Azure Migrate Skill

This skill provides expert guidance for Azure Migrate. Covers troubleshooting, best practices, decision making, architecture & design patterns, limits & quotas, security, configuration, integrations & coding patterns, and deployment. It combines local quick-reference content with remote documentation fetching capabilities.

How to Use This Skill

IMPORTANT for Agent: Use the Category Index below to locate relevant sections. For categories with line ranges (e.g., L35-L120), use read_file with the specified lines. For categories with file links (e.g., [security.md](security.md)), use read_file on the linked reference file

IMPORTANT for Agent: If metadata.generated_at is more than 3 months old, suggest the user pull the latest version from the repository. If mcp_microsoftdocs tools are not available, suggest the user install it: Installation Guide

This skill requires network access to fetch documentation content:

• Preferred: Use mcp_microsoftdocs:microsoft_docs_fetch with query string from=learn-agent-skill. Returns Markdown.
• Fallback: Use fetch_webpage with query string from=learn-agent-skill&accept=text/markdown. Returns Markdown.

Category Index

Category	Lines	Description
Troubleshooting	L37-L54	Diagnosing and fixing Azure Migrate issues: appliance setup, discovery/assessment errors, replication and migration failures, connectivity, performance, OS upgrade, and web app migration problems.
Best Practices	L55-L65	Best practices for preparing on-prem/VMware/legacy Windows workloads and PostgreSQL for Azure migration, securing the Azure Migrate appliance, and running/validating test VM migrations.
Decision Making	L66-L104	Guidance for assessing migration readiness, sizing, costs, and wave plans, plus choosing services, tools, and cutover strategies for moving workloads from on-prem, AWS, GCP, and VMware to Azure.
Architecture & Design Patterns	L105-L110	Architecture and data flow for Azure Migrate using Arc-based discovery and Hyper-V, including components, connectivity, prerequisites, and how discovery/inventory works.
Limits & Quotas	L111-L124	Azure Migrate region support, appliances, and platform support/limits for VMware, Hyper‑V, and physical servers, including capacity, prerequisites, and assessment/migration support matrices.
Security	L125-L140	Securing Azure Migrate: least-privilege roles/accounts, Private Link discovery/migration, encrypted VM moves, Trusted Launch, RBAC, and Entra ID app registration.
Configuration	L141-L170	Configuring Azure Migrate projects, appliances, assessments, dependencies, Arc/agents, networking, and Resource Mover settings for server, SQL, .NET/Java, and PostgreSQL migrations
Integrations & Coding Patterns	L171-L178	Code-level integration patterns: using AppCAT CLI, CAST Highlight, GitHub Copilot insights, and Site Recovery REST APIs to assess and automate VMware-to-Azure app migrations.
Deployment	L179-L186	Planning and executing migration waves, setting up Azure DevOps pipelines for containers, and checking support/matrix for cross-region moves of VMs and Azure SQL with Resource Mover

Troubleshooting

Topic	URL
Diagnose and troubleshoot Azure Migrate appliance	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/troubleshoot-appliance-diagnostic?view=migrate
Troubleshoot Azure Migrate appliance deployment problems	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/troubleshoot-appliance?view=migrate
FAQ for troubleshooting Azure Migrate assessments	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/troubleshoot-assessment-faq?view=migrate
Troubleshooting scenarios for Azure Migrate assessments	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/troubleshoot-assessment-supported-scenarios?view=migrate
Resolve common Azure Migrate assessment issues	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/troubleshoot-assessment?view=migrate
Fix replication failures in agentless VMware migration	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/troubleshoot-changed-block-tracking-replication?view=migrate
Troubleshoot Azure Migrate dependency analysis issues	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/troubleshoot-dependencies?view=migrate
Troubleshoot Azure Migrate server and SQL discovery	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/troubleshoot-discovery?view=migrate
Troubleshoot common Azure Migrate service issues	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/troubleshoot-general?view=migrate
Troubleshoot Azure Migrate private endpoint connectivity	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/troubleshoot-network-connectivity?view=migrate
Troubleshoot Azure Migrate project creation issues	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/troubleshoot-project?view=migrate
Troubleshoot slow or stuck VMware agentless migration	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/troubleshoot-replication-vmware?view=migrate
Troubleshoot Windows OS upgrade in Azure Migrate	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/troubleshoot-upgrade?view=migrate
Troubleshoot Azure Migrate web app migration issues	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/troubleshoot-webapps-migration?view=migrate

Best Practices

Topic	URL
Apply PostgreSQL assessment rules for Azure migration	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/assessment-rules-for-postgresql?view=migrate
Apply security best practices to Azure Migrate appliance	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/best-practices-security?view=migrate
Best practices for test migrations of virtual machines	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/how-to-test-replicating-virtual-machines?view=migrate
Use Azure Migrate hydration process for VM configuration	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/hydration-process?view=migrate
Prepare VMware VMs for agentless migration to Azure	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/prepare-for-agentless-migration?view=migrate
Prepare on-premises machines for Azure migration	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/prepare-for-migration?view=migrate
Prepare Windows Server 2003 workloads for Azure migration	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/prepare-windows-server-2003-migration?view=migrate

