Azure Networking Capabilities 2 – Microsoft AZ-900 Exam

Key Features of VNet

● Isolation and Segmentation: VNets provide isolation and segmentation of networks within Azure.
● Internet Communications: Resources in a VNet can communicate outbound to the internet, with inbound access being subject to a configurable firewall.
● Filtering: NSGs or Azure Firewall can filter network traffic to and from resources in a VNet.
● Routing: Customize the network’s routing tables for optimal traffic flow.
● Integration with Azure Services: VNet integrates with Azure services such as Azure Storage and SQL Database with secure and optimal routes.
● Connectivity to On-premises Networks: Connect VNets to on-premises networks using VPN Gateway or ExpressRoute.

Azure Load Balancer

Azure Load Balancer distributes incoming network traffic across multiple targets, such as virtual machines, ensuring no single server bears too much demand. By spreading requests across multiple resources, Load Balancer ensures that your application remains resilient to failures, responsive to increased load, and maintains consistent performance.

Use Cases for Azure Load Balancer

● Load Balancing Internal and Internet Traffic: Load Balancer supports both inbound and outbound scenarios.
● High Availability: Provides high availability by distributing traffic among healthy instances of services.
● Scale Your Applications: Allows applications to scale without compromising on communication and network performance.

Azure Application Gateway

Azure Application Gateway is a web traffic load balancer that enables you to manage traffic to your web applications. Advanced routing features include URL-based routing, cookie-based session affinity, and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) termination.

Use Cases for Application Gateway

● Web Application Load Balancing: Distributes web traffic across multiple servers.
● SSL Termination: Handles SSL termination at the gateway, reducing the load on the web servers.
● Web Application Firewall (WAF): Protects web applications from common web-based attacks like SQL injection and cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks.

Azure VPN Gateway

Azure VPN Gateway connects your on-premises networks to Azure through Site-to-Site VPNs, much like setting up a remote branch office. It allows you to securely send data through a virtual network gateway using the robust IPsec VPN tunnel.

Use Cases for VPN Gateway

● Cross-premises Connectivity: Connects on-premises data centers to Azure.
● Remote User Access: Provides secure access for remote users through Point-to-Site VPN.

Azure ExpressRoute

Azure ExpressRoute allows you to extend your on-premises networks into the Microsoft cloud over a private connection facilitated by a connectivity provider. With ExpressRoute, you can establish connections to Microsoft cloud services, such as Microsoft Azure and Microsoft 365.

Use Cases for ExpressRoute

● Private Connections to Azure: Suitable for scenarios that require high reliability, fast speeds, lower latencies, and higher security than typical internet connections.
● Global Reach: Connects your on-premises networks via the Azure global network.

Azure Traffic Manager

Azure Traffic Manager uses DNS to direct client requests to the most appropriate service endpoint based on a traffic-routing method and the health of the endpoints.

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