Azure Migration Steps for Planning and Executing a Successful Move

Planning a successful Azure migration requires careful consideration of several key factors. It's essential to assess your current infrastructure and applications to determine which ones can be migrated to Azure.

Start by evaluating your application portfolio and identifying the ones that are best suited for migration to Azure. This will help you prioritize your efforts and allocate resources effectively.

Consider your current infrastructure, including servers, storage, and networking components. Determine which components can be replaced or upgraded during the migration process.

A thorough assessment of your current infrastructure will help you identify potential roadblocks and opportunities for improvement. This will also help you develop a solid plan for migrating your applications and infrastructure to Azure.

Before you start the Azure migration process, it's essential to review the migration architecture. This will give you a clear understanding of how your data and applications will be transferred to Azure.

You'll also need to review the limitations related to migrating Windows Server 2008 servers to Azure. This is crucial to ensure a smooth migration process.

Azure Migrate and Modernize might download the Windows SetupDiag utility for error details in case the upgrade fails. To ensure that the VM created in Azure after the migration has access to SetupDiag, make sure it's accessible.

To prepare for Azure migration, you need to create an Azure Migrate project with Contributor or Owner permissions in your Azure account. Your Azure account also needs permissions to create a VM and write to an Azure managed disk.

The Migration and modernization tool uses a replication appliance to replicate machines to Azure, which requires a machine to host the replication appliance. You need to review the machine requirements, install MySQL, and review Azure URLs and port access requirements for the appliance.

You must also configure the Azure landing zone, which is a special-purpose environment that hosts your migration workloads. This involves setting up governance policies, compliance requirements, and security measures in advance.

To check machine requirements for migration, verify physical server requirements and ensure that on-premises machines comply with Azure VM requirements. Some changes are needed on VMs before migrating them to Azure.

Here are the key machine requirements to verify:

It's essential to review the Azure URLs required for the replication appliance to access public and government clouds. You should also review port access requirements for the appliance to ensure smooth replication.

Creating a virtual network in Azure is a regional service, so make sure to create it in the desired target Azure region. For example, if you're planning to replicate VMs from your on-premises environment to the East US Azure Region, your target virtual network must be created in the East US Region.

To connect virtual networks in different regions, you'll need to set up virtual network peering. This is also true when recreating on-premises connectivity mechanisms like VPN gateways or ExpressRoute links in Azure.

Here are the key steps to configure virtual networks and subnets in Azure:

Configuring Virtual Networks and Subnets is a crucial step in setting up your network. It's essential to create Azure Virtual Networks (VNs) in the desired target region, as they are a regional service.

To mirror your existing AWS VPC infrastructure, create Azure Virtual Private Clouds (VPCs), subnets, network security groups, and routing rules. This will ensure a seamless transition of your workloads.

Recreating on-premises connectivity mechanisms like VPN gateways or ExpressRoute links is also necessary. This will allow for smooth data migration and connectivity between your on-premises environment and the cloud.

To enable VPC peering between AWS and Azure across regions, ensure that you have set up virtual network peering in Azure. This will allow for communication between resources in different regions.

Here's a summary of the key steps to configure virtual networks and subnets:

To set up the replication appliance, you'll need to download the installer file and run it on a machine you've prepared. The machine should meet the requirements specified in the Migration and modernization tool.

The replication appliance runs several components, including a configuration server and a process server. The configuration server coordinates communications between on-premises and Azure, while the process server acts as a replication gateway, optimizing data with caching, compression, and encryption.

You'll need to prepare a machine to host the replication appliance. This involves reviewing the machine requirements, as well as the options for installing MySQL on the appliance.

To prepare for appliance deployment, consider the following requirements:

The replication appliance should not be installed on a source machine that you want to replicate or on the Azure Migrate: Discovery and assessment appliance.

Updating DNS records is a crucial step in setting up your network. You need to ensure that any hardcoded DNS dependencies on AWS are updated to point to new Azure resources' IPs and hostnames.

