want to do a POC to migrate a vmware to Azure

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want to do a POC to migrate a vmware to Azure

nuage compte 0

Hello,

I want to do a POC to Migrate a Vmware to Azure and I don't know how to start?

Can I Use one machine for the POC?
How Can I create the vmware environment? ESXI or Vphere and please the link for dowload?
can I create more than one VM? one for the machine, others ones for appliance? taking into account the performance of the appliance machine
the use of AVS solution in the market place do the job or it's about other thing?

Thanks in advance

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Answer 1

Michele Ariis 2,520 MVP

Hi, use Azure Migrate; create a project, deploy the appliance (OVA on vSphere or Windows installer if you don't have vCenter/ESXi), discover the VM, run Assessment, enable Replication and run a Test Migrate in an isolated VNet; for the POC you only need 1 source VM + 1 appliance VM (you can add more later); if you don't have a VMware lab, avoid building one: use the appliance's Windows installer and migrate "from physical"; note that ESXi/vCenter downloads today require entitlement from Broadcom; on the performance side, the appliance requires ~8 vCPUs/16–32 GB and some disk for the buffer; AVS (Azure VMware Solution) is another thing: it's vSphere/NSX/vSAN hosted in Azure to remain 100% VMware (no conversion), useful for pure lift-and-shift but not necessary for an IaaS POC.

nuage compte 0 Reputation points

2025-08-08T06:45:13.78+00:00

thanks for your answer Michele, yes I am using Azure Migrate. My problem is with Vmware.

to create a Vmware enivrement, I look to install a Vsphere client but I don't find any valid link for download..

"use the appliance's Windows installer and migrate "from physical" what do you mean by that plz?

I am preparing 3 POC: One for Physical, another for Vmware and another One for HyperV. I am stuck on the Vmware POC, don't know how to do the POC (how simulate the Vmware environement...)?

Thanks for your help..
Michele Ariis 2,520 Reputation points MVP

2025-08-08T08:24:40.76+00:00

I understand: for the POC, don't get bogged down in "building VMware." Since VMware switched to Broadcom, ESXi/vCenter downloads require entitlement: if you don't have it, skip it. Do this: use Azure Migrate in agent-based mode ("from physical") - install the Windows appliance on a server/VM (8 vCPUs, 16–32 GB RAM, some disk, 443 output), install the Mobility Service inside the source machine and replicate; this covers both the Physical and VMware POCs even without vCenter/ESXi. If you really want a VMware lab, you'll need licensed ESXi/vCenter media or nested ESXi (if already available), but it's not necessary to demonstrate the migration. For Hyper-V: enable Hyper-V on a Windows Server eval, create 1 test VM, deploy the Hyper-V appliance and do agentless discovery/replication from the host. In all cases: Discover - Assess - Replicate - Test migrate to an isolated VNet; for the POC, 1 source VM + 1 appliance is enough (you can add more VMs later).
nuage compte 0 Reputation points

2025-08-08T10:56:16.5433333+00:00

Thanks a lot Michele.. you answer help a lot !!

And is there please any Tricks about vmware that should I demonstrate when using the physical machine ?

the video are for learning ..

Thanks 🙏
Michele Ariis 2,520 Reputation points MVP

2025-08-08T12:59:18.37+00:00

Great! To “simulate” a VMware POC using the Physical (agent-based) path, aim to demonstrate the same steps/results you would do with vSphere: discovery + assessment (right-size, estimated costs), continuous replication with visible RPO, Test migrate in an isolated VNet, small-window cutover and rollback by deleting the test environment; show the “VLAN - subnet/NSG” mapping, the managed disk choice (P10/P20/… vs Premium/Standard) and the right-size of the Azure VM; enable app-consistent snapshot (VSS) on the source to demonstrate that you do not lose consistency; install the Mobility Service on the machine, enable bandwidth throttling on the appliance to avoid saturating the WAN, and verify after the test that the Azure VM Agent / waagent are present, Boot diagnostics ok, correct IP/DNS and boot time; demonstrate how to manage guest credentials, tags, availability zones/sets and Azure Hybrid Benefit (if applicable); Close with a cutover runbook (stop app → final sync → migrate - post-script DNS) and the post-migration steps (remove unnecessary tools, update AV/backup, metrics/alerts). If you then use vCenter in the future, redo the same agentless POC: the portal experience is identical, only the discovery/replication process changes.
nuage compte 0 Reputation points

2025-08-09T07:11:22.0466667+00:00

thanks for your answer Michele, very useful.

I want to share with you an error for the POC of Physical migration. I use a Az VM as source and migrate to another Region..

in the replication appliance (simplified experience).

I got an error when adding the source machine.. :/
Michele Ariis 2,520 Reputation points MVP

2025-08-12T14:20:21.9833333+00:00
Hi, that error usually happens when the appliance can’t connect to the source server or the credentials aren’t correct. To fix it, make sure:

The appliance can reach the source machine over TCP ports 135 (RPC), 445 (SMB), and the RPC range 49152–65535. Check firewalls/NSGs and allow inbound traffic from the appliance network.

The mapped account is a local administrator on the source machine. If it’s domain-joined, use DOMAIN\username. If it’s in a workgroup, use MACHINENAME\username.

Disable remote UAC restrictions by setting LocalAccountTokenFilterPolicy=1 in the registry.

WinRM, Server, and Remote Registry services are running on the source.

The IP or FQDN you provided can be resolved from the appliance.

After applying these changes, run Revalidate and it should move to “Ready,” so you can proceed with replication.

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want to do a POC to migrate a vmware to Azure

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