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--- title: Simplified experience for Azure Migrate description: Describes the simplified experience an upgraded agent-based migration stack for physical and VMware environments author: dhananjayanr98 ms.author: dhananjayanr ms.manager: dhananjayanr ms.service: azure-migrate ms.reviewer: v-uhabiba ms.topic: how-to ms.date: 11/11/2025 # Customer intent: As a system administrator managing physical and VMware environments, I want to utilize an upgraded agent-based migration stack so that I can efficiently migrate newer Linux distributions and ensure a seamless migration process to Azure. --- # Overview of simplified experience for Azure Migrate (agent-based migration of VMware or physical servers) The simplified experience leverages an enhanced agent-based migration stack tailored for physical and VMware environments, offering several key advantages: - **Broader OS support**: It enables migration of newer Linux distributions to Azure, expanding compatibility and allowing customers to benefit from the latest innovations in Linux technology. - **Modern replication appliance**: It utilizes Windows Server 2022 (WS2022) for the replication appliance, ensuring robust and up-to-date infrastructure. - **Unified OS support matrix**: This provides a consistent and streamlined approach to operating system support across migration workflows, simplifying planning and execution. > [!NOTE] > For the latest list of supported operating systems, including EOL or unsupported OSs such as CentOS, see [Azure support matrix](/azure/site-recovery/vmware-physical-azure-support-matrix). Overall, the upgraded stack equips customers with powerful tools to efficiently migrate newer Linux distributions, leverage modern Windows Server platform for replication, and benefit from a unified OS support framework, enhancing the entire migration journey to Azure. ## Key differences between classic and simplified experience The key differences between the Classic and Simplified experience: | **Aspect** | **Classic experience** | **Simplified experience** | | --- | --- | --- | | Upgrade and replacement | Old version with traditional interface | Upgraded version offering a more streamlined and user-friendly interface | Enhanced support matrix | Limited support for newer Linux distributions | Supports newer Linux distributions and uses Windows Server 2022 as the replication appliance| | Easier Onboarding| Extensive steps and inputs for onboarding and setup | Onboard workloads with 50% fewer configuration steps| | Automatic updates| Perform manual upgrades for both the mobility agent and configuration server components| Automatic upgrades are available for both mobility agent and replication appliance| | Improved performance and reliability | Standard performance and reliability | Leveraging latest technologies for better performance and reliability in physical and VMware agent-based migrations. | |Streamlined migration process| Traditional migration process | Provides a more seamless and efficient migration process, addressing multiple customer concerns. | | Retirement of classic experience | Azure Migrate supports existing replication and migrations until 30 September 2026. Plan your final migrations for these machines well before the retirement date |Switch sooner to gain the richer benefits of a simplified experience| ## Retirement of classic experience **Key Dates** - **31 March 2026**: You won't be able to start replications (Enable replication) for servers via the classic experience appliance. Existing replications can continue till the specified date (refer next point). - **31 May 2026**: Replication support ends on classic experience, and this will be the last day to create new recovery points for replications in the classic experience. You can use this final recovery point for migrations to Azure till the retirement date, i.e. 30 September 2026. - **30 September 2026**: The classic experience will be fully retired. From this date forward, you won't be able to view, manage, or carry out replication or migration activities for these VMs still on classic experience. To continue any replications or migrations beyond this point, you’ll need to transition to the simplified experience with the enhanced new appliance. **Action required** - **IMPORTANT**: Enable replication for servers before **31 March 2026** if you have migrations planned for them before **31 May'26**. If else, switch to the simplified experience appliance to enable replications. - The classic experience retires on **30 September 2026**. Final recovery point for replications will be on **31 May 2026**. Support for migrations will continue until the retirement date. Switch sooner to gain the richer benefits of simplified experience. - You can continue using the classic experience for existing VMware and physical machines migrations until **30 September 2026**. Plan your final migrations for these machines before the retirement date. After September 2026, you must move to the new simplified experience to continue replications and trigger migrations. - You won’t be able to view, manage, or perform replication & migration related operations on these machines through the Azure portal after the retirement date. - New features, security updates, enhancements, and mobility agent support for additional Linux distributions are available only in the simplified experience. ## Next steps - Learn more about setting up the [Simplified experience](tutorial-migrate-physical-virtual-machines.md#simplified-experience-recommended).