This involves updating the DNS settings on your AWS account to reflect the new Azure resources. It's like updating an old address on a map to show the new location.

To do this, you'll need to identify all the hardcoded DNS dependencies on AWS and update them to point to the new Azure resources. This might involve updating configuration files, scripts, or other code.

Here's a step-by-step guide to help you update your DNS records:

By following these steps, you'll ensure that your DNS records are up-to-date and your network is set up correctly. It's a bit of a process, but it's worth it in the end.

Replication is a crucial step in the Azure migration process. It allows you to replicate your on-premises machines to Azure, making it easier to migrate your infrastructure.

You can replicate up to 10 machines together, but if you need to replicate more, you can do so in batches of 10.

To replicate machines, you'll need to select them in the Azure Migrate project, under Servers, databases, and web apps > Migration and modernization > Replicate.

Here are the steps to replicate machines:

You can update replication settings any time before replication starts, but settings can't be changed after replication starts. Select Manage > Replicating machines to view and update your replication settings.

To set up a test environment for Azure migration, start by provisioning a separate Azure DevTest Labs sandbox with representations of production infrastructure for migration testing. This will give you a safe space to experiment and identify potential issues before they impact your production environment.

You can automate environment builds using Azure Resource Manager templates and PowerShell Desired State Configuration scripts for consistency. This will ensure that your test environment is a true representation of your production setup.

Implement simulated test data and usage profiles using tools like Azure Traffic Manager for like-production testing. This will help you gauge the performance and functionality of your migrated applications in a realistic scenario.

Here's a summary of the key steps to set up a test environment:

Setting up a test environment is a crucial step in ensuring a smooth migration to Azure. You can run a test migration for the VMs before running a full migration to Azure, which highly recommended by experts.

To do a test migration, you'll need to select the Servers, databases and web apps > Migration and modernization option in Migration goals. Then, in the Replicating machines tab, right-click the VM to test and select Test migrate.

The test migration will simulate the migration by creating an Azure VM using replicated data, which will be located in a non-production virtual network in your Azure subscription. You can use this replicated test Azure VM to validate the migration, perform app testing, and address any issues before full migration.

To upgrade the Windows Server OS during test migration, select the Upgrade available option and choose the target OS version you want to upgrade to. The Test Migration job will start, and you can monitor it in the portal notifications.

After the migration finishes, view the migrated Azure VM in Virtual Machines in the Azure portal. The machine name will have the suffix -Test. Once the test is finished, right-click the Azure VM in Replicating machines and select Clean up test migration.

It's also essential to set up a staging environment and run rigorous testing to verify system functionality, performance, and user experience in the Azure environment. This can help identify potential issues before they impact your production environment.

Here are the key steps to set up a test environment:

Setting up a test environment is crucial for a smooth AWS to Azure migration. You should start by provisioning a separate Azure DevTest Labs sandbox with representations of production infrastructure for migration testing.

This sandbox will serve as a safe space to experiment and test without affecting your live environment. To ensure consistency, automate environment builds using Azure Resource Manager templates and PowerShell Desired State Configuration scripts.

Implement simulated test data and usage profiles using tools like Azure Traffic Manager for like-production testing. This will give you a realistic understanding of how your workloads will perform in the new environment.

To collect telemetry data during testing, use Azure Monitor log analytics and Application Insights. These tools will provide you with valuable insights to identify and fix any issues before going live.

Here are the key steps to set up a test environment:

When testing your environment, it's essential to understand the workloads in use. This helps you identify which applications and servers to prioritize for migration.

Azure Migrate uses a lightweight appliance to collect data from your on-premises servers. This appliance performs agentless discovery of VMware VMs, Hyper-V VMs, and other virtualized servers.

The appliance collects server metadata, including disk and NIC information. It also gathers installed applications, roles, and features.

Performance data is another crucial aspect collected by the appliance. This includes CPU and memory utilization, disk IOPS, and throughput.

