Due to changes in the intermediate technical solution for server migration, Server Migration Center (SMC) is ending support for migration of Windows servers to Alibaba Cloud instances in regions outside the Chinese mainland. Until this date, this functionality will remain available for users of SMC client versions 2.8.5 and earlier.
Effective from
November 30, 2025 (UTC+8)
Impacted migration source types
Windows servers
Impacted destination regions
Regions outside the Chinese mainland
Features related
Server migration and agentless migration of VMware VMs
Details
As of SMC client version 2.8.6, server migration and agentless migration of VMware VMs no longer support Windows server migrations to ECS instances or simple application servers in regions outside the Chinese mainland. You can check your current client version in the SMC installation path based on different installation methods.
V2.8.6 and later: Support for the migration scenarios above will be discontinued. Please review your current client version and make necessary adjustments to your migration strategy.
V2.8.5 or earlier: Support for the migration scenarios above will remain available until November 30, 2025. Please note that with SMC client v2.8.5, importing of migration sources can only be performed through the SMC client.
Solution
To migrate Windows servers to Alibaba Cloud ECS instances or simple application servers in regions outside the Chinese mainland after this upgrade, please consider the following alternative solutions:
Use the Server Migration feature to migrate your server to a custom image.
Access ECS console - Images, and create an instance from a custom image.
Contact us
Contact us if you have any questions. We will respond to your inquiries promptly. Thank you for your support and understanding. We remain committed to providing more efficient and secure services.