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--- title: Prepare source machines to install the Mobility Service through push installation for disaster recovery of VMware VMs and physical servers to Azure description: Learn how to prepare your server to install Mobility agent through push installation for disaster recovery of VMware VMs and physical servers to Azure using the Azure Site Recovery service. author: Jeronika-MS ms.service: azure-site-recovery ms.topic: how-to ms.author: v-gajeronika ms.reviewer: v-gajeronika ms.date: 02/13/2026 ms.custom: engagement-fy23, linux-related-content # Customer intent: As an IT administrator preparing for disaster recovery, I want to install the Mobility Service through push installation on VMware VMs and physical servers, so that I can ensure data protection and continuity in Azure during a disaster event. --- # Prepare source machine for push installation of mobility agent > [!CAUTION] > This article references CentOS, a Linux distribution that is end of life (EOL). Consider your use and plan accordingly. For more information, see the [CentOS End Of Life guidance](/azure/virtual-machines/workloads/centos/centos-end-of-life). When you set up disaster recovery for VMware VMs and physical servers by using [Azure Site Recovery](site-recovery-overview.md), install the [Site Recovery Mobility service](vmware-physical-mobility-service-overview.md) on each on-premises VMware VM and physical server. The Mobility service captures data writes on the machine and forwards them to the Site Recovery process server. ## Install on Windows machine On each Windows machine you want to protect, complete the following: 1. Ensure that the machine has network connectivity to the process server. If you didn't set up a separate process server, the configuration server runs the process server by default. 1. Create an account that the process server can use to access the computer. The account needs administrator rights, either local or domain. Use this account only for the push installation and for agent updates. 1. If you don't use a domain account, disable Remote User Access control on the local computer as follows: - Under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System registry key, add a new DWORD: **LocalAccountTokenFilterPolicy**. Set the value to **1**. - To do this step at a command prompt, run the following command: ``` REG ADD HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v LocalAccountTokenFilterPolicy /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f ``` 1. In Windows Firewall on the machine you want to protect, select **Allow an app or feature through Firewall**. Enable **File and Printer Sharing** and **Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI)**. For computers that belong to a domain, you can configure the firewall settings by using a Group Policy object (GPO). :::image type="content" source="./media/vmware-azure-install-mobility-service/mobility1.png" alt-text="Firewall settings."::: 1. Add the account that you created in CSPSConfigtool. To do this, sign in to your configuration server. 1. Open **cspsconfigtool.exe**. It's available as a shortcut on the desktop and in the %ProgramData%\ASR\home\svsystems\bin folder. 1. On the **Manage Accounts** tab, select **Add Account**. 1. Add the account you created. 1. Enter the credentials you use when you enable replication for a computer. ## Install on Linux machine On each Linux machine that you want to protect, complete the following: 1. Ensure that the Linux machine and the process server have network connectivity. 1. Use the built-in **root** user account for the process server to access the computer. This account should be a **root** user on the source Linux server. Use this account only for the push installation and for updates. 1. Check that the `/etc/hosts` file on the source Linux server has entries that map the local hostname to IP addresses associated with all network adapters. 1. Install the latest `openssh`, `openssh-server`, and `openssl` packages on the computer that you want to replicate. 1. Ensure that Secure Shell (SSH) is enabled and running on port 22. 1. Enable SFTP subsystem and password authentication in the `sshd_config` file. To do this, sign in as **root**. 1. In the **/etc/ssh/sshd_config** file, find the line that begins with **PasswordAuthentication**. 1. Uncomment the line, and change the value to **yes**. 1. Find the line that begins with **Subsystem**, and uncomment the line. :::image type="content" source="./media/vmware-azure-install-mobility-service/mobility2.png" alt-text="Linux."::: 1. Restart the **sshd** service. 1. Add the root user account in CSPSConfigtool. To do this, sign in to your configuration server. 1. Open **cspsconfigtool.exe**. It's available as a shortcut on the desktop and in the `%ProgramData%\home\svsystems\bin` folder. 1. On the **Manage Accounts** tab, select **Add Account**. 1. Add the account you created. 1. Enter the credentials you use when you enable replication for a computer. 1. Additional step for updating or protecting SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP3 OR RHEL 5 or CentOS 5 or Debian 7 machines. [Ensure the latest version is available in the configuration server](vmware-physical-mobility-service-overview.md#download-latest-mobility-agent-installer-for-suse-11-sp3-suse-11-sp4-rhel-5-cent-os-5-debian-7-debian-8-debian-9-oracle-linux-6-and-ubuntu-1404-server). > [!NOTE] > Ensure the following ports are open in appliance: > - **SMB share port**: `445` > - **WMI port**: `135`, `5985`, and `5986`. ## Anti-virus on replicated machines If machines you want to replicate have active anti-virus software running, make sure you exclude the Mobility service installation folder from anti-virus operations (*C:\ProgramData\ASR\agent*). This ensures that replication works as expected. ## Next steps After the Mobility Service is installed, in the Azure portal, select **+ Replicate** to start protecting these VMs. Learn more about enabling replication for [VMware VMs](vmware-azure-enable-replication.md) and [physical servers](physical-azure-disaster-recovery.md#enable-replication).