Azure Migrate VMware Discovery Checklist
Requirements Overview¶
| Requirement | Learn More | |
|---|---|---|
| A user with Contributor or Owner permissions over the Subscription | Learn More | |
| A user with Application Developer or Higher in Entra ID | Learn More | |
| Prepare Azure Migrate appliance, ensure RDP and authenticate. | Learn More | |
| All required Public or Private endpoint URLs are enabled. | Learn More | |
| All required Ports are allowed through required Firewalls/Proxies. | Learn More | |
| All required credentials are in place, validated and tested. | Learn More | |
| Environment scope is understood and agreed. | Learn More |
Data Collection Checkpoints¶
- Customer meets all pre-requisites
- A meeting has been conducted to configure and review Azure Migrate and there are no outstanding technical issues
- Data collection has been initiated
- Dr Migrate has been deployed
VMware Discovery Reference¶
Microsoft provides comprehensive documentation for deploying Azure Migrate against your VMware estate:
- Tutorial: Discover servers running in VMware environment
- Support Matrix: Support matrix for VMware discovery
If you are unable to implement the VMware appliance in your environment due to restrictions, consider using the Physical Appliance to collect assessment data.
VMware Discovery Checklist¶
Minimum Software Requirements¶
Microsoft provides detailed VMware requirements. Please review:
- VMware Requirements: vCenter Server and ESXi requirements
- Server Requirements: Server requirements for VMware
- Software Inventory Requirements: Software inventory requirements
- SQL Server Discovery: SQL Server instance and database discovery requirements
It is recommended that the Azure Migrate appliance is joined to your Active Directory domain to simplify authentication.
Minimum Appliance System Requirements¶
Microsoft provides detailed appliance requirements. See Azure Migrate appliance requirements for VMware.
Quick Reference:
- 32-GB RAM
- 8 vCPUs
- 80 GB disk
- Windows Server 2019 or later
- Static or dynamic IP address with internet access (direct or via proxy)
Minimum Azure Permissions¶
In order to successfully deploy Azure Migrate, you will need:
- At the Subscription level: Contributor or Owner permissions
- Entra ID: Application Developer role or higher to register applications
If you are familiar with Azure Migrate and want to connect the discovery appliance in advance of our joint configuration meeting, be sure to:
- Choose defaults for the Azure Migrate project; make no changes in Advanced options.
- Connect all appliances to the same project.
Required URLs¶
Public Endpoint connectivity method is recommended for the smoothest experience.
Microsoft provides comprehensive URL requirements based on your deployment method:
- Public Endpoint: Public cloud URLs using TCP 443 with SSL bypass enabled
- Private Endpoint: Private endpoint URLs using TCP 443 with SSL bypass enabled
For more information on deploying Azure Migrate with Private endpoints, see Discover and assess using private endpoints.
Minimum Port Requirements¶
For complete port requirements, see Port access requirements.
Quick Reference:
| Source | Destination | Port |
|---|---|---|
| Appliance | vCenter | TCP 443 |
| Appliance | Azure URLs | TCP 443 |
| Appliance | VMware ESXi hosts | TCP 443 |
| Appliance | Windows Server targets | TCP 5985 |
| Appliance | SQL Servers | TCP 1433 |
| Appliance | Linux Servers | TCP 22 |
Appliance Download Options¶
Option 1 – VMware Open Virtual Appliance (OVA)¶
The OVA can be prepared in advance of our configuration meeting; ensure you can RDP and authenticate.
Option 2 – PowerShell Script¶
The VMware discovery stack can also be installed using a PowerShell Script on a VM that you provision.
If you are familiar with Azure Migrate, you are welcome to download the PowerShell script and run it choosing options 1,1,1,1,Y.
Credentials¶
Required Server Credentials¶
Microsoft provides detailed credential requirements for different scenarios. Please review:
- Windows Servers: Windows server credentials for software inventory
- Linux Servers: Linux server credentials with sudo privileges or least-privileged access
- vCenter Access: vCenter Server permissions - Read-only account with Guest Operations privileges
- SQL Server Access: SQL Server authentication requirements - sysadmin role or least-privileged account
For vCenter Server 7.x and above you must:
- Clone the Read Only system role
- Add the Guest Operations Privileges to the cloned role.
- Assign the cloned role to the vCenter Account.
Environment Considerations¶
Microsoft provides detailed information on discovery limits and considerations. See Limitations.
Key Limits:
- You can discover and assess up to 35,000 servers in a VMware environment per project
- Azure Migrate VMware appliance can discover up to 10,000 servers across multiple vCenter Servers
- The appliance supports adding up to 10 vCenter Servers per appliance
Dependency Analysis Best Practice:
One Azure Migrate project can perform dependency data collection concurrently for 1,000 servers per appliance.
If you have more than 1,000 devices being discovered, it is recommended to evenly spread the discovery of the estate across additional appliances, ensuring that no more than 1,000 devices are being discovered by one appliance.
For more details, see Dependency analysis requirements (agentless).
Adjusting Discovery Scope¶
You can scope the vCenter Server account to limit discovery to specific vCenter Server datacenters, folders of clusters or hosts, or individual servers. Learn how to set discovery scope.
It is recommended to perform a complete discovery of your device estate. Assessment scope can be decided using Dr Migrate, as part of a Rapid or Advanced Assessment.