Supported Scan Targets
Platform Support Overview¶
DMC supports scanning across multiple platform types. Use the cards below to navigate to specific platform information.
On-premises VMware environments
Direct data collection from physical servers
Microsoft Hyper-V environments
Nutanix environments
SQL Server discovery and assessment
Microsoft Azure Virtual Machines
Scanning Mode Best Practices¶
CRITICAL: Never Mix Scan Modes
A single machine must only be scanned using ONE mode. Never scan the same machine using both VMware mode and Physical scan mode.
Mixing modes creates duplicate records, broken relationships, and inaccurate reporting in Dr Migrate.
Understanding the Two Scan Modes¶
VMware Mode scans infrastructure via vCenter / VMware APIs and discovers VMs with their configuration and relationships. Physical Scan Mode scans machines directly at the OS / host level and treats each machine as an independent asset.
Each mode uses a different discovery mechanism and asset identity model. When you mix modes for the same machine, DMC cannot recognize them as the same asset.
Why This Matters¶
When the same machine is scanned using different modes:
- DMC treats it as two separate assets
- Duplicate or conflicting records appear in Dr Migrate
- Relationships, metrics, and lifecycle tracking break
- Reports and recommendations become inaccurate
Example: VM_1 is scanned via VMware mode from vCenter, then later scanned via Physical mode. Result: VM_1 appears twice in Dr Migrate with inconsistent data. This is not a supported configuration.
Which Mode Should I Use?¶
| Your Infrastructure | Recommended Scan Mode |
|---|---|
| VMware VMs managed by vCenter | VMware Mode |
| Physical servers | Physical Scan Mode |
| VMware VMs WITHOUT vCenter access | Physical Scan Mode |
| Hyper-V hosted machines | Physical Scan Mode |
| Nutanix hosted machines | Physical Scan Mode |
| Standalone ESXi hosts (no vCenter) | Physical Scan Mode |
| Mixed (VMs + Physical servers) | Use both modes, but never overlap machines |
Pre-Scan Checklist¶
Before running any DMC scan:
First-Time Scan: - [ ] What type of infrastructure am I scanning? - [ ] Do I have vCenter access? - [ ] Which mode is appropriate? - [ ] Have I documented this decision?
Subsequent Scans: - [ ] Have I scanned this infrastructure before? - [ ] Which mode did I use previously? - [ ] Am I using the same mode now?
If you're about to use a different mode, STOP and contact support before proceeding.
For Mixed Environments (VMs + Physical Servers)¶
If you have both VMware VMs and physical servers:
Do this:
1. List all vCenter-managed VMs → scan with VMware Mode
2. List all physical servers → scan with Physical Mode
3. Document which machines use which mode
4. Never scan the same machine with both modes
Do NOT: - Scan vCenter VMs with VMware Mode, then rescan with Physical Mode "to get more data" - Re-scan an already-discovered VM using a different mode - Mix modes for testing or convenience
Key Rule¶
One machine. One scan mode. Always.
If you've already mixed modes, contact support immediately for data cleanup. For questions or uncertainty, escalate before scanning, not after.
VMware Environment¶
DMC supports scanning of on-premises VMware environments.
| vSphere Version | Support Details |
|---|---|
| vSphere 6.0 and above | Collects metrics for attached Windows and Linux virtual machines |
DMC supports scanning of the below guest operating systems running on the VMware environment.
| Operating System | Support Details |
|---|---|
| Windows Server 2008 R2 and above | Collects metrics for Windows servers |
| Ubuntu | Collects metrics for Linux servers |
| Red Hat | Collects metrics for Linux servers |
| CentOS | Collects metrics for Linux servers |
| SUSE | Collects metrics for Linux servers |
Physical Servers¶
DMC supports scanning of physical Windows and Linux servers.
| Operating System | Support Details |
|---|---|
| Windows Server 2008 R2 and above | Collects metrics for Windows servers |
| Ubuntu | Collects metrics for Linux servers |
| Red Hat | Collects metrics for Linux servers |
| CentOS | Collects metrics for Linux servers |
| SUSE | Collects metrics for Linux servers |
Hyper-V¶
DMC supports scanning of Windows and Linux servers hosted on Hyper-V.
| Operating System | Support Details |
|---|---|
| Windows Server 2008 R2 and above | Collects metrics for Windows servers |
| Ubuntu | Collects metrics for Linux servers |
| Red Hat | Collects metrics for Linux servers |
| CentOS | Collects metrics for Linux servers |
| SUSE | Collects metrics for Linux servers |
DMC runs a 'Physical Servers' (bare-metal) scan of Hyper-V hosted machines.
All metrics (CPU, memory, disk, network etc) will be collected at guest-level, nothing is collected at hypervisor-level.
Nutanix¶
DMC supports scanning of Windows and Linux servers hosted on Nutanix.
| Operating System | Support Details |
|---|---|
| Windows Server 2008 R2 and above | Collects metrics for Windows servers |
| Ubuntu | Collects metrics for Linux servers |
| Red Hat | Collects metrics for Linux servers |
| CentOS | Collects metrics for Linux servers |
| SUSE | Collects metrics for Linux servers |
DMC runs a 'Physical Servers' (bare-metal) scan of Nutanix hosted machines.
