Hyper-V Windows VM Migration to OCI

The method outlined below allows to create four distinct types of OCI VMs with varying configurations:

• Emulated Launch mode with BIOS (From a Hyper-V Gen1 VM)
• Paravirtualized Launch mode with BIOS (From a Hyper-V Gen1 VM)
• Emulated Launch mode with UEFI (From a Hyper-V Gen2 VM)
• Paravirtualized Launch mode with UEFI (From a Hyper-V Gen2 VM)

This approach provides flexibility in selecting different launch modes and firmware configurations, offering a comprehensive solution for diverse virtual machine setups.

VM Requirements

• Hyper-V VMs in GEN1 (BIOS) (preferred) or GEN2 (UEFI)
• Boot Volume size: <400 GB
• Additional block volumes cannot be imported, the data must be imported separately.
• The VM must not be encrypted.
• Remove ISCSI controllers (if any).
• The boot process must not require additional data volumes to be present for a successful boot.
• The network configuration must not hardcode the MAC address for the network interface.

How to Prepare the Hyper-V VM Before Migration

1. Install VirtIO Drivers and Restart the VM.

Download VirtIO drivers

2. Configure Network and Remote Access

Run the following commands from PowerShell with Admin rights:

Enable DHCP on ETHERNET NIC:

Get-NetAdapter | Where-Object { $_.Status -eq "Up" } | Set-NetIPInterface -Dhcp Enabled
Get-NetAdapter | Where-Object { $_.Status -eq "Up" } | Set-DnsClientServerAddress -ResetServerAddresses
Get-NetAdapter | Where-Object { $_.Status -eq "Up" } | ForEach-Object {Remove-NetRoute -InterfaceIndex $_.ifIndex -DestinationPrefix "0.0.0.0/0" -Confirm:$false}

Enable RDP for the Administrator account:

Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server" -Name "fDenyTSConnections" -Value 0
Enable-NetFirewallRule -DisplayGroup "Remote Desktop"
Add-LocalGroupMember -Group "Remote Desktop Users" -Member "Administrator"

(Replace "Administrator" with the correct Admin name if needed)

Disable "Require computers to use Network Level Authentication to connect"

Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server\WinStations\RDP-Tcp" -Name "UserAuthentication" -Value 0

Create a Windows Firewall rule to allow inbound RDP (TCP 3389):

New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Allow RDP from Any" -Direction Inbound -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 3389 -Action Allow -RemoteAddress Any -Profile Any

Disable Windows Firewall (or any local Firewall):

Set-NetFirewallProfile -Profile Domain,Public,Private -Enabled false

Determine whether the current Windows license type is a volume license

Get-CimInstance -ClassName SoftwareLicensingProduct | where {$_.PartialProductKey} | select ProductKeyChannel

If the license is not a volume license, after you import the image, you will update the license type.

Export the VM

1. Convert the VHDX to QCOW2 from a third-party instance (e.g., the Hyper-V server)

Install Pacman on Windows:

Download Pacman installer

Install QEMU from Pacman:

pacman -S mingw-w64-x86_64-qemu

Convert VHDX to QCOW2 using CMD:

c:\msys64\mingw64\bin\qemu-img.exe convert -f vhdx -O qcow2 ..\SOURCE_DISK.vhdx ..\DESTINATION_DISK.qcow2

2. Upload the .qcow2 file to an OCI Object Storage bucket.

Using the OCI Console

Storage > Object Storage & Archive Storage > Buckets > bucket_name > Upload	

Using the OCI CLI

oci os object put -bn <destination_bucket_name> --file <path_to_the_VMDK_or_QCOW2_file>

Create a Custom Image

Compute > Custom images > Import image	

• Create a custom image from the uploaded .qcow2 located in the bucket:

  • Operating System: Windows
  • Operating System Version: Server 2022 Standard (use the correct edition)
  • Import from an Object Storage bucket
  • Image Type: QCOW2
  • Launch Mode: Emulated Mode

• Edit the custom image capabilities after provisioning:

  • Preferred firmware: Use BIOS (if GEN1), use UEFI (if GEN2).
  • Preferred launch mode: EMULATED (Preferred) or PARAVIRTUALIZED (Provisioning may take longer, ~10-15 min).
  • AMD SEV: Disabled
  • Secure Boot: Disabled
  • Preferred network attachment type: PARAVIRTUALIZED
  • Preferred boot volume type: PARAVIRTUALIZED
  • Preferred local data volume type: PARAVIRTUALIZED
  • Preferred remote data volume type: PARAVIRTUALIZED

Create the Instance

• Create the instance from the Custom Image:
  • Specify the custom boot volume size:
    • USE THE MINIMUM DISK SIZE INDICATED UNDER "BOOT VOLUME SIZE (GB)", e.g., 127 GB.
    • DO NOT USE THE DEFAULT SIZE (50GB).

After the Migration

• Once you have successfully verified RDP connectivity to the VM:
  • Backup the VM
  • Enable the local firewall and configure Windows Defender or a third-party firewall:

Set-NetFirewallProfile -Profile Domain,Public,Private -Enabled true

Additional Information

• Oracle Cloud Infrastructure - Importing a Custom Windows Image