Migration software
Veeam Backup & Replication
Suggested in 4 of our migration playbooks, mainly for Servers and cloud. Here is what it handles, how it treats key settings, and other tools for the same jobs.
What it handles
The limits of the built-in tools that Veeam Backup & Replication gets around, as covered in our playbooks.
VMware alternatives after Broadcom
- Confirm backup support before the first production VM movesIncluded from version 12.2. Adds Proxmox VE hosts to the backup infrastructure for VM backup and restore.
- Confirm backup support before the first production VM movesRestores backups of VMware vSphere VMs created by Veeam as Proxmox VE VMs.
- Confirm backup support before the first production VM movesRecovers backups of VMware vSphere VMs as Hyper-V VMs from the Backup & Replication console, at reduced performance until moved to production storage.
- Windows Admin Center VM Conversion is a previewInstant Recovery to Microsoft Hyper-V starts VMs from Veeam backups as Hyper-V VMs within minutes, at reduced performance until they are moved to production storage. Veeam lists migration between environments as a use case.
- Your backup product may not support the new hypervisor, or may need a new agent, proxy or licence.Included from version 12.2. Adds Proxmox VE hosts for VM backup and restore.
- Your backup product may not support the new hypervisor, or may need a new agent, proxy or licence.Restores Veeam backups of VMware VMs as Proxmox VE VMs.
- Your backup product may not support the new hypervisor, or may need a new agent, proxy or licence.Recovers Veeam backups of VMware VMs as Hyper-V VMs, at reduced performance until moved to production storage.
- Windows Admin Center VM Conversion is an unsupported preview, moves up to 10 VMs at a time and pauses if the browser session closes.Instant Recovery starts VMs from Veeam backups as Hyper-V VMs within minutes.
VMware to AWS migration with AWS Transform MGN
- Staging resources keep costing until you finaliseRestores VM backups as EC2 instances, and Veeam lists migrating on-premises workloads to the cloud as a use case. Shut down the source and take a final backup before the restore.
- MGN: every server still replicating keeps replication servers and staging EBS disks running in your AWS account, billed as normal EC2 and EBS use.For servers that can take an outage: restores VM backups as EC2 instances with no replication running in AWS. Take a final backup after shutting down the source.
VMware to Hyper-V migration
- Treat Windows Admin Center VM Conversion as a previewInstant Recovery to Microsoft Hyper-V starts VMs from Veeam backups as Hyper-V VMs within minutes, at reduced performance until they are moved to production storage. Veeam lists migration between environments as a use case.
- Remove snapshots and check for vSAN firstBack up the VM from vSAN (Veeam documents virtual appliance mode for VMs on vSAN), then use Instant Recovery to Microsoft Hyper-V.
- Plan the downtime per toolInstant Recovery to Microsoft Hyper-V runs the VM from the backup within minutes, at reduced performance. Changes after the last backup are not included, so shut down the source and run a final incremental first.
- Neither Microsoft tool (VM Conversion or VMM) converts VMs on vSAN or with snapshots.Backs up the VM from vSAN, then Instant Recovery to Microsoft Hyper-V starts it as a Hyper-V VM.
- VM Conversion is a preview with no Microsoft support obligation.Instant Recovery starts VMs from Veeam backups as Hyper-V VMs within minutes, at reduced performance until moved to production storage.
- VMM keeps the VM powered off while it copies every disk, so large VMs have long outages.Runs the VM on Hyper-V from its backup within minutes. Shut down the source and run a final incremental backup first.
VMware to Proxmox VE migration
- Remove snapshots, encryption and vSAN placement firstRestore to Proxmox VE accepts backups of VMware vSphere VMs created by Veeam, and Veeam documents virtual appliance mode for backing up VMs on vSAN. Needs version 12.2 or later with the Proxmox VE plug-in. Snapshot and encryption limits of the import wizard do not apply, but test an encrypted VM before relying on it.
- Confirm your backup product before decommissioning VMwareIncluded from version 12.2. Adds Proxmox VE hosts to the backup infrastructure for VM backup and restore.
- Your VMware backup jobs stop protecting a VM the moment it moves.Included from version 12.2. Protects VMware and Proxmox VE VMs from one backup server during the move.
- The Proxmox import wizard cannot import vSAN-backed or encrypted disks, and is much slower with snapshots.Restores Veeam backups of vSphere VMs, including VMs on vSAN, as Proxmox VE VMs. Needs version 12.2 or later with the Proxmox VE plug-in. Test an encrypted VM first.
How it handles key settings
From the settings checklists in our playbooks: what Veeam Backup & Replication carries across.
| Setting | How it handles it | Playbook |
|---|---|---|
| VMs on vSAN | Backs up VMs on vSAN, then restores them as Proxmox VE VMs (version 12.2 or later with the Proxmox VE plug-in) or starts them on Hyper-V with Instant Recovery. | VMware alternatives after Broadcom |
| Snapshots on the source VMs | Not stated in Veeam's documentation: test it in your pilot. | VMware alternatives after Broadcom |
| Boot type: BIOS or UEFI | Not stated in Veeam's documentation: test it in your pilot. | VMware alternatives after Broadcom |
| Virtual TPM and BitLocker | Not stated in Veeam's documentation: test it in your pilot. | VMware alternatives after Broadcom |
| Drivers in the guest | Not stated in Veeam's documentation: test it in your pilot. | VMware alternatives after Broadcom |
| VMware Tools | Not stated in Veeam's documentation: test it in your pilot. | VMware alternatives after Broadcom |
| Network, MAC and IP addresses | Not stated in Veeam's documentation: test it in your pilot. | VMware alternatives after Broadcom |
| Disk format and storage | Not stated in Veeam's documentation: test it in your pilot. | VMware alternatives after Broadcom |
| Downtime and how many VMs at once | Instant Recovery starts a VM on Hyper-V from its backup within minutes. Changes after the last backup are not included. | VMware alternatives after Broadcom |
| Backup on the new platform | Included from version 12.2. Adds Proxmox VE hosts for VM backup and restore. | VMware alternatives after Broadcom |
| Which disks replicate | Not stated in Veeam's documentation: test it in your pilot. | VMware to AWS migration with AWS Transform MGN |
| VMware snapshots | Not stated in Veeam's documentation: test it in your pilot. | VMware to AWS migration with AWS Transform MGN |
| Drivers and changes made to the server | Not stated in Veeam's documentation: test it in your pilot. | VMware to AWS migration with AWS Transform MGN |
| VMware Tools and on-premises agents | Not stated in Veeam's documentation: test it in your pilot. | VMware to AWS migration with AWS Transform MGN |
| Boot type: BIOS or UEFI | Not stated in Veeam's documentation: test it in your pilot. | VMware to AWS migration with AWS Transform MGN |
| Instance size | Not stated in Veeam's documentation: test it in your pilot. | VMware to AWS migration with AWS Transform MGN |
| IP addresses, subnets and DNS | Not stated in Veeam's documentation: test it in your pilot. | VMware to AWS migration with AWS Transform MGN |
| Replication, test launches and cutover | Restores VM backups as EC2 instances with no replication running in AWS. Changes after the last backup are not included, so shut down the source and take a final backup first. | VMware to AWS migration with AWS Transform MGN |
| Snapshots on the source VM | Not stated in Veeam's documentation: test it in your pilot. | VMware to Hyper-V migration |
| VMs stored on vSAN | Backs up VMs on vSAN (Veeam documents virtual appliance mode for this), then Instant Recovery to Microsoft Hyper-V starts the backup as a Hyper-V VM. | VMware to Hyper-V migration |
| Disk format and storage space | Instant Recovery runs the VM from the backup at reduced performance until you migrate it to production storage. The disk format it writes: not stated in Veeam's documentation: test it in your pilot. | VMware to Hyper-V migration |
| Disk controllers and data disks | Not stated in Veeam's documentation: test it in your pilot. | VMware to Hyper-V migration |
| Boot type: BIOS or UEFI, Secure Boot and virtual TPM | Not stated in Veeam's documentation: test it in your pilot. | VMware to Hyper-V migration |
| Drivers in Linux guests | Not stated in Veeam's documentation: test it in your pilot. | VMware to Hyper-V migration |
| VMware Tools | Not stated in Veeam's documentation: test it in your pilot. | VMware to Hyper-V migration |
| IP addresses, VLANs and network adapters | Not stated in Veeam's documentation: test it in your pilot. | VMware to Hyper-V migration |
| MAC address, BIOS GUID and hardware-locked licences | Not stated in Veeam's documentation: test it in your pilot. | VMware to Hyper-V migration |
| Memory and processor settings | Not stated in Veeam's documentation: test it in your pilot. | VMware to Hyper-V migration |
| Downtime, final sync and how many VMs at once | Instant Recovery starts the VM from its backup within minutes, at reduced performance until moved to production storage. Changes after the last backup are not included, so shut down the source and run a final incremental backup first. | VMware to Hyper-V migration |
| Source VM and rollback | The Veeam backups taken on VMware remain a restore point, and the same product backs up Hyper-V VMs after the move. | VMware to Hyper-V migration |
| Snapshots on the source VM | Not stated in Veeam's documentation: test it in your pilot. | VMware to Proxmox VE migration |
| vSAN and encrypted disks | Restores Veeam backups of vSphere VMs, including VMs on vSAN, as Proxmox VE VMs, from version 12.2 with the Proxmox VE plug-in. Encrypted VMs: not stated in Veeam's documentation: test it in your pilot. | VMware to Proxmox VE migration |
| Target storage and disk format | Not stated in Veeam's documentation: test it in your pilot. | VMware to Proxmox VE migration |
| Disk bus for Windows VMs | Not stated in Veeam's documentation: test it in your pilot. | VMware to Proxmox VE migration |
| Drivers and guest tools | Not stated in Veeam's documentation: test it in your pilot. | VMware to Proxmox VE migration |
| Boot firmware: BIOS or UEFI | Not stated in Veeam's documentation: test it in your pilot. | VMware to Proxmox VE migration |
| Virtual TPM and BitLocker | Not stated in Veeam's documentation: test it in your pilot. | VMware to Proxmox VE migration |
| Network, VLANs, MAC and IP addresses | Not stated in Veeam's documentation: test it in your pilot. | VMware to Proxmox VE migration |
| CPU type | Not stated in Veeam's documentation: test it in your pilot. | VMware to Proxmox VE migration |
| Import speed and how many at once | Not stated in Veeam's documentation: test it in your pilot. | VMware to Proxmox VE migration |
| Downtime: normal import, live import or attach-disk | Restores from a backup, so changes after that backup are not included. Shut the source down and take a final backup first. | VMware to Proxmox VE migration |
| Backup on Proxmox VE | Included from version 12.2. Protects VMware and Proxmox VE VMs from one backup server during the move. | VMware to Proxmox VE migration |
Tools for the same jobs
Other tools our playbooks suggest for the same migrations.
We write these notes from the vendor documentation cited in each playbook. Tools cannot pay to be included or to change them. Check the vendor's current documentation and terms before you buy.