Azure Virtual Machines

Azure Virtual Machines (VMs) enable users to create and manage virtual machines in the cloud, providing an Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) solution. This allows for great flexibility as you can choose images provided by Azure, partner offerings, or use your own custom images to create virtual machines.

Management Options for Azure VMs

Azure provides various methods to create and manage VMs, including:

• Azure Portal: A web-based interface for managing Azure resources.
• Azure PowerShell and ARM templates: Command-line tools and templates for automation and resource management.
• Azure CLI: A command-line tool for managing Azure resources across various platforms.
• Client SDKs: Software Development Kits for integrating Azure services into applications.
• REST APIs: Programmatic access to Azure services for advanced automation and integration.

Configuration Choices When Creating a Virtual Machine

When creating an Azure VM, several configuration options are available:

1. Operating System: Choose between Windows and Linux distributions.
2. VM Size: Determines CPU, memory, and disk configurations.
3. Region: Specify the geographical region where the VM will be hosted.
4. VM Extensions: Additional capabilities, such as anti-virus software or monitoring tools.

The provisioning process will create necessary compute, networking, and storage elements for the VM.

VM Sizes in Azure

Selecting the right VM size is critical for optimizing performance. Here are the main categories of Azure VM sizes:

1. General-purpose

• Sizes: B, Dsv3, Dv3, DSv2, Dv2, DS, D, Av2, A0-7
• Description: Balanced CPU-to-memory ratio, ideal for development, testing, small to medium databases, and low to medium traffic web servers.

2. Compute-optimized

• Sizes: Fsv2, Fs, F
• Description: High CPU-to-memory ratio, suitable for medium traffic web servers, batch processing, and network appliances.

3. Memory-optimized

• Sizes: Esv3, Ev3, M, GS, G, DSv2, DS, Dv2, D
• Description: High memory-to-CPU ratio, excellent for relational databases, medium to large caches, and in-memory analytics.

4. Storage optimized

• Sizes: Ls
• Description: High disk throughput and I/O, ideal for Big Data and NoSQL databases.

5. GPU

• Sizes: NV, NC, NCv2, ND
• Description: Specialized for graphic rendering and video editing; available with single or multiple GPUs.

6. High-performance compute

• Sizes: H, A8-11
• Description: Fastest and most powerful VMs with optional high-throughput network interfaces (RDMA).

Creating an Azure Virtual Machine in the Azure Portal

Here’s a detailed step-by-step process to create an Azure VM using the Azure Portal:

Step 1: Access the Azure Portal

• Navigate to the Azure Portal and log in to your Azure account.
• Click on All Services in the left-hand navigation pane.

Step 2: Create a Virtual Machine

• In the services list, click on the Virtual Machines option.
• Click on the + Create button to begin the VM creation process.

Step 3: Choose a VM Image

• On the Create Virtual Machine page, you will need to select an image for your VM from the Azure Marketplace. Click on Browse all images and disks to see available options.

Step 4: Configure Basic Settings

• After selecting the image, enter a Name for your VM.
• Choose the Region where you want to deploy the VM.
• Select the Size of the VM based on your performance requirements.
• Set a User name and Password for logging into the VM.

Step 5: Configure Disk Options

• Click on the Disks tab to select the type of disk you need (Standard HDD, Standard SSD, Premium SSD, etc.).
• You can choose to create additional data disks if required.

Step 6: Set Networking Options

• Click Next: Networking to configure the network settings for your VM.
• Select the Virtual Network, Subnet, and Public IP Address settings. Default options are often sufficient for training or testing purposes.

Step 7: Management Settings

• Navigate to the Management tab.
• Configure boot diagnostics and OS diagnostics according to your needs.

Step 8: Advanced Settings

• Click on Next: Advanced to set up any additional extensions you may want to add, such as monitoring or security tools.

Step 9: Review Your Configuration

• Finally, on the Review + Create page, review all your settings. Ensure that everything is configured correctly.

Step 10: Create the Virtual Machine

• Click on the Create button. Azure will start the deployment process, which may take a few minutes.

Step 11: Access Your Virtual Machine

• Once the VM is created successfully, you will see a notification. You can access the VM through the Azure Portal, using Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) for Windows or SSH