Understanding Azure Hypervisor Architecture and Costs

Azure Hypervisor Architecture is built on top of the Windows Server operating system, which provides a robust and scalable platform for virtualization.

Microsoft Azure Hypervisor, also known as Hyper-V, is a type 1 hypervisor that runs directly on the host machine's hardware.

This architecture allows for efficient resource utilization and high performance.

The Azure Hypervisor Architecture supports multiple virtualization technologies, including Hyper-V, VMware, and KVM.

Azure Hypervisor is designed to provide a high level of security and isolation between virtual machines.

The cost of using Azure Hypervisor is based on the number of virtual machines (VMs) and the amount of storage and bandwidth used.

The Azure Hypervisor is a virtualization technology that runs on a variant of Microsoft Hyper-V, providing a way to create and manage virtual machines in the Azure cloud.

It's designed to help companies run workloads without the management and capital cost of infrastructure.

The Azure Hypervisor is similar to the traditional on-premises Hyper-V built-in to Windows, but it offers additional features tailored for the cloud environment.

The Azure Hypervisor is a virtualization technology that runs on a variant of Microsoft Hyper-V, providing a way to create and manage virtual machines in the Azure cloud.

Microsoft Azure is a cloud platform that includes Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions.

The Azure Hypervisor is designed specifically for the cloud environment, with features like a virtual machine gallery that makes it easy to create new virtual machines.

It provides integration with other Azure services like Azure Active Directory and Azure Site Recovery, giving users a seamless experience.

The Azure Hypervisor is part of the Microsoft Azure cloud computing platform, allowing companies to run workloads without the management and capital cost of infrastructure.

It's similar to the traditional on-premises Hyper-V built-in to Windows, but with additional features tailored for the cloud.

To ensure the security of your virtual machines, Azure Hyper-V employs strong security assurance processes. This includes tracking the attack surface through automated build integration, which triggers periodic security reviews.

The attack surface related to the hypervisor is extensive, covering software networking, virtual devices, and all cross-VM surfaces. This comprehensive approach helps identify potential vulnerabilities.

All VM attack surfaces are thoroughly analyzed through threat modeling, code review, fuzzing, and testing by Microsoft's RED team for security boundary violations. This rigorous testing helps prevent security breaches.

Microsoft has a bug bounty program that rewards researchers for discovering vulnerabilities in eligible product versions of Microsoft Hyper-V. This program encourages responsible disclosure and helps improve the overall security of the platform.

The Azure hypervisor has multiple layers of security features to protect your virtual machines. These features include strongly defined security boundaries enforced by the hypervisor, which defend against attacks like side-channel information leaks, denial-of-service, and elevation of privilege.

The hypervisor security boundary provides segmentation between tenants for network traffic, virtual devices, storage, compute resources, and all other VM resources. This ensures confidentiality, integrity, and availability for the hypervisor security boundaries.

The hypervisor includes multiple layers of exploit mitigations in case a security boundary has a vulnerability. These mitigations include isolation of host-based process hosting cross-VM components, virtualization-based security, and multiple levels of exploit mitigations like ASLR and DEP.

The Azure hypervisor also has strong security assurance processes in place, including automated build integration, periodic security reviews, and a bug bounty program that pays an award for relevant vulnerabilities in eligible product versions.

Here are some of the specific exploit mitigations included in the Azure hypervisor:

The choice between Azure Hypervisor and Hyper-V ultimately comes down to your specific needs and requirements.

Most organizations have adopted a hybrid stance to their modern infrastructure, running some workloads on-premises and some in the cloud.

For businesses going all-in on the cloud, running critical virtual machines in the cloud makes sense, and Azure Hypervisor is the better fit.

However, for companies restricted by compliance requirements or wanting more control over their infrastructure, running VMs on-premises in Hyper-V is preferred.

Azure Hypervisor offers additional benefits and capabilities, such as the virtual machine gallery and integration with other Azure services, which may be essential for some businesses.

On the other hand, Hyper-V capabilities may be enough for many organizations.

Microsoft fully manages Azure Hypervisor and the underlying infrastructure, making it a great approach for businesses who want to leave managing the hardware and updates to Microsoft.

For complete control over their hardware, Hyper-V is the better choice.

