In this blog, I will share some quick tips including Q&A’s and useful links from Day 8 of our recently launched new batch of Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect(AZ-303/AZ-304)
On Day 8 Live Session we covered Azure Migrate, Azure Migration Planning, Azure Migrate: Server Migration, Azure Recovery Services, Azure Backup, Azure Site Recovery (ASR).
We also covered hands-on Lab 14, Lab 26 out of our 25+ extensive labs(AZ-303).
In Day 7 Live Session, we covered Azure RBAC (Role-Based Access Control), Azure Active Directory Roles, Azure Policy, Azure Blueprints, Azure Key Vault, Managed Identities.
The Previous week in Day 6 Live Session, we covered the Azure SQL Service, Deployment Options, Azure SQL Database, Azure Resource Manager(ARM) Template, Azure Quickstart Templates, Azure Virtual hard disks(VHDs), Azure Automation, Runbooks In Azure Automation.
So, here are some of the Q&A asked during the Live session from Module 12: Manage Workloads in Azure.
Azure Migrate
Azure Migrate is a Microsoft service that helps an enterprise assess how its on-premises workloads will perform, and how much they will cost to host, in the Azure public cloud.
Azure Migrate can:
- Assess if your on-premises servers are ready for migration to Azure.
- Estimate the size of Azure VM required for your workloads, the recommended Azure SQL configuration, or the number of Azure VMware Solution nodes after migration.
- Estimate the cost of running an existing local server in Azure.
- Determine cross-server dependencies and optimization strategies for moving interdependent servers to Azure.
➝Read more about the Azure Migrate.
Q1: Can I use the same Azure Migrate to migrate to multiple subscriptions?
Ans: Yes, you can migrate to multiple subscriptions (same Azure tenant) in the same target region for an Azure Migrate project.
Q2: Does Azure Migrate have an ISV offering with its Integrated tools?
Ans: Azure Migrate integrates with several ISV(Independent software vendors) offerings. Some of them are:
- Carbonite, which is used for Migrate servers.
- Cloudamize is used to Assess servers.
- Corent Technology is used to Assess and migrate servers.
➝Read more about the Azure Migrate ISV Integration.
Azure Migration Planning
Microsoft recommends a four-step migration process for migrating to Azure:
- Discover: Catalog your software and workloads
- Assess: Categorize applications and workloads
- Migrate: Make the actual move
- Cutover: During data sync, ensure that all changes on the source are captured and applied to the target during the migration process.
- Optimize: After migrating your services to Azure, includes a review of the implementation. During this phase, you look for possible optimization areas.
Q3: Can I select the Virtual Network and subnet to use for test migrations?
Ans: Yes, You can select a Virtual Network for test migrations. The subnet is automatically selected based on the following logic:
- If a target subnet (other than default) was specified as an input while enabling replication.
- If the subnet with the same name is not found, then Azure Migrate selects the first subnet available alphabetically that is not a Gateway/Application Gateway/Firewall/Bastion subnet.
Read More: About Blue Green Deployment Azure.
Azure Migrate: Server Migration
You can migrate machines as physical servers to Azure, using the Azure Migrate: Server Migration tool. Migrating machines by treating them as physical servers is useful in a number of scenarios:
- Migrate on-premises physical servers.
- Migrate Hyper-V or VMware VMs.
- Migrate VMs running in private clouds.
- Migrate VMs running in public clouds such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) or Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
The Azure Migrate: Server Migration tool offers two options for migrating your source servers and virtual machines to Azure:
Agentless migrations: Agentless migrations do not require any software (agents) to be deployed on the source VMs/servers being migrated. The agentless option orchestrates replication by integrating with the functionality provided by the virtualization provider.
Workloads that can be migrated using Agentless replication are :
- VMware VMs
- Hyper-V VMs.
Agent-based migrations: Agent-based migrations require Azure Migrate software (agents) to be installed on the source VMs/machines to be migrated. The agent-based option doesn’t rely on the virtualization platform for the replication functionality.
Workloads that can be migrated using Agent-based replication are :
- VMware VMs
- Hyper-V VMs
- Physical server
- VMs running on AWS
- VMs running on GCP,
- VMs running on a different virtualization provider.
Q4: How does agentless replication affect VMware servers?
Ans: Agentless replication results in some performance impact on VMware vCenter Server and VMware ESXi hosts. Because agentless replication uses snapshots, it consumes IOPS(Input/Output operations per second) on storage, so some IOPS storage bandwidth is required.
Q5: How do I know if my VM was successfully migrated?
Ans: Once you have migrated your VM/server successfully, you can view and manage the VM from the Virtual Machines page. Connect to the migrated VM to validate. Alternatively, you can review the ‘Job status’ for the operation to check if the migration was successfully completed.
Check Out: What is Blob Storage?
Azure Recovery Services
Every organization need to adopt a business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR) strategy that keeps your data safe, and your apps and workloads online, when planned and unplanned outages occur. In Azure we have these Azure Recovery Services:
- Backup service: The Azure Backup service keeps your data safe and recoverable.
- Site Recovery service: Site Recovery helps ensure business continuity by keeping business apps and workloads running during outages.
Azure Backup
The Azure Backup service provides simple, secure, and cost-effective solutions to back up your data and recover it from the Microsoft Azure cloud. Backup is often used in combination with Azure Site Recovery. Together, Backup and Site Recovery can help you create a comprehensive data loss protection plan.
