Register a manually installed Mobility agent without discovery credentials

Source facts

Modernized Azure Site Recovery offers credential-less discovery when the machine and vCenter or ESXi credentials cannot be provided. This path requires manually installing the Mobility service and enabling its credential-less discovery option. Registration uses a configuration file generated on the chosen appliance from the source machine’s unique details string. The configuration file is then supplied to the agent on that source machine. Microsoft Learn.

Applicability

Consider this workflow for on-premises VMware or physical-machine protection using the modernized architecture. Establish which appliance should own the registration, and confirm the source operating system and installation permissions before choosing the manual path.

DSE recommendation

Document the machine-to-appliance pairing before distributing installation material. Keep each source identifier associated with its own generated configuration file; do not circulate one convenient file as a fleet-wide registration package. Separate approval to install the service from the decision to supply discovery credentials, and record which documented installation mode was selected.

Verification

On a controlled candidate machine, verify the identifier used to generate the file, the intended appliance, and the registration result. Reconcile the registered source with the inventory before enabling replication. Treat a completed software installation as an intermediate checkpoint: do not close onboarding until the correct machine has registered through the chosen workflow.

Official references

Microsoft Learn: About the Mobility service for disaster recovery of VMware VMs and physical servers with Azure Site Recovery.