All metrics (CPU, memory, disk, network etc) will be collected at guest-level, nothing is collected at hypervisor-level.
SQL Server Discovery and Assessment¶
DMC supports discovery and assessment of SQL Server instances across all supported scan targets.
Supported SQL Server Versions¶
DMC supports discovery and assessment of SQL Server instances. Supported versions differ based on the operating system platform:
SQL Server on Windows:
| SQL Server Version | Support Details |
|---|---|
| SQL Server 2008 and above | Full support for discovery and migration readiness assessment |
| SQL Server 2008 R2 | Full support for discovery and migration readiness assessment |
| SQL Server 2012 | Full support for discovery and migration readiness assessment |
| SQL Server 2014 | Full support for discovery and migration readiness assessment |
| SQL Server 2016 | Full support for discovery and migration readiness assessment |
| SQL Server 2017 | Full support for discovery and migration readiness assessment |
| SQL Server 2019 | Full support for discovery and migration readiness assessment |
| SQL Server 2022 | Full support for discovery and migration readiness assessment |
SQL Server on Linux:
| SQL Server Version | Support Details |
|---|---|
| SQL Server 2017 | Full support for discovery and migration readiness assessment |
| SQL Server 2019 | Full support for discovery and migration readiness assessment |
| SQL Server 2022 | Full support for discovery and migration readiness assessment |
SQL Server on Linux: SQL Server on Linux was introduced with SQL Server 2017. DMC supports discovery and assessment of SQL Server instances running on Linux starting from SQL Server 2017 and later versions.
SQL Server Discovery¶
SQL Server instances are automatically discovered during infrastructure scans (VMware, Physical, Hyper-V, and Nutanix). When SQL Server is detected on scanned machines, DMC collects instance information including:
- SQL Server version and edition
- Instance names and configurations
- Database inventory
- Server properties
| Scan Target | SQL Server Discovery Support |
|---|---|
| VMware | SQL Server instances discovered on Windows and Linux VMs |
| Physical Servers | SQL Server instances discovered on Windows and Linux servers |
| Hyper-V | SQL Server instances discovered (via Physical scan mode) |
| Nutanix | SQL Server instances discovered (via Physical scan mode) |
SQL Server Assessment¶
SQL Server assessment is a separate workflow that can be performed after infrastructure discovery. DMC assesses SQL Server instances for Azure migration readiness.
| Platform | Assessment Support | Authentication Methods |
|---|---|---|
| SQL Server on Windows | Full support | Windows Integrated Authentication, SQL Server Authentication |
| SQL Server on Linux | Full support | SQL Server Authentication only |
SQL Server on Linux: SQL Server instances running on Linux can be discovered during infrastructure scans and assessed using DMC. However, only SQL Server Authentication is supported for SQL Server on Linux instances. Windows Integrated Authentication requires a Windows domain environment and is not available for SQL Server on Linux.
Assessment Workflow: SQL Server assessment connects over the network to SQL Server instances. The same assessment metrics are collected for SQL Server instances running on both Windows and Linux operating systems, as the assessment queries SQL Server metadata which is identical regardless of platform.
For detailed information about SQL Server assessment requirements and capabilities, see Database Assessment Requirements and SQL Assessment Metrics.
Azure¶
DMC supports scanning of Azure Virtual Machines to collect infrastructure configuration, performance metrics, software inventory, network dependencies, SQL Server instances, and Azure resource inventory.
Azure Monitor metrics are collected for all VMs regardless of OS. Guest-level data collection (software, network, database) is supported on the following operating systems:
| Operating System | Support Details |
|---|---|
| Windows Server 2008 R2 and above | Full (metrics + software + network + database) |
| Ubuntu | Full |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux | Full |
| CentOS | Full |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server | Full |
There are two Azure scan types:
| Scan Type | What it Collects |
|---|---|
| Azure VM Scan | VM configuration, Azure Monitor performance metrics, and guest-level data (software inventory, network dependencies, SQL Server detection) via Managed Run Command, WinRM, or SSH. |
| Azure Resource Discovery | A complete inventory of Azure resources across networking, compute, storage, databases, and more, via Azure Resource Manager APIs. No VM credentials required. |
For step-by-step setup, see Scan Azure. For credential and network requirements, see Azure Requirements.
AWS¶
DMC supports discovery and assessment of Amazon Web Services environments. The collector runs from a machine inside your AWS environment and uses read-only access you create, with no agents installed and Dr Migrate never connecting in to your environment.
There are two AWS scan types:
| Scan Type | What it Collects |
|---|---|
| EC2 Scan | EC2 instance discovery plus in-guest detail: installed software, dependencies and CloudWatch performance metrics. Connects via SSM, SSH or WinRM. |
| AWS Estate Discovery | A complete inventory of your AWS estate via native AWS APIs: all services and resources, accounts and regions, and cost and usage data. No server credentials required. |
The two scans are independent and can run from the same collector host.
For step-by-step setup, see Scan AWS.
Captured Metrics¶
See Captured Metrics for more details about the data collected.