Q6: Does the backup cost included in the VM cost?
Ans: No, Backup costs are separate from a VM’s costs.
Q7: Which permissions are required to enable backup for a VM?
Ans: If you’re a VM contributor, you can enable backup on the VM. If you’re using a custom role, you need the following permissions to enable backup on the VM:
- Microsoft.RecoveryServices/
Vaults/write - Microsoft.RecoveryServices/
Vaults/read - Microsoft.RecoveryServices/
locations/* - Microsoft.RecoveryServices/
Vaults/backupFabrics/ protectionContainers/ protectedItems/*/read - Microsoft.RecoveryServices/
Vaults/backupFabrics/ protectionContainers/ protectedItems/read - Microsoft.RecoveryServices/
Vaults/backupFabrics/ protectionContainers/ protectedItems/write - Microsoft.RecoveryServices/
Vaults/backupFabrics/ backupProtectionIntent/write - Microsoft.RecoveryServices/
Vaults/backupPolicies/read - Microsoft.RecoveryServices/
Vaults/backupPolicies/write
Check Out: Our blog post on Azure Service Bus.
MARS agent
Azure Backup uses the MARS agent to back up data from on-premises machines and Azure VMs to a backup Recovery Services vault in Azure. The MARS agent can:
- Run-on on-premises Windows machines so that they can back up directly to a backup Recovery Services vault in Azure.
- Run-on Windows VMs so that they can back up directly to a vault.
- Run-on Microsoft Azure Backup Server (MABS) or a System Center Data Protection Manager (DPM) server. In this scenario, machines and workloads back up to MABS or to the DPM server. The MARS agent then backs up this server to a vault in Azure.
Also, Check our Blog on Migrate SQL Server To Azure SQL Database.
Q8: Can I use the MARS agent to back up files and folders on temporary storage for the Azure VM?
Ans: Yes, Install the MARS agent, and back up files and folders on the guest Windows operating system to temporary storage.
Azure Site Recovery (ASR)
Azure Site Recovery (ASR) is a DRaaS(Disaster Recovery as a Service) offered by Azure for use in cloud and hybrid cloud architectures. A near-constant data replication process makes sure copies are in sync. This service enables customers to use Azure as a disaster recovery site on a pay-as-you-go model without having to invest in additional infrastructure.
Q9: What’s the difference between Azure Migrate and Azure Site Recovery?
Ans: Azure Migrate provides a centralized hub for assessment and migration to Azure where Azure Site Recovery should be used for disaster recovery only.
The Azure Migrate: Server Migration tool uses some back-end Site Recovery functionality for lift-and-shift migration of some on-premises machines.
Q10: What does Site Recovery do to ensure data integrity?
Ans: There are various measures taken by Site Recovery to ensure data integrity. A secure connection is established between all services by using the HTTPS protocol. This makes sure that any malware or outside entities can’t tamper with the data.
Quiz Time (Sample Exam Questions)
With our Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect training program, we cover 220+ [AZ-303] & 200+[AZ-304] sample exam questions to help you prepare for the certification AZ-303 & AZ-304.
Note: Download the 25 Sample Exam-Questions of Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect from here.
Check out one of the questions and see if you can crack this…
Ques: You have several Azure VMs that are currently running production workloads. You have a mix of Windows Server and Linux servers and you need to implement a backup strategy for your production workloads.
Which feature should you use in this case? Select one.
A. Managed snapshots.
B. Azure Backup.
C. Azure Site Recovery.
D. Azure Migrate.
The right answer will be revealed in my next week’s Blog.
Here is the answer to the question shared last week.
Ques: Which of the following would you use to store asymmetric keys to allow for real-time I/O encryption and decryption of Azure SQL database data and log files?
A. Azure AD Privileged Identity Management
B. Azure AD Managed Service Identity
C. Azure Key Vault
D. Azure Security Center
Answer: C. Azure Key Vault
Explanation: Azure Key Vault provides secure storage of secrets, such as passwords and database connection strings.
Feedback
We always work on improving and being the best version of ourselves from the previous session hence constantly ask feedback from our attendees.
Here’s the feedback that we received from our trainees who had attended the session…
Related/References
- AZ 303/304: Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect: Step By Step Activity Guides (Hands-On Labs)
- [Recap] Day 4: Load Balancing and Network Security [Azure Solutions Architect]
- [Recap] Day 5: Storage Accounts & NoSQL Databases [Azure Solutions Architect]
- [Recap] Day 6: Azure SQL Databases & Automate Deployment and Configuration of resources[Azure Solutions Architect]
- [Recap] Day 7: Azure Governance Solutions & Security for Applications[Azure Solutions Architect]
- Top 10 Best Practices for Azure Security in 2021
- Tips To Prepare Exam AZ-304: Microsoft Azure Architect Design
- Exam AZ-305: Azure Solutions Architect Expert Certification
Next Task For You
Begin your journey toward Mastering Azure Cloud and landing high-paying jobs. Just click on the register now button on the below image to register for a Free Class on Mastering Azure Cloud: How to Build In-Demand Skills and Land High-Paying Jobs. This class will help you understand better, so you can choose the right career path and get a higher paying job.
Leave a Reply