I'm currently experimenting with migrating several virtual machines from Azure to Proxmox. I've used Acronis to back up and restore the VMs, and everything seems to be running well. However, I've hit a snag with licensing: since the VMs are no longer on Azure, the Datacenter Azure Edition license is showing an error. I'm wondering if anyone has figured out how to convert or "downgrade" this license to the standard Windows Server 2022 Datacenter edition. Has anyone been successful with this? Also, what happens if I leave the Azure Edition license active while the VMs are on Proxmox and I can't change it?
4 Answers
The license keys for Azure VMs are special KMS keys designed specifically for Azure usage, which is why you're seeing that error after moving your VM. If it's been migrated out of Azure, that key is no longer valid and you'll need to purchase a standard license separately.
Just to clarify, are you moving your VMs from Azure to an on-prem Proxmox setup? I’m curious about the benefits, like cost savings? Sorry I can’t provide more help—I’m currently studying for az104, but this situation caught my interest.
As others have mentioned, you can't downgrade from Datacenter to Standard. The licensing structure only allows you to upgrade, not the other way around. You might just have to bite the bullet and set up a new VM with a valid license.
Unfortunately, it's not possible to downgrade from Datacenter to Standard. The only option is to create a new VM with a regular Server 2022 image and set that up the right way. It's a hassle, but it’s the only workaround.
I ran into a similar issue, and when I tried to use the `Get-TargetEditions` command, it showed no available options. Even trying to input a product key for Datacenter or Standard resulted in an error. It can be quite frustrating.