources are created new by default in the target zonal configuration?

The following resources are created in the target zonal configuration:

Resource group: By default, a new resource group is automatically created. The source resource group can't be used, as we're using the same source virtual machine name in the target zone and two identical virtual machines can't coexist in the same resource group. However, you can still modify the properties of the new resource group or choose a different target resource group.
Virtual machine: A copy of the source virtual machine is created in the target zonal configuration. The source virtual machine remains unchanged and is stopped after the transfer.
Disks: The disks attached to the source virtual machine are recreated in the target zonal configuration.
NIC: A new network interface card (NIC) is produced and linked to the newly created virtual machine in the designated zone.

What permissions do I need to use managed identity?

To use the managed identity service, you must have the following permissions:

Permission to write or create resources in your subscription (which is available with the Contributor role).
Permission to create role assignments (which is available with the Owner or User Access Administrator roles, or, custom roles that have the Microsoft.Authorization or role assignments or write permission assigned). This permission isn't required if the data share resource's managed identity has already been granted access to the Azure data store.

When adding resources in the portal, permissions to use managed identity are handled automatically as long as you have the appropriate role assignments.

Important

We recommend that you don't modify or remove identity role assignments.

What if I don't have permissions to assign role identity?

There are a couple of reasons you might not have the permissions. Consider the following scenarios:

Scenario	Resolution
You don't have Contributor and User Access Administrator (or Owner) permissions when you add a resource for the first time.	Use an account with Contributor and User Access Administrator (or Owner) permissions for the subscription.
The Resource Mover managed identity doesn't have the necessary role.	Add the Contributor and User Access Administrator roles.

How is managed identity used?

Managed identity previously known as Managed Service Identity (MSI), is a feature that provides Azure services with an automatically managed identity in Microsoft Entra ID. This identity is used to access Azure subscriptions and perform various tasks, such as moving resources to Availability Zones.

Managed identity is used so that you can access Azure subscriptions to move resources to availability zones.
To move resources using a move collection, you need a system-assigned identity that has access to the subscription containing the resources you want to move.
If you're using the Azure portal to move the virtual machines, this process is automated once the user consent is provided. The process typically takes a few minutes to complete.

Can I move my resources from Regional to Zonal and across subscriptions?

You can use virtual machine Regional to Zonal Move capability to move virtual machines from a regional to a zonal deployment within the same subscription and then use Azure Resource Manager to move them across subscriptions.

Are Azure Backup/DR, RBAC, Tags, Policies, and extensions on virtual machines supported?

Only tags and user assigned managed identities are replicated to the target zones. RBAC, policies and extensions must be reconfigured after the move. See the support matrix for further details.

Is customer data stored during the move?

Customer data isn't stored during the move. The system only stores metadata information that helps track and monitor the progress of the resources being moved.

What happens to the source virtual machine(s)?

When you select Move, the following steps are performed on the source virtual machines:

The source virtual machines are stopped and left intact in their original configuration.

Note

Stopping the VMs could lead to a brief downtime.
Virtual machine restore points of the source virtual machine are taken. These restore points contain a disk restore point for each of the attached disks and a disk restore point consists of a snapshot of an individual managed disk.
Using these restore points, a new virtual machine with its associated disks (a copy of the source VM) is created in the zonal configuration.
After the move is complete, you can choose to delete the source virtual machines.

Is there any cost associated as part of this move?

The Zonal Move feature of virtual machines is offered free of cost, but you may incur cost of goods for the creation of disk snapshots or restore points.