Decision Making

Topic	URL
Interpret AppCAT 7 reports for Java migration readiness	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/appcat/appcat-7-interpret-report?view=migrate
Use AppCAT 7 to assess Java apps for Azure	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/appcat/java?view=migrate
Interpret Azure Migrate assessment report outputs	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/assessment-report?view=migrate
Interpret Azure Migrate business case calculations	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/concepts-business-case-calculation?view=migrate
Evaluate performance coverage in Azure Migrate	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/confidence-ratings?view=migrate
Choose the right Azure Migrate discovery method	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/discovery-methods-modes?view=migrate
Use Azure Migrate to build a migration business case	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/how-to-build-a-business-case?view=migrate
Build high-fidelity Azure migration execution plans	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/how-to-complete-wave-plan?view=migrate
Plan VMware-to-Azure migrations with Copilot agent	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/how-to-plan-analyze-migration-with-agent?view=migrate
Create migration waves for Azure Migrate projects	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/how-to-plan-create-waves?view=migrate
Plan migration waves with Azure Migrate Wave Planning	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/overview?view=migrate
Evaluate readiness and savings for Arc-enabled servers	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/quickstart-evaluate-readiness-savings-for-arc-resources?view=migrate
Interpret Azure VM assessment results in Azure Migrate	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/review-assessment?view=migrate
Review Azure VMware Solution assessment outputs	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/review-azure-vmware-solution-assessment?view=migrate
Interpret SQL migration assessments in Azure Migrate	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/review-sql-assessment?view=migrate
Review web app assessment insights for Azure migration	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/review-web-app-assessment?view=migrate
Choose agentless vs agent-based migration in Azure Migrate	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/server-migrate-overview?view=migrate
Choose performance vs as-is sizing in assessments	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/target-right-sizing?view=migrate
Review PostgreSQL assessment results in Azure Migrate	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/tutorial-review-postgresql-report?view=migrate
Choose Azure compute equivalents for AWS workloads	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migration/migrate-compute-from-aws
Select Azure database services for AWS migrations	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migration/migrate-databases-from-aws
Plan migration of GCP databases to Azure	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migration/migrate-databases-from-google-cloud
Select Azure services when migrating from AWS	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migration/migrate-from-aws
Map GCP services to Azure for full workload migration	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migration/migrate-from-google-cloud
Plan on-premises workload migration paths to Azure	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migration/migrate-from-on-premises
Map AWS networking services to Azure networking	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migration/migrate-networking-from-aws
Replatform AWS security services to Microsoft Azure	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migration/migrate-security-from-aws
Plan Azure storage targets for AWS storage migration	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migration/migrate-storage-from-aws
Decommission AWS resources after Azure migration	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migration/migrate-workload-from-aws-decommission
Evaluate workload health after AWS to Azure migration	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migration/migrate-workload-from-aws-evaluate
Execute AWS to Azure workload cutover safely	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migration/migrate-workload-from-aws-execute
End-to-end guidance for migrating one AWS workload	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migration/migrate-workload-from-aws-introduction
Plan an AWS to Azure workload migration	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migration/migrate-workload-from-aws-plan
Prepare AWS workloads and Azure environment for migration	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migration/migrate-workload-from-aws-prepare
Choose tools for moving Azure resources across regions	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/resource-mover/select-options-to-move-resources

Architecture & Design Patterns

Topic	URL
Understand Arc-based discovery architecture in Azure Migrate	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/concepts-arc-resource-discovery?view=migrate
Understand Hyper-V migration architecture in Azure Migrate	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/hyper-v-migration-architecture?view=migrate

Limits & Quotas

Topic	URL
Use Azure Migrate in unsupported regions	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/azure-migrate-unsupported-regions?view=migrate
Scale-out Azure Migrate appliance capacity limits	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/how-to-scale-out-for-migration?view=migrate
Review Azure Migrate appliance prerequisites and support	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/migrate-appliance?view=migrate
Hyper-V to Azure migration support matrix	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/migrate-support-matrix-hyper-v-migration?view=migrate
Review Hyper-V assessment support in Azure Migrate	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/migrate-support-matrix-hyper-v?view=migrate
Review physical server discovery support in Azure Migrate	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/migrate-support-matrix-physical?view=migrate
Check VMware vSphere migration support and limits in Azure Migrate	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/migrate-support-matrix-vmware-migration?view=migrate
Check VMware discovery support matrix for Azure Migrate	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/migrate-support-matrix-vmware?view=migrate
Review Azure Migrate support matrix and limitations	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/migrate-support-matrix?view=migrate
Check Azure Migrate supported geographies and regions	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/supported-geographies?view=migrate

