Azure 2 for Beginners and Experienced Users

Azure 2 is a cloud computing platform that offers a wide range of services and tools for building, deploying, and managing applications and services through its global network of data centers.

With Azure 2, you can create a virtual machine in just a few clicks, and it's also possible to scale up or down to meet changing business needs.

One of the key benefits of Azure 2 is its ability to provide high levels of security and compliance, with features like encryption and access controls that help protect your data.

Azure 2 also offers a free tier for many of its services, which is perfect for developers and small businesses that want to test out the platform without committing to a paid plan.

Azure VM Options are plentiful, but not all VM series support both Generation 1 and Generation 2 VMs. For instance, the Mv2-series, DC-series, NDv2-series, and Msv2 and Mdsv2-series Medium Memory series only support a subset of Generation 2 images.

Azure now offers Generation 2 support for selected VM series, including B-series, DCsv2-series, DSv2-series, and many others. However, some series like NC-series and NV-series do not support Generation 2 VMs. For a complete list, refer to the table below:

Azure VMs support a wide range of operating systems, including Windows Server, Linux distributions, and more. For instance, Windows Server 2022, 2019, 2016, 2012 R2, and 2012 are all supported.

As you consider your Azure VM options, one key difference to consider is the capabilities of each generation. Generation 1 and Generation 2 VMs have distinct differences in their capabilities.

Generation 1 VMs have some limitations, such as not supporting OS disks over 2 TB. On the other hand, Generation 2 VMs can handle larger OS disks.

Both generations support custom disk/image/swap OS, virtual machine scale set support, Azure Site Recovery, backup/restore, Azure Compute Gallery, Azure disk encryption, and server-side encryption.

Here's a summary of the key differences in capabilities between Generation 1 and Generation 2 VMs:

The D11s-15s instances on Azure offer a range of options for your virtual machine needs.

These instances have varying numbers of vCPUs, with the DS11 v2 instance offering 2 vCPUs and the DS15 v2 instance offering 20 vCPUs.

You can choose from a variety of RAM options, including 14 GiB for the DS11 v2 instance and 140 GiB for the DS15 v2 instance.

The Linux VM price is not specified in the table, but you can expect to pay a lower price for the smaller instances and a higher price for the larger instances.

If you're planning to use the Machine Learning Service, you'll need to factor in the additional surcharge, which is not specified in the table.

Here's a quick summary of the D11s-15s instances:

These instances also offer different pricing options, including Pay As You Go, 1 year savings plan, and 3 year savings plan, but the prices are not specified in the table.

Reviewing the Service Level Agreement (SLA) for Azure Machine Learning is a crucial step in ensuring the reliability and performance of your machine learning workloads. The SLA details the service's uptime and availability guarantees.

Azure Machine Learning's SLA is 99.9% uptime, which means you can expect the service to be available for at least 99.9% of the time. This is a good starting point for ensuring the reliability of your machine learning workloads.

Azure East US and East US 2 are two distinct regions with varying prices, service availability, and network latency.

East US 2 has lower prices by about 10% compared to Azure East US.

The choice between East US and East US 2 ultimately depends on the services you need and your latency requirements.

East US 2 is typically less expensive, making it a more cost-effective option for many users.

Network latency to your location is another crucial factor to consider when deciding between these two regions.

With East US 2, you can expect lower prices, but you'll need to assess whether the available services meet your needs.

East US 2 is a solid choice for those who prioritize cost savings, but it's essential to weigh this against the services and latency required for your specific use case.

Creating a VM in Azure is a straightforward process, especially when using Azure Resource Manager templates. You can create a simple Windows Generation 2 VM by following the instructions in "Create a Windows virtual machine from a Resource Manager template". Similarly, you can create a simple Linux Generation 2 VM by following the instructions in "How to create a Linux virtual machine with Azure Resource Manager templates".

Azure also offers a wide range of Generation 2 VM images in the Azure Marketplace. These images include various versions of Windows Server, Windows 10, and Windows 11, as well as several Linux distributions such as SUSE, Ubuntu, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

Some specific examples of supported images include Windows Server 2022, Windows 10 Pro, Ubuntu Server 22.04 LTS, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.3. Be aware that some virtual machine sizes may only support a subset of these images, so be sure to check the relevant documentation for complete details.

Here's a list of some of the supported Linux distributions:

You can create Generation 2 VMs from a wide range of Marketplace images that support UEFI boot.

Windows Server images available in the Marketplace include Windows Server 2022, 2019, 2016, 2012 R2, and 2012, as well as Windows 11 Pro and Windows 10 Pro.

The Marketplace also offers various Linux distributions, including SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, Ubuntu Server, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL).

Some specific Linux distributions available in the Marketplace are SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP3 and SP2, Ubuntu Server 22.04 LTS, and RHEL 9.3.

RHEL 9.3, for example, is one of the many versions of RHEL available in the Marketplace.

Here are some of the Linux distributions available in the Marketplace:

Keep in mind that some virtual machine sizes may only support a subset of these images.

When creating and managing VMs, it's essential to consider the differences between on-premises and Azure VMs. On-premises VMs support features like Secure boot and Shielded VM, which aren't currently available in Azure.

Azure VMs, on the other hand, have some features that on-premises VMs don't. For instance, Azure VMs support Virtualization-based security (VBS), which is a feature that's also available on-premises.

If you're planning to use Azure VMs, be aware that some features might require trusted launch. This is the case for features like Secure boot and vTPM.

Here's a quick rundown of the differences:

Creating a VM can be done in several ways, including using Azure Resource Manager templates. You can create a simple Windows Generation 2 VM by following the instructions in the article "Create a Windows virtual machine from a Resource Manager template".

To create a Linux Generation 2 VM, you can use Azure Resource Manager templates as well, following the instructions in "How to create a Linux virtual machine with Azure Resource Manager templates".

Alternatively, you can create a Generation 2 VM from a managed image or managed disk, just like you would create a Generation 1 VM. This makes it easy to set up a new VM.

Using PowerShell is another option for creating a VM. You can directly reference the Generation 1 or Generation 2 SKU using PowerShell cmdlets, such as the one to get a list of SKUs in the WindowsServer offer.

If you're creating a VM with Windows 10 as the OS, you can select a Generation 2 (UEFI) image, which is available in the Marketplace.

The Azure CLI is also a viable option for creating a VM. You can use it to see any available Generation 2 images, listed by Publisher.