Virtual Machines (VMs) and Virtual Networks – Microsoft AZ-900 Exam

4.4. Virtual Machines (VMs) and Virtual Networks

In the digital age, the evolution of cloud computing has revolutionized the way organizations operate, offering scalable resources over the internet. At the heart of this transformation are two foundational components: Virtual Machines (VMs) and Virtual Networks. Together, they form the backbone of cloud infrastructure, allowing businesses to deploy and manage applications and services dynamically. This deep dive into VMs and Virtual Networks will cover their roles, configurations, integration, and best practices within the Azure ecosystem, providing a thorough understanding of these core elements.

Virtual Machines: The Workhorses of the Cloud

Virtual Machines (VMs) are software emulations of physical computers. They run an operating system and applications, just like a physical computer, but are hosted in a virtualized environment managed by a hypervisor. Azure VMs offer the flexibility of virtualization for a wide variety of computing solutions, including development and testing, running applications, and extending data centers.

The Versatility of Azure VMs:

● Development and Testing: Azure VMs provide a quick, economical way to create an environment that mimics a live system, without the capital investment in physical hardware.
● Application Hosting: They allow for the hosting of applications in the cloud, offering scalability to meet changing demand and resilience for high availability.
● Extension of On-Premises Datacenters: Azure VMs can be integrated with on-premises datacenters for hybrid configurations, facilitating business continuity and disaster recovery strategies.

Configuring Azure VMs: The configuration process for Azure VMs involves several steps and considerations:

● Choosing the Right Size: Azure provides a variety of VM sizes and types to accommodate different workloads. Deciding on the right VM size is crucial for performance and cost-efficiency.
● Selecting Images: Azure offers a marketplace of images pre-configured with different operating systems and applications, simplifying the deployment process.
● Storage Options: VMs require storage for the operating system, applications, and data. Azure provides multiple storage options, including managed disks.
● Networking: Azure VMs must be connected to a virtual network for communication with other resources.

Virtual Networks: The Connective Tissue of the Cloud

Virtual Networks (VNet) in Azure provide the communication backbone for interconnected VMs, offering isolation and segmentation, traffic routing, and a range of network-related services. VNets serve as a representation of your own network in the cloud, crucial for delivering a range of resources and services that operate in a secure and controlled environment.

Capabilities of Azure Virtual Networks:

● Isolation and Segmentation: VNets provide a secure and isolated environment for VMs and applications, allowing segmentation into subnets for organizational and security purposes.
● Interconnectivity: VNets enable communication between Azure resources, on-premises infrastructure, and the internet.
● Traffic Filtering: Network Security Groups (NSGs) and firewalls can be used to filter network traffic to and from Azure resources in a VNet.
● Routing: VNets offer control over IP address assignments, DNS settings, routing tables, and policies.

Configuring Virtual Networks: Setting up a Virtual Network within Azure involves several key steps:

● Defining Address Space: Administrators define the VNet’s private IP address space, segmented into subnets to organize resources efficiently.
● Connecting to On-Premises Networks: VNets can be connected to on-premises networks using VPN gateways or Azure ExpressRoute for seamless hybrid environments.
● Securing VNets: Security rules and policies are essential to protect resources within a VNet.

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