I'm currently running a multi-server setup at my employer's non-production environment. This includes two domain controllers with Entra Connect, an app server handling PKI, NDES, and SCCM, plus a SQL server. I only power these up occasionally to test M365 configurations and simulate different customer scenarios. I'm considering moving this entire setup to my own Azure pay-as-you-go subscription since I'm not incurring any costs right now. Is it possible to migrate everything to my own account, and if so, how would I go about exporting, backing up, or starting over? I anticipate I might reduce the number of servers and only keep the primary domain controller, which is typically sufficient for my testing needs. Additionally, what kind of costs might I incur for server storage?
2 Answers
For your lab setup, it might actually be easier and cheaper to simply rebuild a slimmed-down domain controller in your own pay-as-you-go subscription. Cross-tenant VM moves can be pretty clunky, meaning you'll have to export a virtual hard drive or start from scratch. If you go with a single domain controller on something like a B2s or B1ms instance with Standard SSD, and set it to auto-shutdown when not in use, your costs will stay minimal. Remember, even though compute costs stop when the VM is off, you’ll still pay for disks and public IP addresses. Use the Azure Hybrid Benefit if you have Windows licenses and set up budgets to avoid surprises. When it comes to moving over data, I've found tools like Azure Migrate or Veeam helpful. Just keep things simple and automate your start/stop processes to keep costs down!
You could also consider hosting this setup on Hyper-V on your laptop if you just need a single DC. Why complicate things with Azure, right?
Valid point! I initially thought two DCs were needed but I'm not entirely sure why they'd be necessary. Maybe just have one for such a lab?
That's a good point, but if he's running three VMs, that's a pretty heavy load for a laptop. With Windows Server minimum requirements and management apps, you’re likely looking at needing 6GB of RAM and substantial storage, which could stress most laptops. Plus, would two domain controllers really be necessary in this case?