This article describes how to move one or more virtual machines (VMs) from one dedicated desktop assignment to another. The migration process preserves the name, configuration, and user data of each VM and copies the original user entitlements from the source to the target assignment. The VM migration feature is supported for Horizon Cloud pods in Microsoft Azure in a Single-Pod Broker environment.

Attention: As described in Tour of the Cloud-Based Horizon Universal Console, the console is dynamic and reflects features that are appropriate for the up-to-the-minute configuration of your tenant environment. Access to features described in this documentation can depend on factors including, and not limited to:
  • Whether the feature depends on system code available only in the latest Horizon Cloud pod manifest, Horizon pod version, or Horizon Cloud Connector version.
  • Whether access to the feature is in Limited Availability, as stated in the Release Notes at the feature's debut.
  • Whether the feature requires specific licensing or SKUs.

When you see mention of a feature in this documentation and you do not see that feature in the console, first check the Release Notes to see if the feature's access is limited and the way you can request enablement in your tenant. Alternatively, when you believe you are entitled to use a feature that is described in this documentation and you do not see it in the console, you can ask your VMware Horizon Cloud Service representative or, if you do not have a representative, you can file a service request (SR) to the Horizon Cloud Service team as described in How to file a Support Request in Customer Connect (VMware KB 2006985).

Introducing the VM Migration Feature

The migration feature allows you to move VMs from a source assignment to a target assignment, preserving the name, configuration, user data, and user entitlements of each VM. Both the source and target must be dedicated desktop assignments. You can migrate up to 50 VMs at once in a single migration operation. The Activity page in the Horizon Universal Console lets you monitor the status of the migration tasks in progress.

To support the migration, the VMs must meet the requirements described in the "Prerequisites" section later in this article. If a VM fails to meet all the requirements, the migration will not proceed.

During the migration process, no write operations can be performed on the source and target assignments. Examples of write operations include changing the configuration of an assignment or powering off and powering on a VM.

The migration process typically takes from 15 to 30 minutes to complete but can take longer depending on the number of VMs involved.

Understanding Migration Outcomes and Rectification

A VM consists of multiple resources residing in an Azure resource group. To complete the migration successfully, all the resources associated with the VM must move to the applicable resource group of the target assignment. If some of the VM's resources move to the target but others remain behind in the source assignment, that VM is considered to be partially migrated.

Therefore, a migration can result in one of the following outcomes:

  • Successful - All the Azure resources associated with all the VMs have successfully moved to the target resource.
  • Error - The operation failed and none of the VMs were migrated.
  • Partially Successful - The operation resulted in one of the following scenarios:
    • Some of the VMs were successfully migrated but other VMs failed.
    • At least one VM was only partially migrated. A partially migrated VM is one that has some of its Azure resources still remaining in the source assignment.

In the case of a partially successful migration, you can use the Rectify operation on applicable VMs to finish the migration tasks that were left incomplete. The Rectify operation finds the Azure resources of the VM that still remain in the source assignment and moves them to the target assignment.

Prerequisites

To support the migration of VMs between desktop assignments, your system environment must meet the following requirements:

  • Both the source and target assignments must be dedicated desktop assignments.
  • Both the source and target assignments must reside in the same Horizon Cloud pod in Microsoft Azure.
  • At the minimum, the pod must be running the pod manifest version that first became available with the VMware Horizon Cloud Service v2111 release.
  • All users are logged out from all sessions on both the source and target assignments.
  • No tasks are running on any of the VMs in either the source or target assignment.
  • The VMs must be domain-joined and have the same domain, OU, and graphics settings as the target assignment.

Procedure

  1. In the Horizon Universal Console, navigate to the page that lists the dedicated VDI desktop assignments provisioned by Horizon Cloud pods in Microsoft Azure.
  2. In the assignments page, click the name of the source assignment containing the VMs that you want to migrate. Then click the Desktops tab.

    The Desktops page lists the VMs that belong to the source assignment.

  3. Select one or more VMs in the list and then select More > Migrate VM(s).

    A dialog box appears with controls for specifying the migration options.

  4. In the Assignment Name text box, start entering the name of the target assignment to which you want to move the selected VMs. Then select the target assignment from the drop-down menu of eligible assignments that appears.
  5. Click Migrate to initiate the migration.

    The console displays an alert message confirming that the migration request has been submitted.

    During the migration, you cannot make any configuration changes to the source and target assignments or perform any actions on the VMs.

  6. To monitor the status of the migration tasks, navigate to Monitor > Activity > Admins.

    Each row in the activity list monitors the status of a migration task as it applies across all the affected VMs collectively.

    The migration tasks typically take from 15 to 30 minutes to complete but can take longer depending on the number of VMs you have selected.

  7. To view the migration results, return to the assignments page. Select the target assignment in the list, click the Desktops tab, and verify that all the selected VMs appear in the list with ready status.
    Note: If the selected VMs do not all appear under the target assignment with ready status, the migration might have failed with an error or succeeded only partially. Indications of a partially successful migration can include:
    • Selected VMs are missing from the target assignment or appear with an error status.
    • Selected VMs still appear under the source assignment.

    To remedy a partially successful or failed migration, continue to the next step.

  8. If the migration was not fully successful, try one of the following remedies.
    • If the migration failed with an error, go back to step 3 of this procedure and repeat the migration attempt.
    • If the migration succeeded partially, select any eligible VMs that appear in the target assignment with an error status and select More > Rectify. Then navigate to the source assignment, select any eligible VMs that appear there with an error status, and select More > Rectify.