Introduction to Azure Virtual Machines
Azure Virtual Machines (VMs) provide on-demand, scalable computing resources. You can deploy and manage virtual machines in the cloud to host your applications and workloads. Azure VMs offer flexibility, allowing you to choose the operating system, hardware configuration, and software that best suits your needs.
Key Features
- Compute Flexibility: Choose from a wide range of VM sizes and configurations optimized for various workloads, from development and testing to high-performance computing.
- Operating System Choice: Deploy Windows Server, various Linux distributions (Ubuntu, CentOS, Red Hat, SUSE), and more.
- Scalability: Easily scale your VMs up or out to meet changing demands.
- High Availability: Utilize Availability Sets and Availability Zones to ensure your applications remain available even during datacenter outages.
- Security: Implement robust security measures including network security groups, firewalls, and disk encryption.
- Hybrid Capabilities: Seamlessly integrate your on-premises infrastructure with Azure using Azure Arc and other hybrid solutions.
Common Use Cases
- Running enterprise applications like SAP, Oracle, and SQL Server.
- Hosting custom applications and web servers.
- Development and testing environments.
- High-performance computing (HPC) and big data analytics.
- Disaster recovery and business continuity.
Getting Started with Azure VMs
Creating Your First Virtual Machine
You can create an Azure VM through the Azure portal, Azure CLI, Azure PowerShell, or programmatically using Azure SDKs.
- Sign in to the Azure portal.
- Search for "Virtual machines" and select it.
- Click "+ Create" and choose "Virtual machine".
- Select your subscription, resource group, VM name, region, image (OS), size, and administrator account details.
- Configure networking, storage, and other settings as needed.
- Review your settings and click "Create".
For detailed steps, refer to the quickstart guide.
Managing Your Virtual Machines
Once created, you can manage your VMs from the Azure portal:
- Start/Stop/Restart: Control the power state of your VMs.
- Resize: Change the VM size to adjust compute resources.
- Disk Management: Attach, detach, or manage OS and data disks.
- Monitoring: View performance metrics and logs.
- Extensions: Install agents and extensions for management and monitoring.
Connecting to Your Virtual Machine
Connecting to your VM depends on its operating system:
- Windows: Use Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). The connection file is available in the Azure portal for your VM.
- Linux: Use Secure Shell (SSH). You'll typically connect via SSH using the VM's public IP address and your chosen authentication method (SSH key or password).
Ensure your Network Security Group (NSG) rules allow inbound traffic on the appropriate ports (RDP: 3389, SSH: 22).
Advanced Topics
Virtual Machine Scale Sets (VMSS)
VMSS allows you to deploy and manage a set of identical, load-balanced VMs. This is ideal for applications that require highly available and scalable compute capacity.
Learn more: Azure VM Scale Sets
Virtual Machine Networking
Azure Virtual Network (VNet) provides a private network in the cloud for your VMs. Key networking components include:
- Virtual Network (VNet): Your private IP address space in Azure.
- Subnets: Divisions of your VNet.
- Network Security Groups (NSG): Act as a virtual firewall for your VMs.
- Load Balancers: Distribute traffic across multiple VMs.
- Public IP Addresses: Enable internet connectivity to your VMs.
Learn more: Azure Virtual Network
Virtual Machine Storage
Azure offers various storage options for VMs:
- Managed Disks: Provide simplified disk management, offering Standard HDD, Standard SSD, Premium SSD, and Ultra Disk options.
- Unmanaged Disks: Stored as page blobs in Azure Storage accounts.
Managed disks are recommended for most scenarios.
Learn more: Azure Managed Disks
Virtual Machine Security
Secure your Azure VMs with these best practices:
- Use strong authentication (SSH keys for Linux, strong passwords or Azure AD for Windows).
- Configure Network Security Groups (NSGs) to restrict inbound and outbound traffic.
- Enable disk encryption using Azure Disk Encryption.
- Keep your OS and applications patched and up-to-date.
- Implement regular security monitoring and auditing.
Learn more: Azure Security Fundamentals
API Reference
Azure Virtual Machines REST API
The Azure Virtual Machines REST API allows you to programmatically manage your virtual machines.
The primary resource provider for Virtual Machines is Microsoft.Compute.
Base URL: https://management.azure.com/subscriptions/{subscriptionId}/resourceGroups/{resourceGroupName}/providers/Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/{vmName}?api-version=2020-06-01
Common VM Operations
Create or Update a VM
Method: PUT
URL: /subscriptions/{subscriptionId}/resourceGroups/{resourceGroupName}/providers/Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/{vmName}?api-version=2020-06-01
Request Body: Requires a JSON payload defining the VM's properties.
Get VM Details
Method: GET
URL: /subscriptions/{subscriptionId}/resourceGroups/{resourceGroupName}/providers/Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/{vmName}?api-version=2020-06-01
Start a VM
Method: POST
URL: /subscriptions/{subscriptionId}/resourceGroups/{resourceGroupName}/providers/Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/{vmName}/start?api-version=2020-06-01
Stop a VM
Method: POST
URL: /subscriptions/{subscriptionId}/resourceGroups/{resourceGroupName}/providers/Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/{vmName}/powerOff?api-version=2020-06-01
Delete a VM
Method: DELETE
URL: /subscriptions/{subscriptionId}/resourceGroups/{resourceGroupName}/providers/Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/{vmName}?api-version=2020-06-01
Available VM Sizes
Azure offers a vast array of VM sizes categorized by purpose. You can retrieve a list of available sizes for a specific region:
Method: GET
URL: /subscriptions/{subscriptionId}/providers/Microsoft.Compute/locations/{location}/vmSizes?api-version=2020-06-01
Example response snippet for a VM size:
{
"name": "Standard_D2s_v3",
"numberOfCores": 2,
"osDiskSizeInBytes": 104857600,
"resourceDiskSizeInBytes": 53687091200,
"memoryInMB": 8192,
"maxDataDiskCount": 8,
"premiumIO": true,
"processorArchitecture": "x64"
}
For a comprehensive API reference, visit the official Azure Compute REST API documentation.
Explore the various Azure VM options and capabilities to build and scale your cloud solutions effectively.