Hyper-V Cluster Using Separate Scale-Out File Server Migration
Applies To: Windows Server 2012 R2
This scenario describes how to migrate virtual machines from a Hyper-V cluster by using a separate Scale-out File Server that runs on the Windows Server 2012 operating system to the Windows Server 2012 R2 operating system. In this scenario, you move the virtual machines that runs on a Hyper-V cluster from Windows Server 2012 to a Hyper-V cluster that runs on Windows Server 2012 R2.
Depending on your requirements, you have two main options to move your virtual machines from a Hyper-V cluster that runs on Windows Server 2012 to a Hyper-V cluster that runs on Windows Server 2012 R2. For information about the advantages or disadvantages for each option, see Hyper-V: Migration Options.
Note
Because the Hyper-V cluster and Scale-Out File Server run on separate clusters, you can upgrade each cluster independently of the other. This topic only describes how to move the virtual machines to a new Hyper-V cluster, while the storage remains on the same Scale-out File Server.
Cross-version live migration
With cross-version live migration, you can move a running virtual machine from a server running Hyper-V in Windows Server 2012 to a server running Hyper-V in Windows Server 2012 R2. Cross-version live migration does not support moving a virtual machine to a down-level version of Hyper-V.
Important
To use cross-version live migration, the virtual machine must be removed from the cluster. The virtual machine is then moved to one of the servers in the new cluster. After the virtual machine has successfully moved to the new server, the virtual machine is configured for high availability on the new cluster. During this process, the virtual machine is not highly available.
In this option, you must create a new Windows Server 2012 R2 Hyper-V cluster. You have various options to create the new Hyper-V cluster:
Evict two nodes from the existing cluster and create a new two-node cluster.
Evict one node from the existing cluster and use new hardware to create a new two-node cluster.
Use two new servers to create the new cluster.
Evict one node from the existing cluster and create the new one-node cluster. Until a second node is added, the virtual machines that are moved to the new cluster are not highly available.
Use one new server to create a new cluster with one node. Until a second node is added, the virtual machines that are moved to the new cluster are not highly available.
Now that the Windows Server 2012 R2 Hyper-V cluster is running, you can move the virtual machines that are currently running on one of the nodes to the new cluster.
Important
The folder that Hyper-V uses to store virtual machine data requires specific permissions to access the Server Message Block (SMB) file share. You must ensure that the Hyper-V computer accounts, the SYSTEM account, and all Hyper-V administrators have full control permissions. For more information about deploying Hyper-V over SMB, see Deploy Hyper-V over SMB.
Cross-version live migration scenario
The following migration scenario is based on the following factors:
The following table lists the servers at the start of the migration.
For the old cluster, there are three servers running Hyper-V with eight highly available virtual machines.
A two-node Windows Server 2012 R2 cluster has been prepared and is ready to receive the virtual machines from the server running Hyper-V in Windows Server 2012.
Note
You must enable and configure Hyper-V live migration on all of the servers running Hyper-V.
Name |
Windows Server operating system |
Cluster name |
|---|---|---|
HVSRV1 |
Windows Server 2012 |
HVHA2012 |
HVSRV2 |
Windows Server 2012 |
HVHA2012 |
HVSRV3 |
Windows Server 2012 |
HVHA2012 |
HVR2_1 |
Windows Server 2012 R2 |
HVHAR2 |
HVR2_2 |
Windows Server 2012 R2 |
HVHAR2 |
The following table lists the virtual machines that are currently running on each of the nodes at the start of the migration.
Virtual machine name |
Server running Hyper-V |
|---|---|
Testvm_1 |
HVSRV1 |
Testvm_2 |
HVSRV1 |
Testvm_3 |
HVSRV2 |
Testvm_4 |
HVSRV2 |
Testvm_5 |
HVSRV3 |
Testvm_6 |
HVSRV3 |
The following are the general steps to move the virtual machines from the HVHA2012 cluster to the new HVHAR2 cluster.
Create a new Hyper-V cluster by using a separate Scale-Out File Server.
Move all of the virtual machines from HVSRV1 to HVR2_1.
On the HVHA2012 cluster, remove one virtual machine that runs on HVSRV1. The virtual machine still runs on Hyper-V, but it is no longer highly available.
From the Hyper-V Manager console, move the virtual machine that was removed in step 2a to the HVR2_1 server. Because there is shared storage, you must move only the virtual machine, not the storage.
On the HVHAR2 cluster, add the virtual machine that was moved to HVR2_1 in step 2b to the new cluster. The virtual machine is now highly available.
Repeat steps 2a-2c until all of the virtual machines from HVSRV1 node have been moved to the new R2Cluster cluster.
Evict HVSRV1 from the HVHA2012 cluster.
Install Windows Server 2012 R2 on HVSRV1, and then join the server to the HVHAR2 cluster.
