Azure Storage Documentation

Create Managed Disk

This guide walks you through the process of creating a managed disk in Azure. Managed disks are standard disk resources in Azure that are managed by Azure and are recommended for most scenarios.

Prerequisites

  • An Azure subscription. If you don't have one, create a free account before you begin.
  • An Azure resource group. If you don't have one, you can create one.

Steps to Create a Managed Disk

  1. 1

    Navigate to Azure Portal

    Sign in to the Azure portal.

  2. 2

    Search for Disks

    In the search bar at the top, type "Disks" and select "Disks" from the services list.

  3. 3

    Create a New Disk

    Click the + Create button on the Disks page.

  4. 4

    Configure Basic Settings

    • Subscription: Select your Azure subscription.
    • Resource group: Choose an existing resource group or create a new one.
    • Disk name: Provide a unique name for your managed disk.
    • Region: Select the Azure region where you want to create the disk.
    • Availability zone: (Optional) Choose an availability zone for redundancy.
  5. 5

    Configure Size and Performance

    • Source type: Choose the source for your disk. Common options include:
      • None (empty disk): Creates a blank disk.
      • Snapshot: Creates a disk from an existing snapshot.
      • Storage blob: Creates a disk from a VHD file in a storage blob.
      • Custom image: Creates a disk from a custom image.
    • Size: Select the desired size for your disk (e.g., 128 GiB, 1 TiB). You can also choose a custom size.
    • Performance tier: Select the performance tier (e.g., Standard HDD, Standard SSD, Premium SSD, Ultra Disk).
  6. 6

    Configure Encryption

    Choose your encryption settings. By default, disks are encrypted at rest with platform-managed keys. You can also choose customer-managed keys.

  7. 7

    Advanced Options (Optional)

    Review and configure advanced options such as host caching, deletion policies, and tags.

  8. 8

    Review and Create

    Click Review + create. Azure will validate your configuration. Once validation passes, click Create.

Creating a Managed Disk using Azure CLI

You can also create managed disks using the Azure Command-Line Interface (CLI). Here's an example of creating a basic managed disk:


az disk create --resource-group MyResourceGroup --name MyManagedDisk --sku Standard_LRS --size-gb 128 --location eastus

Replace MyResourceGroup, MyManagedDisk, and eastus with your desired values.

Key Considerations

  • Disk Type: Choose the disk type that best suits your workload's performance and cost requirements.
  • Size: Ensure the disk size meets your application's needs. You can resize disks later.
  • Region: Create disks in the same region as your virtual machines for optimal performance.
  • Snapshots: Regularly take snapshots of your disks for backup and disaster recovery.

For more detailed information, refer to the official Azure Managed Disks documentation.