Merge pull request #224335 from cynthn/updates-for-in-place-upgrade

New PR for updates to in-place-upgrades

Author: v-shils

articles/virtual-machines/windows-in-place-upgrade.md

@@ -4,50 +4,34 @@ description: This article describes how to do an in-place upgrade for VMs runnin
 services: virtual-machines
 author: cynthn
 ms.topic: how-to
-ms.date: 01/17/2023
+ms.date: 01/19/2023
 ms.author: cynthn
 
 ---
 
 # In-place upgrade for VMs running Windows Server in Azure
 
-An in-place upgrade allows you to go from an older operating system to a newer one while keeping your settings, server roles, and data intact. This article will teach you how to move your Azure VMs to a later version of Windows Server using an in-place upgrade.
+An in-place upgrade allows you to go from an older operating system to a newer one while keeping your settings, server roles, and data intact. This article will teach you how to move your Azure VMs to a later version of Windows Server using an in-place upgrade. Currently, upgrading to Windows Server 2019 and Windows Server 2022 is supported.
 
 Before you begin an in-place upgrade:
 
 - Review the upgrade requirements for the target operating system:
 
-   - Upgrade options for Windows Server 2019
+   - Upgrade options for Windows Server 2019 from Windows Server 2012 R2 or Windows Server 2016
 
-   - Upgrade options for Windows Server 2022
+   - Upgrade options for Windows Server 2022 from Windows Server 2016 or Windows Server 2019
 
 - Verify the operating system disk has enough [free space to perform the in-place upgrade](/windows-server/get-started/hardware-requirements#storage-controller-and-disk-space-requirements). If additional space is needed [follow these steps](/azure/virtual-machines/windows/expand-os-disk) to expand the operating system disk attached to the VM.  
 
 - Disable antivirus and anti-spyware software and firewalls. These types of software can conflict with the upgrade process. Re-enable antivirus and anti-spyware software and firewalls after the upgrade is completed. 
 
-## Windows versions not yet supported for in-place system upgrades
-For the following versions, consider using the work-around in the next section:
+## Windows versions not yet supported for in-place upgrade
+For the following versions, consider using the [workaround](#workaround) later in this article:
 
 - Windows Server 2012 Datacenter
 - Windows Server 2012 Standard
 - Windows Server 2008 R2 Datacenter
 - Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard
-### Work-around
-To work around this issue, create an Azure VM that's running a supported version. And then either migrate the workload (Method 1, preferred), or download and upgrade the VHD of the VM (Method 2).
-To prevent data loss, back up the Windows 10 VM by using [Azure Backup](../backup/backup-overview.md). Or use a third-party backup solution from [Azure Marketplace Backup & Recovery](https://azuremarketplace.microsoft.com/marketplace/apps?page=1&search=Backup+&exp=ubp8).
-#### Method 1: Deploy a newer system and migrate the workload
-
-Create an Azure VM that runs a supported version of the operating system, and then migrate the workload. To do so, you'll use Windows Server migration tools. For instructions to migrate Windows Server roles and features, see [Install, use, and remove Windows Server migration tools](/previous-versions/windows/it-pro/windows-server-2012-R2-and-2012).
-
-
-#### Method 2: Download and upgrade the VHD
-1. Do an in-place upgrade in a local Hyper-V VM
-   1. [Download the VHD](./windows/download-vhd.md) of the VM.
-   2. Attach the VHD to a local Hyper-V VM.
-   3. Start the VM.
-   4. Run the in-place upgrade.
-2. Upload the VHD to Azure. For more information, see  [Upload a generalized VHD and use it to create new VMs in Azure](./windows/upload-generalized-managed.md).
-
 
 ## Upgrade VM to volume license (KMS server activation) 
 
@@ -68,7 +52,7 @@ We recommend that you create a snapshot of your operating system disk and any da
 
 ## Create upgrade media disk
 
-To perform an in-place upgrade the upgrade media must be attached to the VM as a Managed Disk. To create the upgrade media, use the following PowerShell script with the specific variables configured for the desired upgrade media. The created upgrade media disk can be used to upgrade multiple VMs, but it can only be used to upgrade a single VM at a time. To upgrade multiple VMs simultaneously multiple upgrade disks must be created for each simultaneous upgrade.
+To start an in-place upgrade the upgrade media must be attached to the VM as a Managed Disk. To create the upgrade media, modify the variables in the following PowerShell script for Windows Server 2022. The upgrade media disk can be used to upgrade multiple VMs, but it can only be used to upgrade a single VM at a time. To upgrade multiple VMs simultaneously multiple upgrade disks must be created for each simultaneous upgrade.
 
