Rehost with Azure Migrate (Lift and Shift)
Execute a replication-based VM lift-and-shift migration using Azure Migrate, configure network cutover, and validate application health post-migration.
Lift and Shift Overview
Rehost — commonly called Lift and Shift — is the migration strategy where you move a VM from on-premises to Azure with no changes to the operating system, application binaries, or data. Azure Migrate's Migration and Modernisation tool (formerly Server Migration) automates this process by replicating disk data to Azure and then cutting over with minimal downtime. Lift and shift is ideal for applications that cannot be easily refactored or have tight migration deadlines.
Prerequisites Before Migration
Before starting replication you must: complete discovery and assessment so you have target VM SKU recommendations, create the target Azure resources (resource group, virtual network, and subnet), and ensure the Azure Migrate appliance is healthy. For VMware sources, the appliance must have vCenter read permissions and the guest VM must be reachable via network from the appliance. Download and register the Replication Provider software if you are migrating from Hyper-V or physical servers.
# Verify appliance connectivity and status
az migrate replication-appliance list \
--resource-group myRG \
--project-name myMigrateProjectAll lessons in this course
- The 6-Rs Migration Framework
- Azure Migrate: Discovery and Assessment
- Rehost with Azure Migrate (Lift and Shift)
- Database Migration Best Practices