Azure Virtual Machines

Azure Virtual Machines (VMs) provide on-demand, scalable computing resources. You can use Azure VMs to deploy and run applications and workloads without the need to manage underlying infrastructure. Azure offers a wide variety of choices for VMs, from general-purpose to compute-optimized, memory-optimized, and storage-optimized.

They are a fundamental building block for many cloud solutions, offering flexibility and control comparable to on-premises servers, but with the benefits of cloud scalability, reliability, and cost-efficiency.

Creating a VM

You can create Azure VMs through the Azure portal, Azure CLI, PowerShell, or ARM templates. Here’s a simplified overview:

az vm create \
  --resource-group MyResourceGroup \
  --name MyVM \
  --image Ubuntu2204 \
  --admin-username azureuser \
  --generate-ssh-keys

Monitoring and Maintenance

Azure Monitor provides comprehensive monitoring for your VMs, allowing you to track performance metrics, detect issues, and set up alerts. Azure automation services can help with routine tasks like patching and updates.

VM Sizes

Azure offers a diverse range of VM sizes, categorized into:

• General Purpose: Balanced CPU-to-memory ratio (e.g., D-series, B-series).
• Compute Optimized: High CPU performance (e.g., F-series).
• Memory Optimized: High memory footprint (e.g., E-series, M-series).
• Storage Optimized: High disk throughput and IOPS (e.g., L-series).
• GPU Optimized: For graphics-intensive workloads (e.g., N-series).

Operating Systems

Deploy Windows Server or various Linux distributions (Ubuntu, CentOS, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, etc.). You can also deploy custom images.