Security

Topic	URL
Configure least-privilege VMware roles for Azure Migrate	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/best-practices-least-privileged-account?view=migrate
Configure Azure Migrate discovery over Private Link	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/discover-and-assess-using-private-endpoints?view=migrate
Discover and assess servers via Azure Private Link	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/discover-and-assess-using-private-endpoints?view=migrate
Migrate VMware VMs with SSE and customer-managed keys	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/how-to-migrate-vmware-vms-with-cmk-disks?view=migrate
Register Azure Migrate appliance using Entra ID app	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/how-to-register-appliance-using-entra-app?view=migrate
Create minimal-permission SQL account for Azure Migrate	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/least-privilege-credentials?view=migrate
Migrate Hyper-V servers using Private Link endpoints	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/migrate-hyper-v-servers-to-azure-using-private-link?view=migrate
Migrate Gen2 VMs to Azure Trusted Launch securely	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/migrate-to-trusted-launch-virtual-machines-with-azure-migrate?view=migrate
Configure least-privilege PostgreSQL account for Azure Migrate	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/postgresql-least-privilege-configuration?view=migrate
Configure Azure RBAC roles for Azure Migrate projects	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/prepare-azure-accounts?view=migrate
Scope VMware discovery using vCenter permissions	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/set-discovery-scope?view=migrate
Move encrypted Azure VMs between regions with Resource Mover	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/resource-mover/tutorial-move-region-encrypted-virtual-machines

Configuration

Topic	URL
Configure server credentials on Azure Migrate appliance	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/add-server-credentials?view=migrate
Develop custom YAML rules for AppCAT 7	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/appcat/appcat-7-rule-guide?view=migrate
Configure AppCAT for .NET application migration assessments	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/appcat/dotnet?view=migrate
Use legacy AppCAT Java tool to assess migration readiness	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/appcat/java-6?view=migrate
Meet Azure Migrate assessment prerequisites and settings	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/assessment-prerequisites?view=migrate
Configure general assessment properties in Azure Migrate	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/assessment-properties?view=migrate
Migrate dependency analysis from MMA to Azure Monitor Agent	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/azure-monitor-agent-migration?view=migrate
Set up Azure Migrate appliance in Azure Government	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/deploy-appliance-script-government?view=migrate
Deploy Azure Migrate appliance via PowerShell script	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/deploy-appliance-script?view=migrate
Understand Azure Migrate discovered metadata fields	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/discovered-metadata?view=migrate
Enable Azure Arc for servers discovered by Azure Migrate	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/how-to-arc-enable-inventory?view=migrate
Configure agentless dependency analysis in Azure Migrate	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/how-to-create-group-machine-dependencies-agentless?view=migrate
Configure agent-based dependency analysis in Azure Migrate	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/how-to-create-group-machine-dependencies?view=migrate
Discover SQL Server instances in existing Migrate projects	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/how-to-discover-sql-existing-project?view=migrate
Enable extra data collection on Arc-enabled servers	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/how-to-enable-additional-data-collection-for-arc-servers?view=migrate
Manage Arc resource synchronization in Azure Migrate projects	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/how-to-manage-arc-resource-sync?view=migrate
Configure Azure Migrate appliance for physical servers	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/how-to-set-up-appliance-physical?view=migrate
Configure in-place Windows Server OS upgrade during migration	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/how-to-upgrade-windows?view=migrate
Use Azure Migrate over Private Link with private endpoints	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/how-to-use-azure-migrate-with-private-endpoints?view=migrate
Reference for Azure Migrate Collector VM extension settings	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/migrate-virtual-machine-extension-reference?view=migrate
Use built-in Azure Policy definitions for Azure Migrate	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/policy-reference?view=migrate
Configure PostgreSQL assessment properties in Azure Migrate	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/postgresql-assessment-properties?view=migrate
Create Azure Migrate project using ARM template	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/quickstart-create-migrate-project?view=migrate
Set Azure VM assessment properties in Azure Migrate	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/vm-assessment-properties?view=migrate
Manage resources created during VM move with Resource Mover	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/resource-mover/manage-resources-created-move-process
Configure destination settings for VM moves with Resource Mover	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/resource-mover/modify-target-settings

Integrations & Coding Patterns

Topic	URL
Add GitHub Copilot code insights to web app assessments	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/add-copilot-code-insights?view=migrate
Use AppCAT 7 CLI commands for Java assessments	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/appcat/appcat-7-cli-guide?view=migrate
Integrate CAST Highlight code scans with Azure Migrate	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/cast-highlights-integration?view=migrate
Automate VMware to Azure migration with Site Recovery REST API	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/how-to-automate-vmware-to-azure-migration-rest-api?view=migrate

Deployment

Topic	URL
Execute and track migration waves in Azure Migrate	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/how-to-execute-track-waves?view=migrate
Configure Azure DevOps pipelines for containerized apps	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/tutorial-app-containerization-azure-pipeline?view=migrate
Supported extension resource types in Azure Resource Mover	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/resource-mover/support-matrix-extension-resource-types
Check Azure VM regional move support with Resource Mover	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/resource-mover/support-matrix-move-region-azure-vm
Support matrix for moving Azure SQL resources between regions	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/resource-mover/support-matrix-move-region-sql