AZ-305 Design Migrations
May 5, 2025•1346 words•7 min read•
certification
azure
AI summarised
Azure Recommendations to Design Migrations
Below are the recommended Azure solutions to design migrations as aligned with the AZ-305 exam objectives.
Design Migrations for Azure Infrastructure Solutions (AZ-305)
1. Evaluate a Migration Solution Using the Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework (CAF)
The Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework (CAF) provides a structured approach to migration, ensuring alignment with business outcomes and technical best practices. Key phases include:
- Assess: Use Azure Migrate to discover and evaluate on-premises servers, databases, and applications. CAF assessments (e.g., Strategic Migration Assessment and Readiness) identify gaps in skills, processes, and tools12.
- Plan: Prioritize workloads using the 5 Rs (Rehost, Refactor, Rearchitect, Rebuild, Replace). For example:
- Rehost (IaaS): Lift-and-shift VMs to Azure Virtual Machines.
- Refactor (PaaS): Migrate apps to Azure App Service or Azure SQL Database.
- Migrate: Use Azure Migrate, Azure Database Migration Service (DMS), or Azure Data Box for offline data transfers34.
- Govern: Enforce policies with Azure Policy and monitor with Azure Monitor.
2. Evaluate On-Premises Servers, Data, and Applications
Azure Migrate: Discovery and Assessment evaluates readiness for Azure:
Server Readiness Criteria
| Property | Azure Readiness Status | Key Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Boot Type | Not Ready if UEFI + legacy OS | UEFI supported for Windows Server 2012+5. |
| Cores | Ready if ≤ 128 cores | Performance-based scaling with comfort factor. |
| RAM | Ready if ≤ 3,892 GB | Utilized RAM multiplied by comfort factor. |
| OS Compatibility | Conditionally Ready for EOL OS | Upgrade Windows Server 2003/2008, non-endorsed Linux5. |
| Security Readiness | Ready for Defender for Servers | ≥2 vCores, 4 GB RAM, supported OS5. |
Applications:
- Use Azure App Service Migration Assistant for web apps.
- For dependencies, enable Azure Migrate Dependency Analysis6.
3. Recommend Workload Migration to IaaS/PaaS
| Workload Type | IaaS Recommendation | PaaS Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Legacy Apps | Azure VMs (VMSS for scalability) | N/A |
| Web Apps | N/A | Azure App Service (auto-scaling) |
| Databases | SQL Server on Azure VMs | Azure SQL Database (managed) |
| Microservices | AKS (Kubernetes) | Azure Container Apps (serverless) |
Key Tools:
- IaaS: Azure Migrate for VM replication, Azure Site Recovery (ASR) for DR6.
- PaaS: Azure App Service, Azure Functions (serverless), Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS).
4. Recommend Database Migration Solutions
Azure Database Migration Service (DMS) supports:
- Offline Migration: Use the Azure SQL Migration Extension for Azure Data Studio for SQL Server to Azure SQL DB74.
- Near-Zero Downtime: Transactional Replication for SQL Server, syncing changes until cutover7.
- Managed Instances: For full SQL Server compatibility, migrate to Azure SQL Managed Instance.
Steps:
- Assess: Run Azure Migrate SQL Assessment to identify compatibility issues8.
- Migrate: Use DMS for homogeneous (SQL-to-SQL) or heterogeneous (Oracle-to-SQL) migrations4.
5. Recommend Unstructured Data Migration Solutions
Azure Data Box and Azure Storage Mover are optimal for large-scale transfers:
- Offline Migration:
- Azure Data Box: Securely transfer petabytes via self-encrypting drives. Supports multi-region transfers and cross-tier storage (Hot/Cool/Archive)3.
- Online Migration:
- Azure Storage Mover: Sync delta changes after initial Data Box transfer3.
- Azure Blob Storage: Target for unstructured data (images, logs) with lifecycle management.
Best Practices:
- Use Azure File Sync for hybrid file shares (on-premises ↔ Azure Files).
- For NAS migrations, use Data Dynamics StorageX (sponsored by Azure File Migration Program)9.
Summary Table
| Requirement | Azure Solution | Key Tools/Features |
|---|---|---|
| CAF-Aligned Migration | Azure Migrate + CAF assessments | Strategic Migration Assessment, Dependency Analysis12 |
| Server/App Evaluation | Azure Migrate: Discovery and Assessment | OS compatibility checks, security readiness510 |
| IaaS/PaaS Workload Migration | Azure VMs (VMSS), Azure App Service, AKS | ASR for DR, auto-scaling6 |
| Database Migration | Azure SQL DB/Managed Instance + DMS | Transactional replication, near-zero downtime74 |
| Unstructured Data Migration | Azure Data Box + Storage Mover | Self-encrypting drives, delta sync39 |
By aligning with these recommendations, you ensure secure, efficient migrations while meeting AZ-305 exam objectives and Azure best practices.
Summarised with Perplexity.
Footnotes
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cloud-adoption-framework/ ↩ ↩2
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cloud-adoption-framework/migrate/ ↩ ↩2
- https://www.infoq.com/news/2024/08/azure-data-box-new-capabilities/ ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4
- https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/products/database-migration ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/concepts-assessment-calculation ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/migrate-services-overview ↩ ↩2 ↩3
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/data-migration/sql-server/database/guide ↩ ↩2 ↩3
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/concepts-azure-sql-assessment-calculation ↩
- https://www.datadynamicsinc.com/blog-how-does-microsoft-azure-ensure-secured-data-migration-to-the-cloud/ ↩ ↩2
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/migrate/tutorial-assess-physical?view=migrate-classic ↩