Repeat steps 2-4 for HVSRV2 and HVSRV3.
Note
When you get down to the last two servers in the Windows Server 2012 cluster, if you evict another node, you have a single-node cluster, and the remaining virtual machines are no longer highly available. If there is enough capacity on the new cluster to run the remaining virtual machines, move all of the remaining virtual machines to the new cluster, and then evict the last two servers at the same time.
To create a Windows Server 2012 R2 Hyper-V cluster
Create a new Hyper-V cluster that is connected to the same Scale-out File Server, to which Windows Server 2012 is connected.
Configure live migration on the new servers running Hyper-V and the old servers running Hyper-V.
If Hyper-V replication is enabled, configure the Hyper-V Replica Broker on the new cluster, HVHAR2.
For more information about creating a Hyper-V cluster, see Deploy a Hyper-V Cluster.
Important
The folder that Hyper-V uses to store virtual machine data requires specific permissions to access the SMB file share. You must ensure that the Hyper-V computer accounts, the SYSTEM account, and all Hyper-V administrators have full control permissions. For more information about deploying Hyper-V over SMB, see Deploy Hyper-V over SMB.
To move the virtual machines to the new cluster
On HVSRV1, open the Failover Cluster Manager and select Nodes.
Right-click the HVSRV1 node, and then click Pause and Do Not Drain Roles.
In the information pane for the HVSRV1, select Roles to see the virtual machines on the node.
Right-click the Testvm_1 virtual machine, and then select Remove. The virtual machine is still running but is no longer highly available.
On HVSRV1, open the Hyper-V Manager console.
Right-click the Testvm_1 virtual machine, and then select Move.
On the Choose Move Type page, select Move the virtual machine.
On the Specify Destination Computer page, specify the name or server running Windows Server 2012 R2, HVR2_1. Do not enter the name of the new cluster, HVHAR2.
On the Choose Move Options page, select Move only the virtual machine.
You can also use the Windows PowerShell cmdlet Move-VM. In the following example, a virtual machine test VM was moved to a remote computer NewServer where the virtual machine is stored on an SMB share.
PS C:\> Move-VM –Name "Test VM" –DestinationServer NewServerAfter the move finishes successfully, on HVR2_1, open Hyper-V Manager and confirm that the virtual machine runs correctly.
On HVR2_1, open the Failover Cluster Manager, and then select Roles.
In the Actions pane, select Configure Roles to open the High Availability Wizard.
On the Select Role page, select Virtual Machine.
On the Select Virtual Machine page, select Testvm_1.
The virtual machine is now highly available.
Update the integration services on Testvm_1. Because the virtual machine was never shut down during the migration, you can update the integration services silently without a restart. The update occurs the next time that the virtual machine is restarted during its scheduled maintenance period.
Modify the settings of the virtual machine and specify the following media to be used for the CD/DVD drive, %Systemroot%\System32\Vmguest.iso.
Run the following command from an elevated command prompt in the virtual machine:
For 64-bit Windows Server operating systems, drive:\\Support\Amd64\Setup.exe /quiet /norestart.
For 32-bit Windows Server operating systems, drive:\\Support\X86\Setup.exe /quiet /norestart.
Repeat steps 1 – 11 for all of the virtual machines on HVSRV1.
[Optional] For virtual machines that are moved from a Hyper-V Replica server, you must update the virtual machine replication settings on the Hyper-V primary server to reestablish replication.
Open Failover Cluster Manager on the cluster where the primary virtual machine is running and select Roles.
Select the virtual machine, and then select Settings from the Actions pane.
Select Replication and update the value for the Replica server with the name of the Hyper-V Replica Broker that runs on the new cluster, HVHAR2.
Migrate the old cluster node to the new cluster
After all of the virtual machines from HVSRV1 have been moved to the HVHAR2 cluster, you can evict HVSRV1 from the HVHA201 cluster, install Windows Server 2012 R2, and join the HVHAR2 cluster.
To evict the node from the old cluster
On HVSRV2, open the Failover Cluster Manager and select Nodes.
Select HVSRV1 and confirm that there are no virtual machines that have moved to HVSRV1.
Right-click HVSRV1 to select More Actions, and then select Evict.
To install Windows Server 2012 R2 and join the new Hyper-V cluster
Install Windows Server 2012 R2 on HVSRV1.
Install the Hyper-V role and Failover Clustering feature if a clean installation was performed.
On HVR2_1, open the Failover Cluster Manager, and then select Nodes.
In the Actions pane, select Add Node to open the Add Node Wizard.
Enter the name of the server to be added to the cluster, HVSRV1.
Review the report.
To move the remaining virtual machines
Repeat the following procedures for the HVSRV2 and HVSRV3 servers to complete the migration.
