Challenge 2: Deploy Appliance

Challenge 2: Deploy Azure Migrate Appliance

Challenge Snapshot

Field	Value
Duration	75 minutes
Type	Hands-on Lab
Points	25
Deliverable	Registered Azure Migrate appliance with discovery started

Objective

Deploy and configure the Azure Migrate appliance in your ArcBox environment to discover on-premises workloads.

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The Business Challenge

Your assessment strategy from Challenge 1 requires actual data from the environment. Contoso Bakery needs you to:

1. Set up the Azure Migrate project
2. Deploy the discovery appliance
3. Configure credentials for all server types
4. Start discovering workloads

This is where planning meets reality — let’s see what’s actually running!

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Prerequisites

Before starting this challenge, ensure:

• You completed the Azure 101 pre-work
• You can access the Azure portal
• Your facilitator has confirmed ArcBox is deployed and ready
• You have the ArcBox VM credentials (see ArcBox Environment)

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Your Tasks

Part A: Create Azure Migrate Project (15 min)

1. Navigate to Azure Migrate in the Azure portal

2. Select Servers, databases and web apps

3. Click Create project

   Setting	Value
   Subscription	Your workshop subscription
   Resource group	Create new: rg-migrate-[teamname]
   Project name	migrate-contoso-[teamname]
   Geography	Select your region

4. Click Create

5. After creation, click Discover in the Azure Migrate dashboard

6. Configure discovery settings:

   Setting	Value
   Are your servers virtualized?	Yes, with Hyper-V
   Appliance name	appliance-[teamname] (max 14 chars)

7. Click Generate key

   ⚠️ Watch out: Copy this key and save it — you’ll need it for registration!

✅ Verify:

• Azure Migrate project created
• Project key generated and saved

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Part B: Download and Import Appliance VHD (25 min)

1. In the Azure Migrate portal, locate Step 2: Download Azure Migrate appliance

2. Click Download to get the VHD file (~8-10 GB)

   💡 Tip: While downloading, proceed to connect to your ArcBox environment

3. Connect to ArcBox-Client VM:

   • Use the RDP connection details from your facilitator
   • Or use Azure Bastion if configured

4. Once connected to ArcBox-Client, open Hyper-V Manager

5. Import the Azure Migrate appliance:

   a. Actions → Import Virtual Machine

   b. Locate Folder: Browse to the extracted VHD folder

   c. Select Virtual Machine: Choose the appliance

   d. Choose Import Type: Select “Copy the virtual machine (create a new unique ID)”

   e. Configure Networking: Select the external virtual switch

   f. Click Finish

6. Start the appliance VM:

   • Right-click the imported VM → Start
   • Right-click → Connect to open console

7. Initial VM Configuration:

   • Accept license terms
   • Set language and keyboard
   • Set administrator password (document this!)

✅ Verify:

• VHD downloaded
• Appliance imported into Hyper-V
• Appliance VM running

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Part C: Configure and Register Appliance (20 min)

1. Access the Appliance Configuration Manager:

   • From any machine that can reach the appliance
   • Open browser to: https://<appliance-IP>:44368
   • Accept the certificate warning

2. Set up prerequisites:

   The appliance will check:

   • ✅ Internet connectivity
   • ✅ Time sync
   • ✅ Latest updates

3. Register with Azure Migrate:

   a. Paste the project key you saved earlier

   b. Click Login

   c. Click Copy code & Login

   d. In the new browser tab, paste the device code

   e. Sign in with your Azure credentials

   f. Return to the configuration manager

   g. Verify: “Successfully registered”

✅ Verify:

• Appliance configuration manager accessible
• Prerequisites passed
• Appliance registered with Azure

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Part D: Add Discovery Credentials (15 min)

1. Add Hyper-V Host Credentials:

   In Step 1: Provide Hyper-V host credentials:

   Setting	Value
   Friendly name	ArcBoxAdmin
   Username	Administrator credentials from facilitator
   Password	Password from facilitator