Azure Hypervisor is subscription-based, meaning businesses only pay for the virtual machines they use, which can be a cost-effective solution for businesses with unpredictable workloads.

In contrast, Hyper-V requires an upfront investment in hardware and licensing, which can be expensive.

The Azure hypervisor is infinitely scalable, allowing businesses to add or remove virtual machines as needed quickly, which can be advantageous for "bursty" workloads.

However, Hyper-V is limited by the physical hardware on which it runs, meaning businesses will need to scale up by buying additional hardware.

Here's a summary of the key factors to consider:

Azure Hypervisor and Hyper-V share many similarities, since Azure Hypervisor is built on top of the Hyper-V hypervisor. Both allow running VMs, and support platforms including Windows, Linux, and more. Their robust virtual network capabilities make them a great choice for businesses of all sizes.

Both Azure Hypervisor and Hyper-V provide integration with other Microsoft management tools like System Center and PowerShell, making it easy to manage your virtual machines. This integration is a game-changer for businesses that rely on Microsoft products.

Here are some key similarities between the two:

Both Azure Hypervisor and Hyper-V allow you to run virtual machines (VMs). This means you can create and manage multiple virtual environments on a single physical host, which is a huge advantage for businesses and developers.

Azure Hypervisor and Hyper-V support a wide range of platforms, including Windows and Linux. This flexibility is a major plus, as it lets you run different operating systems on the same virtual machine.

Both Azure Hypervisor and Hyper-V have robust virtual network capabilities, which enable you to create complex network configurations and manage traffic flow.

Azure Hypervisor and Hyper-V also provide integration with other Microsoft management tools, such as System Center and PowerShell. This integration makes it easier to manage and monitor your virtual infrastructure.

Here are some of the key similarities between Azure Hypervisor and Hyper-V:

As we explore the similarities and differences between Azure Hypervisor and Hyper-V, one key aspect to consider is the fundamental differences between the two. Azure Hypervisor is cloud-based, whereas Hyper-V is designed to run on-premises.

One of the main advantages of Azure Hypervisor is its ability to provide additional features, such as a virtual machine gallery, and seamless integration with other Azure services. This can be a significant game-changer for businesses looking to streamline their operations.

In contrast, Hyper-V requires businesses to manage the physical hardware on which it runs and the underlying hypervisor software, updates, and lifecycle management. This can be a daunting task, especially for smaller businesses or those without extensive IT expertise.

Azure Hypervisor, on the other hand, is a fully managed service, which means that Microsoft is responsible for maintaining the underlying infrastructure, including the hypervisor itself. This can provide a significant level of peace of mind for businesses.

Here are the key differences between Azure Hypervisor and Hyper-V:

You can run Azure on-premises with Azure Stack HCI, a mash-up between the Azure hypervisor and Hyper-V. This allows you to run certified physical hardware with a special Azure HCI hypervisor.

Azure Stack HCI enables you to run native Azure workloads, like the Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS).

To add a Hyper-V host to the Azure inventory, you need to install Transporter on the remote host. Transporter is automatically installed when you add a Hyper-V host to the inventory, so you don't need to deploy it manually.

Firewalls must be configured properly, and if you see an error message like "Cannot connect to the “\\55.105221.43\C$” network share, make sure network shares on this host are accessible." You can find the external IP address of your Azure VM running Hyper-V in the Azure web interface.

To start a VM in Azure, go to Home > Virtual machines, select the VM, and click Start. The default network adapter name is Ethernet, and you can connect to the Windows Server 2016 VM running in Azure via Remote Desktop using the external IP address.

The demonstration environment is set up to showcase the replication process of a Hyper-V VM to Azure. One physical router with a built-in switch and a firewall serves as the gateway for the local site, with a WAN IP address of 77.88.196.86 and a LAN IP address of 192.168.17.1.

A machine with NAKIVO Backup & Replication installed is connected to the same network, with an IP address of 192.168.17.63. This machine is the central hub for managing the replication process. The Hyper-V host running on a physical server has an IP address of 192.168.17.23 and is connected to the same network.

