What Windows Server Software is Supported?
All Microsoft software that’s installed in the Azure virtual machine environment must be licensed correctly. By default, Azure virtual machines include a license for many common products including Windows Server (selected roles and features), Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft SQL Server, and Microsoft SharePoint Server. The Microsoft server software support for Microsoft Azure virtual machines page lists the current supported products and versions.
Notice that although Azure virtual machines are based on Windows Server Hyper-V not all Hyper-V features are supported. For example, Multipath I/O and Network Load Balancing are not currently supported. Also, certain Azure virtual machine offerings may include additional Microsoft software on a per-hour or evaluation basis. Licenses for other software must be obtained separately.
What Linux Software is supported?
Azure supports many Linux distributions and versions including CentOS by OpenLogic, Core OS, Debian, Oracle Linux, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, and Ubuntu. For more detailed information, you can see: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-machines/linux/endorsed-distros#supported-distributions–versions.
Are your virtual machines ready to move to the cloud?
- The Azure Virtual Machine Readiness Assessment tool will automatically inspect your on-premises environment, whether it is physical or virtualized, and provide you with a check list and detailed report on steps you need to take to move your environment to the cloud.
- The Microsoft Azure Virtual Machine Optimization Assessment provides prioritized recommendations across six focus areas to optimize your experience while running in Azure. After a short questionnaire, automated data collection and analysis, a custom report is generated. The report includes an executive summary, key and detail recommendations which provide a high level view across the focus areas to help you manage, prioritize, and implement the recommendations.
| Note | Microsoft does not support an upgrade of the Windows operating system of a Microsoft Azure virtual machine. Instead, you should create a new Azure virtual machine that is running the supported version of the operating system that is required and then migrate the workload.
Linux endorsed distributions supports an upgrade of the operating system of a Microsoft Azure virtual machine in case of full open source license. If licensed Linux distribution is used, then follow partner-specific rules to upgrade (BYOL or other). |
For more information, you can see:
Linux Virtual Machines: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-machines/linux/
Mai Ali's Technical Blog 