> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.plenit.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.plenit.com/docs-en/productos/migrations/how-to/como-migrar-servidores-windows-on-premise-a-plenit.md).
# How to Migrate On-premise Windows Servers to Plenit
To migrate a Windows physical machine to Plenit, you can generate a VHD of its disk with **Disk2vhd**, the SysInternals utility (Mark Russinovich, 2009) that creates a virtual hard disk from a running physical machine.
The flow has three steps: you prepare the import in the platform, map the migration SFTP as a drive, and generate the VHD with Disk2vhd directly to that drive, so it is uploaded to Plenit without intermediate steps.
> 👍 What you get
>
> The import prepared in Plenit and the VHD from your Windows physical server generated with Disk2vhd and uploaded to the SFTP, ready to deploy the destination server.
### Before you start
* Log in to the Plenit platform.
* Have access to the section **Migrations** within **Cloud Services**.
* Have a physical machine with **Windows** from which to migrate.
> 📘 Windows Server 2012: defragment first
>
> Unlike 2016 onward, Windows Server 2012 does not defragment itself. Do it before migrating so the image does not end up larger than necessary and the transfer does not take longer.
### Step 1. Prepare the migration in Plenit
In **Cloud Services → Migrations**, click **New migration** to open the wizard. If you have already migrated before, this screen also shows the history.
#### 1.1 Service and source type
Select **Servers** as the service to migrate and, as the server type, **Physical**.
{/\* 📸 CAPTURE 1 · wizard · Servers service and Physical type \*/}
#### 1.2 Disk format and delivery method
Select **VHD – Disk Conversion** as the format and **copy via FTP** as the delivery method. Indicate the **name of the disk to import** (the one the system will expect when the data is uploaded) and the **Display name** (the name it will be identified by in the console). Click **Next**.
{/\* 📸 CAPTURE 2 · wizard · VHD-Disk Conversion format, copy via FTP and disk names \*/}
#### 1.3 Organization, subscription and deployment
Indicate the **organization**, the **subscription** and the **availability zone** where to deploy. If you do not have a subscription, you can create it here. To the question **Do you want to deploy a new server with the imported disks?**, the usual thing is **Yes**.
{/\* 📸 CAPTURE 3 · wizard · organization, subscription, zone and deploy option \*/}
#### 1.4 Destination server
If you chose to deploy, indicate the **server name** (spaces are allowed), the **operating system**, the **sizing** (CPU and RAM) and the **network type** (standard or VPC; the most common is standard). Click **Finish**.
{/\* 📸 CAPTURE 4 · wizard · destination server configuration \*/}
#### 1.5 SFTP connection data
When finished, Plenit shows the status (**preparing transfer** and then, **waiting for transfer**) and the **FTP connection data**: server, user and password. Save them: you will need them in Step 2.
{/\* 📸 CAPTURE 5 · migration summary with FTP connection data \*/}
### Step 2. Map Plenit SFTP as a drive
For a large image, it is advisable to generate the VHD directly onto the Plenit SFTP instead of saving it locally first. In this guide, **SFTP Drive** from NSoftware is used, but any similar tool will do.
#### 2.1 Install SFTP Drive
Download it from NSoftware (the download requires registering an email address) and install it with administrator privileges. During installation, use the same email and a name for the registration. It is advisable to restart when finished, although it may work without doing so.
{/\* 📸 CAPTURE 6 · SFTP Drive installation/registration \*/}
#### 2.2 Create the mapped drive
Open SFTP Drive and click **New** to create the drive with the SFTP data from Step 1:
* **Drive Name**: connection name (this is how it appears in Windows Explorer).
* **Drive Letter**: the drive letter (if you do not specify one, it is assigned automatically).
* **Remote Host**: the SFTP server address.
* **Remote Port**: `22`.
* **Username / Password**: the credentials provided by Plenit.
* **Remote Folder**: leave **User's home folder** (default path, the folder `uploads`).
Click **Test SSH Connection** and, if everything goes well, **OK**. Check in Windows Explorer that the drive appears mapped.
> 📘 Accept the SSH keys if prompted
>
> When connecting, prompts may appear asking you to accept the SSH keys. Accept them: they are part of the key exchange that establishes the secure connection.
{/\* 📸 CAPTURE 7 · SFTP Drive · connection data and Test SSH Connection \*/}
### Step 3. Generate the copy with Disk2vhd
#### 3.1 Download and run Disk2vhd
Download Disk2vhd from the project's official page on Microsoft (the full SysInternals suite or just Disk2vhd). Unzip it and run it as administrator. There are two versions depending on the architecture: `disk2vhd` for x86 and `disk2vhd64` for x64.
{/\* 📸 CAPTURE 8 · Disk2vhd · download from the Microsoft / SysInternals website \*/}
#### 3.2 Select the volumes and the output
In the Disk2vhd interface:
* **VHD File name**: specify the path and the name of the file to generate. It must be on an external or additional disk (never one of the ones you are going to copy) and with enough space for the VHD. Here you can point directly to the **mapped drive with SFTP Drive** from Step 2, so the disk is written to Plenit as it is being generated.
* **Volumes to include**: mark only the partitions you are going to migrate, keeping an eye on the size. Do not mark the server's additional disks: those are migrated by repeating the process for each one.
* In the side options, check **Use Volume Shadow Copy** and leave the other two unchecked.
Click **Create**.
> 📘 Why Volume Shadow Copy
>
> With Volume Shadow Copy, Disk2vhd creates a consistent image of the machine even while it is running. That is what allows you to migrate without stopping the source server.
{/\* 📸 CAPTURE 9 · Disk2vhd · selected volumes, Use Volume Shadow Copy and output path on the mapped drive \*/}
The process time depends on the size of the source disk, the power of the machine and, if you write to the mapped drive, the network speed.
When finished, you will have the VHD. Then return to the **Migrations** menu and follow the guided process that the tool asks you to complete the import.
### Conclusion
The advantage of Disk2vhd over cloning a disk cold is that it uses Volume Shadow Copy: it generates a consistent image of the physical server without stopping it. And if you point the output directly to the mapped SFTP drive, the VHD is written to Plenit as it is created, without the detour of saving it locally and uploading it again.
Just keep two things in mind: that the file name matches the disk to import that you declared in the wizard, and, on Windows Server 2012, defragment first so you do not end up with a heavier image than necessary.
---
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