 | Parameter | Definition |
 |---|---|
@@ -78,38 +62,43 @@ To perform an in-place upgrade the upgrade media must be attached to the VM as a
 | diskName | Name of the Managed Disk that will contain the upgrade media |
 | sku | Windows Server upgrade media version. This must be either:  `server2022Upgrade` or `server2019Upgrade` |
 
-### Script contents
+### PowerShell script 
 
 ```azurepowershell-interactive
 #
 # Customer specific parameters 
-#
+
+# Resource group of the source VM
 $resourceGroup = "WindowsServerUpgrades"
+
+# Location of the source VM
 $location = "WestUS2"
-$diskName = "WindowsServer2022UpgradeDisk"
+
+# Zone of the source VM, if any
 $zone = "" 
 
-#
-# Selection of upgrade target version
-#
+# Disk name for the that will be created
+$diskName = "WindowsServer2022UpgradeDisk"
+
+# Target version for the upgrade - must be either server2022Upgrade or server2019Upgrade
 $sku = "server2022Upgrade"
 
-#
+
 # Common parameters
-#
+
 $publisher = "MicrosoftWindowsServer"
 $offer = "WindowsServerUpgrade"
 $managedDiskSKU = "Standard_LRS"
 
 #
-# Get the latest version of the image
-#
+# Get the latest version of the special (hidden) VM Image from the Azure Marketplace
+
 $versions = Get-AzVMImage -PublisherName $publisher -Location $location -Offer $offer -Skus $sku | sort-object -Descending {[version] $_.Version	}
 $latestString = $versions[0].Version
 
-#
-# Get Image
-#
+
+# Get the special (hidden) VM Image from the Azure Marketplace by version - the image is used to create a disk to upgrade to the new version
+
 
 $image = Get-AzVMImage -Location $location `
                        -PublisherName $publisher `
@@ -214,8 +203,25 @@ Once the upgrade process has completed successfully the following steps should b
 
 - Enable any antivirus, anti-spyware or firewall software that may have been disabled at the start of the upgrade process.
 
-## Recovery from failures 
+## Workaround
+
+For versions of Windows that are not currently supported,  create an Azure VM that's running a supported version. And then either migrate the workload (Method 1, preferred), or download and upgrade the VHD of the VM (Method 2).
+To prevent data loss, back up the Windows 10 VM by using [Azure Backup](../backup/backup-overview.md). Or use a third-party backup solution from [Azure Marketplace Backup & Recovery](https://azuremarketplace.microsoft.com/marketplace/apps?page=1&search=Backup+&exp=ubp8).
+### Method 1: Deploy a newer system and migrate the workload
+
+Create an Azure VM that runs a supported version of the operating system, and then migrate the workload. To do so, you'll use Windows Server migration tools. For instructions to migrate Windows Server roles and features, see [Install, use, and remove Windows Server migration tools](/previous-versions/windows/it-pro/windows-server-2012-R2-and-2012).
+
+
+### Method 2: Download and upgrade the VHD
+1. Do an in-place upgrade in a local Hyper-V VM
+   1. [Download the VHD](./windows/download-vhd.md) of the VM.
+   2. Attach the VHD to a local Hyper-V VM.
+   3. Start the VM.
+   4. Run the in-place upgrade.
+2. Upload the VHD to Azure. For more information, see  [Upload a generalized VHD and use it to create new VMs in Azure](./windows/upload-generalized-managed.md).
+
 
+## Recover from failure
 If the in-place upgrade process failed to complete successfully you can return to the previous version of the VM if snapshots of the operating system disk and data disk(s) were created. To revert the VM to the previous state using snapshots complete the following steps: 
 
 1. Create a new Managed Disk from the OS disk snapshot and each data disk snapshot following the steps in [Create a disk from a snapshot](/virtual-machines/scripts/virtual-machines-powershell-sample-create-managed-disk-from-snapshot) making sure to create the disks in the same Availability Zone as the VM if the VM is in a zone.
@@ -233,4 +239,4 @@ If the in-place upgrade process failed to complete successfully you can return t
 
 ## Next steps
 
-For more information, see [Perform an in-place upgrade of Windows Server](/windows-server/get-started/perform-in-place-upgrade)
+For more information, see [Perform an in-place upgrade of Windows Server](/windows-server/get-started/perform-in-place-upgrade)