2. Add Hyper-V Host:

   In Step 2: Provide Hyper-V host/cluster details:

   • Click Add discovery source
   • Enter the Hyper-V host IP/FQDN (ArcBox-Client)
   • Select the ArcBoxAdmin credentials
   • Click Save
   • Wait for validation: “Validation successful”

3. Add Server Credentials (for deeper discovery):

   In Step 3: Provide server credentials:

   Type	Friendly Name	Username	Purpose
   Windows	WindowsAdmin	Administrator	Win2K22, Win2K25, SQL
   Linux	LinuxAdmin	arcbox	Ubuntu VMs
   SQL Server	SQLAdmin	sa (if applicable)	SQL instance discovery

   💡 Tip: Get exact credentials from ArcBox Environment

✅ Verify:

• Hyper-V host credentials added
• Hyper-V host validated successfully
• Server credentials added (Windows, Linux)

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Part E: Start Discovery (15 min)

1. Click Start discovery

2. Monitor the discovery status in the table

3. Expected timeline:

   • Server metadata: ~2 minutes per host
   • Full software inventory: Up to 1 hour
   • SQL discovery: Up to 24 hours (you’ll see partial results)

4. While waiting, return to Azure portal:

   • Navigate to Azure Migrate → Servers, databases and web apps
   • Click on the discovered servers count (may take 5-10 minutes to appear)
   • You should eventually see 5 VMs:
     • ArcBox-Win2K22
     • ArcBox-Win2K25
     • ArcBox-SQL
     • ArcBox-Ubuntu-01
     • ArcBox-Ubuntu-02

✅ Verify:

• Discovery started successfully
• Servers beginning to appear in Azure portal

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Expected Deliverables

By the end of this challenge, your team should provide:

1. ✅ Azure Migrate project and generated key
2. ✅ Registered appliance with validated discovery sources
3. ✅ Discovery started with ArcBox servers appearing in Azure

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Success Criteria (25 Points)

Criterion	Points	Verification
Azure Migrate project created	5	Project visible in portal
Appliance registered	5	Shows “Registered” status
Credentials configured	5	Hyper-V + Windows + Linux
Discovery started	5	No errors, discovery running
5 VMs discovered	5	All 5 ArcBox VMs visible in portal
Total	25

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⚠️ Watch out

Issue	Solution
VHD download slow	Check with facilitator for local copy
Appliance won’t start	Verify enough RAM (16 GB) on Hyper-V host
Can’t access config manager	Check network connectivity, firewall port 44368
Host validation fails	Verify WinRM port 5985 is open
Registration fails	Ensure you have Application Developer role in Microsoft Entra ID
Discovery stuck	Check credentials have local admin on Hyper-V host

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💡 Tip

• Work in parallel — One person downloads VHD while another creates the Migrate project
• Document everything — Save passwords and IPs, you’ll need them later
• Don’t wait for full discovery — Initial server discovery is fast, deeper analysis takes longer
• Check the appliance logs — If issues occur, logs are at C:\ProgramData\Microsoft Azure\Logs

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⚠️ Watch out

• Validate appliance networking and WinRM early to avoid late discovery failures.
• Keep project key and credentials secure and accessible to the team.

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What Just Happened?

You deployed the Azure Migrate appliance, which:

1. Connected to your Hyper-V host via WinRM
2. Discovered VMs by querying Hyper-V management interfaces
3. Collected metadata — VM names, OS, CPU, memory, disks
4. Sent data to Azure — Securely via HTTPS to your Migrate project

This is exactly how real migrations begin — with discovery!

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Reflection Questions

• What would happen if discovery credentials were wrong?
• How does agentless discovery differ from agent-based?
• Why does full software inventory take longer than server metadata?

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Next Step

⏸️ Break for Lunch — Discovery will continue running.

After lunch, verify your discovered servers and proceed to Challenge 3: Assessment.