VMware to AWS & Hyper-V to AWS

VMware to AWS:

There are hundreds of tools and services to help you migrate applications and data. Below are some of the most popular options:

VM Import/Export:

1. VM Import/Export service uses the AWS CLI, AWS Tools for PowerShell, the EC2 API or SDK’s and other tools, i.e. it is command line based not available through the console. 
2. It can be used to import (or export) on-premises VM images. VM images of various formats can be imported (VMDK, OVA, etc.) Importing VMware images to the cloud can be used for backup/disaster recovery, the creation of a repository, or to run your systems and retain all of the build and configuration work done in VMware as EC2 instances

AWS Server Migration Service:

AWS Server Migration Service (SMS) is a more polished service built for large scale (i.e., thousands) of on-premise migrations to AWS. You can automate, schedule and monitor volume replications and also have access through the AWS console GUI

Hyper-V to AWS:

Migrate Hyper-V VMs to AWS with AWS Server Migration Service:

• Migrate virtual machines running in on-premises virtualization stacks from both Microsoft Hyper-V and VMware ESX/ESXi environments
• Server Migration Service is an agentless service that makes it easier to migrate thousands of on-premises workloads to AWS
• Allows you to automate, schedule, and track incremental replications of live server volumes, making it easier for you to coordinate large-scale server migrations
• Automating incremental replication, Server Migration Service helps you speed up your migration process and reduce the operational cost of migration

Important things that you will need to do to prepare to migrate Hyper-V virtual machines to AWS:

• Licensing:

One of the first things that you will need to consider before migrating your Hyper-V virtual machines to AWS is how your VM will be licensed in the cloud

• Checking the minimum requirements:

Amazon’s Server Migration Service has some inherent limitations, and not all Hyper-V virtual machines can be migrated. As such, you will need to check to make sure that the VM meets a number of requirements

• Operating system support:

Amazon supports the migration of VMs running Windows Server 2003 and above, with the caveat that Nano Server deployments are not supported

• Remote Desktop Services:

Probably the single most common mistake made when migrating Hyper-V VMs to AWS is forgetting about the need for the Remote Desktop Services (RDS). Once a VM has been moved to the cloud, you will only be able to access the VM’s desktop using an RDP connection