Azure Dedicated Host SKU Retirement Modernization Guide

Like standard virtual machine sizes, Dedicated Host SKUs follow a hardware lifecycle. As the underlying hardware ages, older Dedicated Host SKUs are retired, and you need to modernize your workloads to newer, faster, and more efficient SKUs. Compared to older Dedicated Host SKUs, the recommended SKUs offer:

  • Newer, more efficient processors
  • Increased RAM
  • Increased available vCPUs
  • Greater regional capacity

Review the FAQs before you get started on modernization. The next section will go over which Dedicated Host SKUs to modernize to help aid in modernization planning and execution.

Note

No currently available Dedicated Host SKUs are planned for retirement. For retirement dates and the full list of retired Dedicated Host SKUs, see Azure Dedicated Host SKU Lifecycle.

The following sections list the recommended replacements for retired Dedicated Host SKUs.

Dsv3-Type1 and Dsv3-Type2

The retired Dsv3-Type1 and Dsv3-Type2 ran Dsv3-series VMs, which offer a combination of vCPU, memory, and temporary storage best suited for most general-purpose workloads. We recommend modernizing your existing VMs to one of the following Dedicated Host SKUs:

  • Dsv3-Type3
  • Dsv3-Type4

Neither the Dsv3-Type3 nor the Dsv3-Type4 is planned for retirement. We recommend moving to either the Dsv3-Type3 or Dsv3-Type4 based on regional availability, pricing, and your organization’s needs.

Esv3-Type1 and Esv3-Type2

The retired Esv3-Type1 and Esv3-Type2 ran Esv3-series VMs, which offer a combination of vCPU, memory, and temporary storage best suited for most memory-intensive workloads. We recommend modernizing your existing VMs to one of the following Dedicated Host SKUs:

  • Esv3-Type3
  • Esv3-Type4

Neither the Esv3-Type3 nor the Esv3-Type4 is planned for retirement. We recommend moving to either the Esv3-Type3 or Esv3-Type4 based on regional availability, pricing, and your organization’s needs.

Modernizing to supported hosts

To modernize your workloads and avoid Dedicated Host SKU retirement, follow the directions for your modernization method of choice.

Automatic modernization (Resize)

Moving a host and all associated VMs to newer generation hardware can be done through the host resize feature. Resize simplifies the modernization process and avoids having to manually create new hosts and move all VMs individually.

Resize limitations:

  • Host can only be resized to an ADH within the same VM family. A Dsv3-Type3 host can be resized to Dsv3-Type4 but not to an Esv3-Type4.
  • You can only resize to newer generation of hardware. A Dsv3-Type3 host can be resized to Dsv3-Type4 but not Dsv3-Type2.
  • Resizing changes the 'Host Asset ID'. The 'Host ID' remains the same.
  • The host and all associated VMs become unavailable during the resize operation.

Warning

The resize operation causes the loss of any non-persistent data such as temp disk data. Save all your work to persistent data storage before triggering resize.

Note

If the source host is already running on the latest hardware, 'Size' page would display an empty list. If you're looking for enhanced performance, consider switching to a different VM family.

  1. Search for and select the host.
  2. In the left menu under Settings, select Size.
  3. Once on the size page from the list of SKUs, select the desired SKU to resize to.
  4. Selecting a target size from the list would enable Resize button on the bottom on the page.
  5. Click Resize, host's 'Provisioning State' changes from 'Provisioning Succeeded' to 'Updating'
  6. Once the resizing is complete, the host's 'Provisioning State' reverts to 'Provisioning Succeeded'

Manual modernization

This includes steps for manually placed VMs, automatically placed VMs, and virtual machine scale sets on your Dedicated Hosts:

  1. Choose a target Dedicated Host SKU to modernize to.
  2. Ensure you have quota for the VM family associated with the target Dedicated Host SKU in your given region.
  3. Provision a new Dedicated Host of the target Dedicated Host SKU in the same Host Group.
  4. Stop and deallocate the VM(s) on your old Dedicated Host.
  5. Reassign the VM(s) to the target Dedicated Host.
  6. Start the VM(s).
  7. Delete the old host.

More detailed instructions can be found in the following sections.

Note

Certain sections are different for automatically placed VMs or virtual machine scale set. These differences will explicitly be called out in the respective steps.

Ensure quota for the target VM family

Be sure that you have enough vCPU quota for the VM family of the Dedicated Host SKU that you'll be using. If you need quota, follow this guide to request an increase in vCPU quota for your target VM family in your target region. Select the Dsv3-series or Esv3-series as the VM family, depending on the target Dedicated Host SKU.

Create a new Dedicated Host

Within the same Host Group as the existing Dedicated Host, create a Dedicated Host of the target Dedicated Host SKU.

Stop the VM(s) or virtual machine scale set

Refer to the PowerShell documentation to stop a VM through PowerShell or stop a virtual machine scale set through PowerShell.

Reassign the VM(s) to the target Dedicated Host

Note

Skip this step for automatically placed VMs and virtual machine scale set.

Once the target Dedicated Host has been created and the VM has been stopped, reassign the VM to the target Dedicated Host.

Start the VM(s) or virtual machine scale set

Note

Automatically placed VM(s) and virtual machine scale set require that you delete the old host before starting the autoplaced VM(s) or virtual machine scale set.

Refer to the PowerShell documentation to start a VM through PowerShell or start a virtual machine scale set through PowerShell.

Delete the old Dedicated Host

Once all VMs have been moved from your old Dedicated Host to the target Dedicated Host, delete the old Dedicated Host.

Help and support

If you have questions, ask community experts in Microsoft Q&A.

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