Microsoft has made a new VM Conversion tool available in Windows Admin Center in a public preview. The extension is designed to help organizations convert virtual machines from VMware to Windows Server with Hyper-V, without additional costs or complicated installation.
Although Microsoft Azure offers a fully managed cloud environment with numerous pay-as-you-go services, many organizations prefer to keep their data on-premises for compliance or governance reasons. For this target group, Microsoft is now introducing an accessible way to migrate VMware environments to Hyper-V, while retaining flexibility and the option to switch to the cloud at a later date.
The VM Conversion tool is agentless and appliance-free. Once connected to the virtualization environment, virtual machines are automatically discovered and prepared for migration. The process takes place in two phases: first, an initial replication is performed while the source VM remains operational, followed by a second replication when the machine is temporarily shut down. This ensures that any changes made since the first copy are still included, minimizing downtime during the final transition.
According to Microsoft, up to ten virtual machines can be converted simultaneously, with a full migration taking just a few minutes to complete. BIOS-based VMs are automatically linked to Hyper-V Generation 1, while UEFI-based VMs are linked to Generation 2. The software supports both Linux and Windows guests and can also fully transfer machines with multiple disks.
Extensive checks
The tool performs extensive checks on crucial components in advance. These include boot configuration, disk types, and memory requirements. Any issues that come to light during these pre-checks must be resolved manually by IT administrators before the migration can continue. Only then is replication performed using change block tracking, which ensures that changes are incorporated efficiently and reliably.
Microsoft emphasizes that the tool is not only intended for large enterprises. Thanks to its low infrastructure requirements and short installation time, SMEs can also get started quickly. The extension is available immediately in the public feed of Windows Admin Center. Users must have the v2 GA release.
Microsoft sees the VM Conversion tool as a first step. The company has announced that support for Azure Arc servers will be added in future versions. This should further expand hybrid management capabilities. Microsoft says it is closely aligning the development of the tool with feedback from the user community.