Copy Cluster Roles Wizard
The Copy Cluster Role Wizard helps you copy clustered roles from clusters running Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2012, and Windows Server 2008 R2 to a new cluster running Windows Server 2012 R2. After the virtual machine has been created on the new cluster, to complete the migration, you must shut down each virtual machine on the source cluster before you start the virtual machine on the destination cluster.
You can use the Copy Cluster Roles Wizard to do the following:
Test the Copy Cluster Roles process without affecting production.
Reverse the process if you encounter any issues.
Copy roles on test clusters to production clusters.
The Copy Cluster Role Wizard assumes that storage is reused between the old cluster and the new cluster. The cluster role settings are the only data that is copied.
Before migration of the virtual machines from the old cluster, perform the following actions:
Before running the wizard, you must ensure that the new Windows Server 2012 R2 cluster is configured and is connected to the same storage as the old Hyper-V cluster. For more information about installing a Hyper-V cluster, see Deploy a Hyper-V Cluster.
Before you work with shadow copies, you should back up all volumes that are attached to the virtual machines.
Merge or discard all shadow copies for the volumes that store the virtual machines.
Install the latest updates on all cluster nodes on both clusters.
Important
When you run the Copy Cluster Roles Wizard, the virtual machines are created on the new cluster, but they are not turned on. The virtual machines on the old cluster are still running. After the wizard has finished, you must turn off the virtual machines on the old cluster, and then, on the new cluster, you must start the virtual machines. There is some downtime but its duration should be limited, and you control when the downtime occurs.
To run the Copy Cluster Roles Wizard
You must have local Administrator rights on the new and old cluster to run the Copy Cluster Roles Wizard.
On the new cluster, open Failover Cluster Manager.
Select the top node for the cluster, and click Copy Cluster Roles from the Configure window.
On the Specify Old Cluster page, enter the name of the old cluster.
On the Select Roles page, select the role that you must copy.
On the Customize Virtual Machine Networks page, specify which virtual network switch the virtual machines are to use on the new cluster.
Review the settings and complete the wizard.
Review the Failover Cluster Copy Roles Report for any issues.
The virtual machines are still running on the old cluster, and the virtual machines that are created on the new cluster are off.
To run the virtual machine on new cluster
On the old cluster, open Failover Cluster Manager.
Turn off the virtual machines that have been copied over to the new cluster.
Warning
At no time should a virtual machine be running on both the old cluster and the new cluster. A virtual machine that runs on both the old cluster and the new cluster at the same time might become corrupted. You can run a virtual machine on the old cluster while you migrate it to a new cluster with no problems; the virtual machine on the new cluster is created in a Stopped state. However, to avoid corruption, it is important that you do not turn on the virtual machine on the new cluster until after you stop the virtual machine on the old cluster.
On the new cluster, open Failover Cluster Manager.
Start the virtual machines and verify that the virtual machine runs correctly.
Note
If the migrated cluster is a Hyper-V Replica server, do not start the virtual machines and go to step 6.
Run the necessary application-specific tests to ensure that the application on the virtual machine can provide the same service levels as it provided before the virtual machine was migrated.
Verify that you can connect to the virtual machine by using Remote Desktop or Virtual Machine Connection.
Update integration services on each virtual machine.
[Optional] For virtual machines that were copied from a Hyper-V Replica server, you must remove replication and re-enable replication of the virtual machine on the Hyper-V primary server to reestablish replication.
Open Failover Cluster Manager on the cluster where the primary virtual machine is running and select Roles.
Select the virtual machine whose Replica virtual machine was copied, and in the Actions pane, select Replication, and then select Remove Replication.
Select the virtual machine, and in the Actions pane, select Replication, and then select Enable Replication. This process opens the Enable Replication Wizard.
On the Specify Replica Server page, specify the name of the Hyper-V Replica Broker in the Replica server box.
On the Choose Initial Replication Method page, select Use an existing virtual machine on the Replica server as the initial copy.
[Optional] For virtual machines that are copied from a Hyper-V primary server, you must remove replication from the Replica virtual machine and enable replication on the virtual machine on the Hyper-V primary server to re-establish replication.
Perform the following steps on the Replica virtual machine:
Open Failover Cluster Manager on the cluster where the Replica virtual machine is running and select Roles.
Select the virtual machine whose primary virtual machine was copied, and in the Actions pane, select Replication, and then select Remove Replication.
Perform the following steps on the primary virtual machine:
Open Failover Cluster Manager on the new cluster where the primary virtual machine is running and select Roles.
Select the virtual machine that was just copied, and in the Actions pane, select Replication, and then select Enable Replication. This process opens the Enable Replication Wizard.
On the Specify Replica Server page, specify the name of the Hyper-V Replica Broker in the Replica server box.
On the Choose Initial Replication Method page, select Use an existing virtual machine on the Replica server as the initial copy.
See also
Migrating Clustered Services and Applications to Windows Server 2012