How to create an On-Prem Hyper-V VM and migrate it to Azure in 10 steps
Create a local Hyper-V VM and Migrate it to Azure
Create a local Hyper-V VM and Migrate it to Azure: Although it’s been a few years since we have known about the Cloud in the world of technology, the topic discussed in this title concerning “migrating from server to server. moving from a local datacenter to the Cloud ”is however more relevant than ever.
In fact, talking about Cloud, or Azure or AWS, is nothing new. For years, many companies have taken advantage of the benefits of the cloud and it is normal that they do, because these a really convincing ones :
- Opex vs Capex: allows you to free yourself from the burden of large investments
- Ability to pay only for what you use and when you use it
- Elasticity to use more or less technical resources, as needed
Nevertheless, as of today, many companies still haven’t tried the cloud experiment. Don’t be afraid to give it a try!
Below are simple examples of Cloud integration in the technological architecture that a company, organization, school or others, can have:
- The company has no experience with the Cloud and wants to be able to know its possibilities without spending fortunes in the attempt.
→ The fact that current cloud offerings are only billed when used makes them an economically attractive alternative.
- The company is too small to justify a second data center where it could replicate its data and key servers. In other words, it has no possibility at the PRA level, to continue operating from site “B”, if site “A” had major problems, such as: fire, theft, electrical problem , Ramsomware, etc….
→ In this case, having only one site, the company could rely on the Cloud as a fallback site (in other words, the Cloud would be acting as if it were a second remote “B” site).
- The company doesn’t want to mess with its current production environment because it runs like clockwork when it’s pretty much already on the edge. Therefore, adding development projects would jeopardize this delicate balance..
→ And we can also do the same here as well, if the company does not want to touch anything in its current onprem local environment, it can perfectly “extend” its network to the Microsoft Azure Cloud and use development servers there for as long as it needs, like if they were inside its local infrastructure, on site.
For all these reasons, this tutorial can be a good opportunity for a first contact with the Cloud.
Create a local Hyper-V VM and Migrate it to Azure – The 10 Steps to do so!
In 15 minutes, we see the 10 steps required to migrate a Hyper-V VM to the Microsoft Azure cloud. From the creation of the local virtual machine, on-premises, to the connection in the virtual machine once migrated to Azure.
The 10 steps used in that example are:
- Hyper-V VM installation (with standard Windows 2016 operating system)
- Change the Windows server name
- Converting the VM’s VHDX default format to VHD, and the default Dynamic size to a fixed size
- Application installation (in this case an example with Firefox, WinSCP and Putty, to show that these apps are still available and working once in Azure)
- Adaptation of the VM for the Azure Cloud using PowerShell scripts from Microsoft.
- Preparing the VM for Azure with Sysprep
- Upload the VHD file from the VM to the Azure storage space with Azure Storage Explorer
- Create an image in Azure, from the VHD
- Create a VM in Azure, from the image created in the previous step
- Connection and Login to the VM
As you could see, at the end of the day, it is quite straight forward to create a local Hyper-V VM and Migrate it to Azure! It is just a question of doing the right things at the right time!
Good luck with your own migrations and do not hesitate to leave comments below, with your own results!
