Plan the in-place upgradePerforming an in-place upgrade of a virtual machine (VM) instance that is running an earlier version of Windows Server can be a pragmatic way to modernize your infrastructure and to mitigate the risks of approaching the end of the support lifecycle of Windows Server versions. Show
Alternatives to considerBefore you decide to use an in-place upgrade to migrate to a newer version of Windows Server, be aware of the following limitations:
Depending on the workload running on your Windows Server instance, you can reduce downtime and risk by pursuing different approaches.
Product keysA Windows Server product key is valid for only a specific version; when you perform an upgrade to a later version of Windows Server, you must supply a new product key. There are two primary scenarios:
Installation mediaTo perform the upgrade, you need an installation media. There are two primary scenarios:
Other prerequisitesBefore you begin your upgrade, review the Microsoft documentation about prerequisites and potential limitations for the version of Windows Server you are planning to upgrade to: Verify
that your VM instance meets the system requirements for Windows Server 2012 and has
sufficient free disk space. Review
recommendations for upgrading server roles,
known issues, and the
upgrade process for Windows Server 2012 R2. Review the
recommendations for planning an in-place upgrade. Verify that you aren't affected by
features removed or deprecated in Windows Server 2012 R2. Verify that any of your custom or third-party software is compatible with Windows Server 2012 R2. Verify that your VM instance meets the system requirements for Windows Server 2016 and has
sufficient free disk space. Review the
server role upgrade and migration matrix for Windows Server 2016 and
application compatibility table Verify that you aren't affected by
features removed or planned for replacement in Windows Server 2016. Verify that any of your custom or third-party software is compatible with Windows Server 2016. Verify that your VM instance meets the system requirements for Windows Server 2019 and has
sufficient free disk space. Review the
Windows Server 2019 and Microsoft Server application compatibility list. Verify that you aren't affected by
features removed or planned for replacement in Windows Server 2019. Verify that any of your custom or third-party software is compatible with Windows Server 2019. Perform the in-place upgradeThe following sections guide you through the process of upgrading your VM instance. Create a snapshotBefore you start the upgrade, we recommend that you create a snapshot of your VM instance, so that you can revert to a safe state in case anything goes wrong:
Prepare your Windows Server configurationVerify the configuration of your Windows Server VM instance:
Attach the install mediaBefore you can perform the upgrade, attach the necessary installation media to the VM instance. The right media to use depends on your scenario:
To attach the volume license installation media provided by Google, follow these steps:
If you are upgrading a VM instance that is based on an imported disk or image, attach the custom installation media as an additional disk:
Start the upgradeBy default, Windows Setup prompts you for input at various points during an upgrade. Because you can't connect to the VM instance by using RDP during the upgrade and therefore can't provide any input, run the upgrade in unattended mode.
Observe the upgrade processDepending on the machine type of your VM instance and your Windows Server configuration, the upgrade might take between 10 and 60 minutes to complete. During that time, you can observe the status through the serial port output:
Perform post-upgrade stepsYou can now connect to the VM instance to verify that the upgrade has been successfully completed.
Detach the installation diskYou can now detach the installation disk from the VM instance:
Install updates and restore accessAfter the upgrade is complete, run Windows Update to download and install any security updates. To install the security updates, follow these steps:
Troubleshoot the in-place upgradeWhile running Windows Setup, you can't connect to the VM instance with RDP. If you suspect that the upgrade failed or is not progressing, use the following approaches, in order, to diagnose the situation: Check the serial port outputTo check the progress of the upgrade process, view the serial port output of the VM instance:
During the upgrade, you should observe four reboots. If you don't observe any progress for more than 30 minutes after the first reboot, it is likely that the upgrade failed. Check CPU and I/O metricsRunning a Windows Server upgrade is a CPU and disk I/O intensive operation. By checking the CPU and I/O metrics, you can get an indication for whether the setup is progressing. View the CPU and I/O metrics in the Google Cloud console:
Connect to the Emergency Management Services consoleBoth during and after running Windows Setup, you can connect to the Emergency Management Services (EMS) console. Using the EMS console, check the Windows Setup log files and the event log for indications that the upgrade is still progressing or for information about any errors that might have occurred. Connect remotely by using WinRMIf connecting by using RDP or EMS fails, you can try using WinRM to establish a remote PowerShell session:
Analyze log files offlineIf you can't connect to the instance by using Windows Remote Management (WinRM), you can cancel the upgrade and analyze the log files from a different VM instance. To do this, follow these steps:
Troubleshoot RDPFor information about troubleshooting RDP, see Troubleshooting RDP. Troubleshoot your Windows Server instancesFor information about troubleshooting your Windows Server instances, see Tips and troubleshooting for Windows instances. Which type of scaling involves replacing an existing server with another that has more capabilities?Vertical scaling refers to adding more or faster CPUs, memory, or I/O resources to an existing server, or replacing one server with a more powerful server.
What type of scaling includes adding additional servers to an existing pool?Horizontal scaling (aka scaling out) refers to adding additional nodes or machines to your infrastructure to cope with new demands. If you are hosting an application on a server and find that it no longer has the capacity or capabilities to handle traffic, adding a server may be your solution.
What type of cloud data set measures object metrics to determine normal operations?Baselines collect data and provide trend analysis and capacity utilization information measured over time to determine average or expected metrics of a service in normal operation.
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