Azure Av2 Series VM Sizes and Capabilities

The Azure Av2 Series offers a range of VM sizes to suit various needs, from small to large.

The B1ms size is the smallest, with a single core and 2GB of RAM, while the F72s_v2 size has 72 cores and 144GB of RAM.

These sizes are suitable for small to medium-sized applications, and the F72s_v2 is ideal for large-scale workloads.

The Av2 Series also supports up to 32 vCPUs, which can handle demanding tasks.

VM Basics is an essential part of understanding the Azure AV2 series. You need to know what vCPUs are and how to check vCPU quotas.

vCPUs are virtual CPUs, which are the building blocks of your virtual machines. They determine how much processing power your VM has.

To check vCPU quotas, you can refer to the VM Basics resources provided by Azure. The quotas are determined by the size of your VM.

Here are some key specifications for the Azure AV2 series:

Each size has a different number of temp storage disks, ranging from 1 to 1, and a different temp disk size, ranging from 10 to 80 GiB.

The Azure Av2 series offers a range of host specifications to suit different needs.

You can choose from 1 to 8 vCPUs, which is a significant advantage for resource-intensive tasks.

The available processors include Intel Xeon Platinum 8370C (Ice Lake), Intel Xeon Platinum 8272CL (Cascade Lake), Intel Xeon 8171M 2.1 GHz (Skylake), Intel Xeon E5-2673 v4 2.3 GHz (Broadwell), and Intel Xeon E5-2673 v3 2.4 GHz (Haswell).

Memory is also customizable, with a range of 2 to 64 GiB available.

Local storage consists of a single disk with a capacity of 10 to 80 GiB, and it offers 2x500 to 16x500 IOPS and 10 to 80 MBps.

Remote storage is also available, with 2 to 16 disks.

The network specifications include 2 to 8 NICs with speeds of 250 to 2000 Mbps.

Accelerators are not supported in the Azure Av2 series.

Here are the host specifications in a concise table:

The Azure Av2 series offers several features and capabilities that make it a great choice for many use cases.

Live Migration is supported, allowing you to move virtual machines between hosts without downtime.

Memory Preserving Updates are also supported, enabling you to update virtual machines without losing any data.

VM Generation Support is limited to Generation 1, which is a good option for many applications.

Accelerated Networking is not supported, which may be a limitation for certain workloads.

Nested Virtualization is not supported, so you won't be able to run virtual machines within virtual machines.

The Azure Av2 series does not support Premium Storage or Premium Storage caching, which may impact performance for certain applications.

You won't be able to take advantage of Accelerator (GPUs, FPGAs, etc.) in any of the sizes, which may be a limitation for certain workloads.

Additional reading: Azure Virtual

The Azure AV2 series offers various storage and networking options. Storage resources are managed through Azure managed disks, which come in different types.

Azure managed disks can be shared among multiple virtual machines. Here are some key storage facts:

When it comes to networking, virtual networks and virtual machines in Azure are key concepts. The expected network bandwidth for each VM type is the maximum aggregated bandwidth allocated per VM across all NICs, for all destinations.

Here are some key networking facts to keep in mind:

Azure managed disks are a great way to store data, and you can share them with others if needed.

You can create a managed disk in Azure, and there are different types to choose from.

Managed disks can be used to create a Generation 2 VM, just like you would with a Generation 1 VM.

Azure managed disks come in different sizes, each with its own remote (uncached) storage info.

No accelerators are present in this series of managed disks, so you won't need to worry about any special setup.

Here are the main points about Azure managed disks:

Networking resources play a crucial role in ensuring the performance and reliability of your applications. To achieve optimal network performance, you need to understand the expected network bandwidth for your virtual machines.

Expected network bandwidth is the maximum aggregated bandwidth allocated per VM type across all NICs, for all destinations. For more information, see Virtual machine network bandwidth.

Keep in mind that upper limits aren't guaranteed. They offer guidance for selecting the right VM type for the intended application. Actual network performance will depend on several factors including network congestion, application loads, and network settings.

To achieve the expected network performance on Linux or Windows, you may need to select a specific version or optimize your VM. For more information, see Bandwidth/Throughput testing (NTTTCP).

Here are some key points to consider when planning your network resources:

Spot Virtual Machines can be a game-changer for development and testing environments, making it an excellent choice for continuous integration and continuous delivery workloads.

Azure's spot pricing offers discounts of up to ninety percent on pay-as-you-go VM pricing, which is a huge cost-saver.

Spot Virtual Machines are ideal for tasks involving batch processing, visual rendering applications, and specific high-performance computing needs.

It's worth noting that spot VMs can be terminated or powered down by Azure if the data center needs additional computing resources or if the ongoing price surpasses the initially agreed-upon rate.

Here are some applications of Spot Virtual Machines according to various types of workloads:

Azure VM Types are categorized into five distinct groups, each designed to serve a specific purpose or use case.

The first capital letter in the VM name represents the family, for example, in D4ads_v5 VM, the letter D represents that this VM belongs to the D-Series.

Azure VMs are divided into five groups: General purpose, Compute optimized, Memory optimized, Storage optimized, and GPU. General purpose VMs, like the Av2 series, are well-balanced for tasks like testing, development, and hosting web servers with moderate traffic.

These groups are outlined in the table below:

Creating a Gen 2 VM is a straightforward process. You'll need to select a VM size that meets your needs, as discussed in the "VM Sizes" section.

Azure Gen 2 VMs are ideal for workloads that require high performance and low latency. This is because they use the latest generation of Intel and AMD processors.

Expand your knowledge: Azure B Series

To create a Gen 2 VM, you'll need to choose a generation 2 VM image, which can be found in the "VM Images" section.

Gen 2 VMs support UEFI firmware, which allows for faster boot times and improved security. This is particularly useful for workloads that require rapid deployment and high availability.

Azure VM Types are organized into five distinct groups: General purpose, Compute optimized, Memory optimized, Storage optimized, and GPU. Each group is designed to serve a specific purpose or use case.

The General purpose group includes VMs with a well-balanced ratio of CPU to memory, making them suitable for tasks like testing, development, managing small to medium databases, and hosting web servers with moderate traffic.

In the General purpose group, you'll find VMs like B, Dsv3, Dv3, Dasv4, Dav4, DSv2, Dv2, Av2, DC, DCv2, Dpdsv5, Dpldsv5, Dpsv5, Dplsv5, Dv4, Dsv4, Ddv4, Ddsv4, Dv5, Dsv5, Ddv5, Ddsv5, Dasv5, and Dadsv5.

The Compute optimized group provides a high CPU-to-memory ratio, making them ideal for tasks such as hosting medium-traffic web servers, handling batch processes, managing network appliances, and supporting application servers.

Some examples of Compute optimized VMs include F, Fs, Fsv2, and FX.

The Memory optimized group offers a high memory-to-CPU ratio, making them perfect for roles like hosting relational database servers, managing medium to large caches, and performing in-memory analytics.

Some examples of Memory optimized VMs include Esv3, Ev3, Easv4, Eav4, Epdsv5, Epsv5, Ev4, Esv4, Edv4, Edsv4, Ev5, Esv5, Edv5, Edsv5, Easv5, and Eadsv5.

Here's a summary of the different Azure VM types and their characteristics:

The first capital letter in the VM name represents the family, and the first number represents the number of vCPUs. For example, in D4ads_v5 VM, the letter D represents the D-Series and the number 4 represents four vCPUs. Lowercase letters in the VM names denote additional features.

A unique perspective: D Series Azure