Azure Resource Manager

Introduction to Managing Azure Resources

Azure Resource Manager (ARM) provides a management layer that enables you to create, update, and delete resources in your Azure account. It uses declarative templates, which simplifies the deployment and management of your infrastructure. This document covers the fundamental operations for managing individual Azure resources.

Understanding how to interact with and control your Azure resources is crucial for maintaining a secure, cost-effective, and well-organized cloud environment.

Accessing and Viewing Resources

You can access and view your Azure resources through the Azure portal, Azure CLI, Azure PowerShell, or REST APIs.

Azure Portal

The Azure portal offers a graphical interface for browsing, inspecting, and managing resources. Navigate to the specific resource group or service to see associated resources.

Azure CLI

The Azure Command-Line Interface (CLI) allows you to manage resources from your terminal.

az resource list --resource-group MyResourceGroup --output table

Azure PowerShell

Azure PowerShell provides cmdlets for managing resources programmatically.

Get-AzResource -ResourceGroupName "MyResourceGroup"

Performing Resource Operations

Once you've identified a resource, you can perform various operations on it, such as starting, stopping, deleting, or modifying its configuration.

Starting and Stopping Resources

Many Azure resources, like virtual machines, can be started or stopped to manage costs and availability.

az vm start --resource-group MyResourceGroup --name MyVM

Stop-AzVM -ResourceGroupName "MyResourceGroup" -Name "MyVM" -Force

Deleting Resources

Deleting a resource is a permanent action. Always ensure you have backups or that the resource is no longer needed before deletion.

az resource delete --resource-group MyResourceGroup --id "/subscriptions/your-subscription-id/resourceGroups/MyResourceGroup/providers/Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/MyVM"

Remove-AzResource -ResourceGroupName "MyResourceGroup" -ResourceType "Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines" -ResourceName "MyVM"

Updating Resource Properties

You can modify the configuration of existing resources. This can be done via the portal or through CLI/PowerShell commands, often by updating a JSON or parameter file.

Monitoring Resource Health and Performance

Azure Monitor provides comprehensive tools for collecting, analyzing, and acting on telemetry from your Azure and on-premises environments. Key features include metrics, logs, and alerts.

Metrics

Resource metrics provide insights into the performance and health of your resources over time.

Logs

Diagnostic logs capture detailed information about resource operations and events.

Alerts

Set up alerts to notify you when specific conditions are met, such as high CPU usage or service downtime.

Tagging Azure Resources

Tags are key-value pairs that you can use to label resources for organizational or billing purposes. They are essential for cost management and governance.

Example Tags:

• Environment: Production
• CostCenter: IT-Department
• Owner: JohnDoe

az resource tag --tags Environment=Staging --resource-group MyResourceGroup --id "/subscriptions/your-subscription-id/resourceGroups/MyResourceGroup/providers/Microsoft.Network/virtualNetworks/MyVNet"

Set-AzResource -Tag @{"Environment"="Development"; "Owner"="JaneSmith"} -ResourceGroupName "MyResourceGroup" -ResourceType "Microsoft.Storage/storageAccounts" -ResourceName "mystorageaccount"

Applying Resource Locks

Resource locks prevent users from accidentally deleting or modifying critical resources. You can apply locks at the subscription, resource group, or individual resource level.

Lock Types:

• CanNotDelete: Authorized users can read and modify a resource, but they can't delete it.
• ReadOnly: Authorized users can read a resource, but they can't delete or update it.

az lock create --name MyLock --lock-type CanNotDelete --resource-group MyResourceGroup --resource-type Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines --resource-name MyVM

New-AzResourceLock -LockName "CannotDeleteVM" -LockLevel CanNotDelete -ResourceGroupName "MyResourceGroup" -ResourceName "MyVM" -ResourceType "Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines"