How to Migrate a Virtual Machine from Microsoft Azure to Jotelulu

Learn how to easily migrate a GNU/Linux machine from Microsoft Azure to a Jotelulu server.

There may come a time when you need to consider migrating machines to a new infrastructure in order to centralise everything, or perhaps just to have a contingency plan or backup.

In situations like these, you might be considering moving a virtual machine from Microsoft Azure, for example, to another cloud provider, such as Jotelulu. In this short tutorial, we will explain exactly how you can perform this task, step by step.

How to migrate a virtual machine from Microsoft Azure to a Jotelulu server

Before you get started

To successfully complete this tutorial and migrate your virtual machine from Microsoft Azure to a Jotelulu server, you will need:

To be registered on the platform and have logged in.
To have administrator permissions for your company or on one of your Servers subscriptions.
To have an Azure subscription with at least one server that you can export.

Part 1 – Preparing to export your server from MS Azure

Before downloading an image of your virtual machine, you will need to configure the download file. In order to do this correctly, you first need to think about what you want to do with the machine. If you simply want to move it from Azure to Jotelulu, all you have to do first is stop the server. However, before doing that, you may want to delete some data, remove some programs, etc.

NOTE: Removing any unnecessary data will mean that the downloaded image will be smaller and the process will be quicker. Having a faster process also reduces the chances of interruptions.

Once you have stopped the machine, simply go to the VM dashboard and, on the left-hand menu, click on Disks (1).

Part 1 – Browse to the Disks section of the VM

Next, you should select the OS disk (2).

Part 1 – Select the OS disk

You will now see some new options in the left-hand menu. Select “Disk Export” (3).

Part 1 – Select “Disk Export”

A window will appear which will generate a secure download URL for an image of the disk in VHD format (Virtual Hard Disk).

At this point, you will have to select a time (4) after which the URL will expire. This time is measured in seconds and is set to 3600 seconds by default (1 hour). We recommend changing this to a higher figure, such as 172,800 (48 hours), more than enough time to export your virtual machine in normal circumstances.

Once you have entered the desired time, click on “Generate URL” (5).

Part 1 – Select an expiry time for the download URL

Next, you will have to wait while the download link is generated (6).

How long this takes will vary depending on the load on Azure, your connection, etc. But it should take more than a few minutes.

Part 1 – Wait while the download link is generated

After a short while, a new window will appear displaying two options:

Copy the link (7) to another browser or application in order to download the VHD.
Click on “Download the VHD file” (8) which will launch the download in your current browser window.

To migrate your VM to Jotelulu, you can actually use either method, but it is much easier to use the download link, so we will copy it and keep it for later.

Part 1 – Copy the VHD download link once is has been generated

Part 2 – Configuring the migration on the Joteluolu platform

To begin the migration process on the Jotelulu platform, go to the Partner Area (9).

Part 2 – Go to the Partner Area on the Jotelulu platform

Then, click on Migration (10) in the left-hand menu.

Part 2 – Go to the Migration section

Next, click “New Migration” (11).

NOTE: This page may look different if you have already performed previous migrations. In which case, they will be listed here.

Part 2 – Start a new migration from the Migration section

You will now be guided through the process to prepare the system for the migration of your server to Jotelulu.

First, you need to select the type of server to migrate. Since we are migrating a server, you should select “Servers” (12) from the options shown.

Part 2 – Click on “Servers”

Next, you need to specify whether your server is physical or virtual (13), which in this case will be physical.

Then, you will need to specify the way that the disk will be imported. Here, you should select “Compatible Virtual Disks” (14) as this is the format that will be generated by Azure.

You will also need to specify how the virtual disk will be uploaded to Jotelulu. In this example, there are two possible methods. You can either use FTP or use a download URL. In this tutorial, we will select “Download using a URL” (15). This is the fastest method and does not require any further user intervention.

Next, you need to enter a number of details about the virtual disk or disks that you are going to import (16). You will need to provide a file name, which will have the extension (vhd), and a URL, which will be the link that you saved in the previous step.

You will also have to indicate whether this is a system disk or a data disk, as well as enter a display name, which is how the file will appear once uploaded to the Jotelulu platform.

Once you have done all this, click on “Create” (17) to save your changes and then click on “Next” (18).

Part 2 – Select the format and location of the disk to be imported

At this point, you will need to choose the organisation, subscription and availability zone (19) that you want to deploy the virtual machine on.

This will depend on how many organisations and subscriptions you have registered. If you do not have any subscriptions, you will be able to create a new one.

With respect to the availability zone, you can work in exactly the same way as with the other available services.

The last part of this process asks “Do you want to deploy a new server with the imported disks?” (20). If you do not wish to deploy the server, you can simply leave the uploaded image ready for future use. However, usually, the answer to this question will be “Yes”.

Part 1 – Select the organisation and subscription on which you want to deploy the VM

If you click on “Yes”, you will be then asked for a series of details to configure your new Jotelulu server.

First, you will have to give the server a name (21). This name can contain spaces. Then, you have to select an operating system (22) for the new server.

Next, you will need to select a server size (23), meaning that you need to choose how much CPU and RAM your new server will need. Lastly, you will need to select a network type (24), depending on whether you need a standard network or a VPC.

Once you have done all this, click on “Finish” (25).

Part 2 – Configure your new server

At this point, you will see a summary of the status of your migration. This will initially show as “Preparing transfer” and then change to “Awaiting transfer”.

Part 2 – Summary of the new migration

Once you finish this step, you will have configured your migration and a series of internal processes will run to deploy your new Jotelulu server, which will be available in your Servers subscription area.

Conclusions and next steps

Migrating virtual machines between clouds tends to be complex. That is why, here at Jotelulu, we try to design our processes and tools to make everything as simple and comfortable as possible for our users.

As a result, migrating a server from Azure to Jotelulu is a very simple process, and the platform will guide you step by step. However, if you do have any problems, for whatever reason, please don’t hesitate to get in contact with us so that we can help you.

If you found this tutorial useful and would like to learn more about the migration process in particular, the following tutorials may also be of interest to you:

Good luck with your migration!