You can export the application inventory list to find specific apps and SQL Server instances. This helps you understand which applications are running on your servers.

Here's a breakdown of the data collected by the Azure Migrate appliance:

This data provides a comprehensive view of your server and database estate. You can use it to understand how your servers are distributed across business units, application owners, geographies, etc.

Migration is a critical step in the Azure migration process. It involves moving your on-premises machines to Azure.

You can migrate your VMs using the Azure Migrate project. To do this, select Replicated servers under Replications, then right-click the VM and select Migrate. You can also upgrade the Windows Server OS during migration by selecting the Upgrade available option.

Azure provides various tools to simplify the migration process. These tools include Azure Site Recovery, Azure Migrate – Cloud Migration Tool, and Azure Database Migration Service.

Here are some key features of these tools:

A test migration in Azure Migrate is a must before starting a full-scale migration. It helps you estimate the time involved, discover potential issues, and fix them before the full migration.

You should run a test migration in Azure Migrate, before starting a full-scale migration. This helps you to tweak your migration plan and avoid any potential issues.

Azure Migrate provides a seamless and integrated migration experience, with end-to-end tracking, using the Migration and modernization tool, and the Azure Data Migration Service (DMS).

The Migration and modernization tool allows you to migrate on-premises VMs and servers, or VMs located in other private or public cloud, with around zero downtime.

Azure DMS provides a fully managed service that's designed to enable seamless migrations from multiple database sources to Azure Data platforms, with minimal downtime.

You can use tools like Azure Site Recovery, the Azure Migrate Tool, or Azure Database Migration Service to perform the actual data transfer and application deployment. These tools will make it much easier to migrate applications and data to Azure with minimal downtime.

Here are some tools you can use for migration:

Upgrading your Windows OS during migration is a seamless process with Azure Migrate. Azure Migrate OS upgrade allows you to move from an older operating system to a newer one while keeping your settings, server roles, and data intact.

A data disk containing Windows Server setup files is created and attached to the VM. This disk is essential for the upgrade process.

The Azure Migrate OS upgrade uses an Azure VM Custom script extension to perform the upgrade. This extension enables a quiet mode upgrade, minimizing disruptions to your system.

A Custom Script Extension called InPlaceOsUpgrade is enabled on the VM, which downloads a script from the storage account and initiates the upgrade. This script is the key to a successful upgrade experience.

Here's an overview of the upgrade process:

Planning is a crucial step in the Azure migration process. Define your cloud migration goals to understand your motivation for moving to the cloud and identify your strategic migration goals.

To plan your migration, use the Azure Cloud Adoption Framework (CAF) to ensure your migration is well-planned and aligned with your goals and security requirements. This framework includes documentation, best practices, and tools to help you through all stages of the cloud adoption process.

You should also use the Azure Well-Architected Framework to get specific guidance related to Microsoft Azure. Additionally, utilize Azure Advisor to get recommendations on cost, security, reliability, operational excellence, and performance.

Here's a list of steps to consider when planning your migration:

By following these steps, you'll be well-prepared for a successful Azure migration.

Planning is key to a smooth transition to Azure. It's essential to have a meticulous upfront plan in place to avoid surprises down the line.

To start, you should assess your AWS environment and identify the workloads you want to migrate. This will help you determine the scope of your migration and identify any potential blockers.

A good migration plan should include detailed information about the apps you want to migrate, app/database availability, downtime constraints, and migration milestones. It's also essential to consider how long the data copy takes and include a realistic buffer for post-migration testing and cut-over activities.

Here are some key planning areas to focus on:

By considering these planning areas, you can ensure a successful migration to Azure.

Training your team is a crucial step in planning for a successful Azure environment.

Equipping your team with the knowledge and skills necessary for managing the Azure environment is essential. You can retrain cloud managers who were previously responsible for your AWS server, as they should be able to adapt relatively easily.

Retraining is a cost-effective way to upskill your team, rather than hiring new staff.