For each target VM, you can configure the VM to use Azure Managed Disks or to use Azure Storage Accounts and unmanaged disks.
Azure Managed Disks is an Azure service that provides replicas of your data to help ensure persistence of your data and high tolerance against failures. Azure automatically creates and manages the placement of the disks in the target Azure location. You do not need to specify a storage account or location in a storage account. The specified Cloud Instance Size for the target VM determines how many data disks you can attach to the VM and the type of storage you can use to host the managed disks. The Azure Managed Disks setting applies to all disks for the target VM.
Using Azure Managed Disks is optional. It is enabled by default in keeping with Azure default VM settings.
NOTE:
To verify the availability in the target Azure location of Managed Disks service, refer to the Microsoft Azure Products Available by Region.
For information about disk types, sizes, and performance characteristics for Azure Manage Disks, refer to Introduction to Azure Managed Disks in Microsoft Azure Documentation.
Azure automatically and transparently provides Azure Storage Service Encryption for all storage, including Azure Managed Disks.
PlateSpin Migrate does not support configuration of Azure Disk Encryption for the target workload.
Azure Disk Encryption provides OS-based encryption for OS and data volumes at rest by using BitLocker for Windows VMs or DM-Crypt for Linux VMs. After the cutover is complete, you can use Azure tools to enable Azure Disk Encryption for the cutover workload.
When you configure migrations to Azure, specify one of the following storage types for hosting the managed disks for the target VM:
Standard HDD (hard disk drives)
Standard SSD (solid state drives)
Premium SSD
A storage type of Standard HDD allows you to choose Cloud Instance Sizes with HDD or SSD storage, whereas Standard SSD and Premium SSD are restricted to Cloud Instance Sizes that support the appropriate level of SSD storage. For information about disk performance characteristics, refer to What Disk Types Are Available in Azure? in the Microsoft Azure Documentation.
You can optionally use Azure Managed Disks in combination with a predefined Azure Availability Set that has been configured to use managed disks.
If you do not use Managed Disks for a VM, the VM disks are unmanaged. The VM disks will use the Azure page blob type of general-purpose storage, which can run on HDD (Standard) or SSD (Premium) storage media. You can use Azure General Purpose Storage V1 or V2, according to your needs.
If you plan to use unmanaged disks, you must create at least one Azure Storage account in the specified Subscription for the target Azure platform. For information about Azure Storage Accounts, refer to Introduction to Azure Storage in Microsoft Azure documentation.
NOTE:A Standard Storage Account can be used for Azure VM sizes that use HDD or SSD storage media. A Premium Storage Account can be used only for Azure VM sizes that use SSD storage media.
If no Azure Storage Account is associated with a subscription, PlateSpin Migrate sets up a Standard general-purpose storage account to use as the datastore for the target VM. The datastore name is based on the Azure Resource Group for the Subscription.
For information, see Azure Page Blobs (unmanaged disks) in Microsoft Azure Documentation.