Microsoft has opened an Azure Data Center Migration Solution Tool that can support the migration of Linux machines, according to E Week.
Microsoft Cloud and Enterprise program manager Srinath Vasireddy revealed the news through a blog on Tuesday. The manager wrote: "Today, we are excited to add support for the migration of Linux physical and virtual machines to Azure, this functionality will further bolster the support for heterogeneity in MA (Migration Accelerator)."
The said tool will support the migration of Cent OS 6.4, 6.5 and Oracle Linux 6.4, 6.5. Other than that, it can help configure single OS system disk (LVM spread across multiple disks are not supported due to Azure limitation) and root disk/device usage in configuration files: UUID, BY-LABEL, BY-ID (SCSI ID), Multipath, LVM, partition.
The Migration Accelerator can also help with File system types: ext3, ext4 and volume Manager for root device: Linux LVM.
Microsoft advised users to understand the parts and functions of the product as well as the restrictions and capabilities of Azure. To do this, the user must read first the "Introduction to Microsoft Migration Accelerator." The article breaks down the functions of the MA such as heterogeneity and automated migration.
A review of the "Prerequisite and Support Matrix" for MA will help the user determine what the tool can carry out and will help set the expectation for the whole process.
For new users, the company suggested to watch the preview available at Microsoft Azure when the user signs up. As for old MA customers "migrating Windows Servers and want to migrate Linux Servers" it is also best to check a guideline for further instructions.
Microsoft promised that the Migration Accelerator is flexible and efficient although there are reported downtimes. The number and size of the site's data and Blobs can affect the speed of the whole process. An example is the field test that took six hours to copy Blobs from Microsoft US East region to Northern Europe region, Redmond Channel Partner reported.
The Azure Data Center Migration Solution can be downloaded for free on GitHub.