The Hyper-V host has a virtual network adapter connected to a virtual switch with an IP address of 192.168.117.1. VMs running on the Hyper-V host are connected to this virtual switch and the network 192.168.117.0/24. The Hyper-V VM called WinServer2016blog is running on this Hyper-V host and will be replicated to Azure.

Here's a summary of the local site components:

In the Azure Cloud environment, a Hyper-V server running Windows Server 2016 is set up with an external IP address of 55.105.221.43. The Azure firewall is configured to allow connections only from external IP addresses of Office 1. Windows Firewall is also configured on the Hyper-V server in Azure to allow connections from the Hyper-V host to nested VMs and inversely.

Configuring Windows Firewall is a crucial step in setting up your Hyper-V host in Azure. You'll need to add rules to allow specific ports and protocols.

To configure Windows Firewall, you can use the Windows Firewall GUI or PowerShell. In PowerShell, you can create a rule with the command `New-NetFirewallRule`, specifying the display name, profile, direction, action, protocol, and local port.

For example, to create a rule that allows inbound connections to ports 9445, 9446, 445, 5986, 9448-10000, and 137-139, you would use the following command: `New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName 'Allow_Nakivo_ports' -Profile @('Domain', 'Private', 'Public') -Direction Inbound -Action Allow -Protocol TCP -LocalPort @('9445', '9446', '445', '5986', '9448-10000', '137-139') -RemoteAddress @('77.88.196.86', '77.88.196.87')`.

You'll also need to create a second rule to allow for inbound ICMP connections. This can be done with two separate commands: one for ICMPv4 and one for ICMPv6. The commands would be: `New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Allow_ping_NAKIVO4" -Direction Inbound -Protocol ICMPv4 -IcmpType 8 -RemoteAddress @('77.88.196.86', '77.88.196.87')` and `New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Allow_ping_NAKIVO6" -Direction Inbound -Protocol ICMPv6 -IcmpType 8 -RemoteAddress @('77.88.196.86', '77.88.196.87')`.

Make sure to check the Windows Firewall GUI to verify that the rules have been created successfully.

To create a VM replica in Azure, you need to deploy an Azure VM running Windows Server 2016 or Windows Server 2019. This will serve as the host for your nested VMs.

You'll then need to install the Hyper-V role on that Windows Server VM running in Azure. This will enable the Hyper-V environment within Azure.

Configure the network for your nested VM running on the virtual Hyper-V host in Azure. This will ensure that your VM replica can communicate with the outside world.

To replicate a VM from your physical Hyper-V host to a virtual Hyper-V host running as a VM in Azure, follow these steps:

By following these steps, you'll be able to create a VM replica in Azure that can be used for disaster recovery and failover.

When creating a virtual machine, you'll want to configure the disks carefully.

Select the configuration of the virtual disk that you wish to create on the Disks tab.

You should leave the OS disk type as Premium SSD, as it's the most practical option.

Premium SSD disks are supported by the VM size you selected, making it the best choice.

You can also create additional disks for your Azure virtual machine when it's created, even if it's already running.

This flexibility allows you to add storage as needed, without disrupting your virtual machine's operation.

To install the Hyper-V server role, you'll need to start the Azure VM running Windows Server 2016. The VM should start automatically after creation, but you can also start it manually by going to Home > Virtual machines in the Azure web interface, selecting the VM, and clicking Start.

Find the external IP address for this VM, which you can use to connect to the Windows Server 2016 VM running in Azure via Remote Desktop. The external IP address is 51.105.221.43 in this example.

Open the Remote Desktop client on your local Windows machine and connect to Windows Server 2016 running in Azure. You can find the appropriate shortcut in the Windows Start menu or open CMD and run the command mstsc -v: 51.105.221.43.

Enter the administrative credentials for Windows that you set during the process of the Azure VM creation. The default network adapter name is Ethernet.

To install the Hyper-V role, run PowerShell as an administrator and run the command Install-WindowsFeature -Name Hyper-V -IncludeManagementTools -Restart. The Azure VM running Windows Server 2016 will automatically reboot to finish Hyper-V installation.

Connect to your Azure VM after the machine reboot manually by using the Remote Desktop client. Once you've connected to the Windows Server 2016 VM running in Azure via RDP, configure the Hyper-V Server in the Server Manager window.