Migrating Servers and Workloads
Core concepts
Migration covers assessment, planning, and execution. Know Storage Migration Service (SMS) for file servers, including inventory, transfer, and cutover. Understand Azure Migrate for discovery and assessment, and Azure Site Recovery or Azure Migrate for server migration. Know how to migrate roles: DHCP (export/import with netsh), DNS (zones and AD-integrated replication), file shares (SMS or robocopy with permissions), and Hyper-V (export/import, live migration, or Storage Migration Service). Understand IP addressing changes, DNS updates, and trust relationships.
Traps to watch
SMS transfers data and permissions but cutover changes IP addresses and names; plan DNS and firewall changes. Robocopy /COPYALL preserves ACLs but not share permissions; share permissions must be recreated. DHCP migration requires exporting the configuration and authorizing the new server in AD. DNS zone transfer depends on replication scope and allow-transfer settings. Azure Migrate assessment is not migration; ASR replicates. Do not forget to decommission and revoke old credentials.
Worked example
A file server with 2 TB of data must move with minimal downtime. Rule of thumb: use Storage Migration Service to inventory, transfer, and validate, then perform cutover during a window. SMS can transfer to a new server or Azure, and cutover updates the source name and IP so clients reconnect. Validate share permissions separately because SMS handles file ACLs.
Exam approach
Identify the workload type first, then the matching tool. Check whether the requirement is assessment, replication, or cutover.