Setting Up and Managing Azure Internet Gateway

To set up an Azure Internet Gateway, you'll need to create a new gateway in the Azure portal. This involves selecting the desired subscription and resource group, as well as choosing the gateway SKU and location.

The gateway SKU determines the performance and scalability of your gateway, with options ranging from Basic to High-Performance. For a small to medium-sized business, the Basic SKU is a good starting point.

You'll also need to create a new virtual network and subnet to host your gateway. This involves specifying the address space and subnet prefix length.

Once you've created the gateway, you'll need to configure the routing, including the public IP address and the routes to be advertised to your on-premises network.

Azure Virtual Network Gateway is a service provided by Microsoft Azure that allows you to send encrypted traffic over the public internet between an Azure virtual network and an on-premises location.

It's a crucial component of Azure's internet gateway, enabling secure communication between your cloud and on-premises environments.

The Virtual Network Gateway service supports both ExpressRoute Gateway and VPN Gateway types, giving you flexibility in how you set up your network.

You can monitor your Virtual Network Gateway using Applications Manager's Azure Virtual Network Gateway monitoring tool, which tracks key performance metrics.

To create a Virtual Network Gateway, search for "Virtual Network Gateways" in the Azure portal and click on it. Then, click the Create button to start the wizard.

The wizard will guide you through filling out the Gateway details and configuring the Public IP details. You'll need to create a new Public IP address for your Virtual Network Gateway.

The deployment time for a Virtual Network Gateway varies from 2-15 minutes, so be patient and go make a coffee while you wait.

Once the deployment is complete, locate the Public IP address of your Virtual Network Gateway and copy it somewhere safe – you'll need it for PFSense.

Here's a quick summary of the steps to create a Virtual Network Gateway:

Creating a Virtual Network Gateway is a straightforward process. You can do this by searching for "Virtual Network Gateways" in the Azure portal and clicking on it.

To create a Virtual Network Gateway, you'll need to fill out the Gateway details and configure the Public IP details, including creating a new Public IP address if needed. This deployment time can vary from 2-15 minutes, so go make a coffee while you wait.

Once the Virtual Network Gateway deployment has completed, locate the Public IP address and copy it somewhere, as you'll need it for further configuration.

You can also manage a gateway using PowerShell, which offers a more streamlined process. This allows you to create and remove gateways, upgrade them, and even change the gateway type from "staticrouting" to "dynamicrouting".

The Configuration section is where things get really interesting. Here, you can specify the Resource Group Name, which is simply the name of the resource group where your virtual network gateway will reside.

The Location parameter is also crucial, as it determines where your resource will be hosted.

The Provisioning State parameter indicates the current status of your virtual network gateway resource, which can be one of the following: Provisioning, Succeeded, or Failed.

You'll also need to choose a Gateway Type, which can be either a VPN Gateway or a Local Network Gateway.

If you're setting up a VPN, you'll need to select a VPN Type, which can be either Routebased or Policybased.

The SKU parameter determines the pricing tier for your gateway, with options varying depending on your region.

IPSec Replay Protection can be enabled or disabled, depending on your security needs.

BGP Status can also be enabled or disabled, depending on whether you need to use Border Gateway Protocol.

Active-Active Mode can be enabled or disabled, allowing you to configure your gateway for high availability.

Private IP Address Status can be enabled or disabled, controlling whether private IP addresses are enabled on this gateway for connections.

Here's a summary of the possible values for some of these parameters:

This is just a starting point, and you can experiment with different configurations to find what works best for your needs.

To create a Virtual Network Gateway, start by searching for "Virtual Network Gateways" and clicking on it. This will open the Virtual Network Gateway wizard.

In the wizard, fill out the Gateway details. Scroll down and configure the Public IP details, which may require creating a new one. Click Next and tag your new Virtual Network Gateway for easy identification.

The Virtual Network Gateway deployment time can vary from 2-15 minutes, so go grab a coffee while you wait. Once deployment is complete, locate the Public IP address and copy it somewhere, as you'll need it for PFSense.

Here's a quick summary of the steps:

Azure routes traffic to a destination address in one of three ways: within the virtual network, to the internet, or to none. This is determined by the next hop.

Traffic destined for an address range within a virtual network (vNET) is routed within the virtual network. This is the default behavior.

If the destination traffic is internet-bound and there are no User Defined Routes (UDRs) in place, the traffic flow will use the default route of 0.0.0.0/0.

However, if a UDR matches, it will be used instead of the default route.

In some cases, Azure will drop traffic that is being routed to none. This happens when the traffic is being routed to a private IP address that is not found in RFC 1918 or RFC 6598.

Here are the possible next hops for Azure:

PowerShell is a powerful tool for managing gateways. You can create and remove a gateway with ease, making it a streamlined process.

To create a gateway, you can use PowerShell to upgrade a gateway from default or standard to high performance. This can greatly improve the performance of your gateway.

Changing the gateway type from "staticrouting" to "dynamicrouting" is also possible with PowerShell. This can be a game-changer for those who need more flexibility in their routing setup.

Managing gateways via PowerShell is a more efficient process than other methods. It allows you to perform multiple tasks with just a few commands, saving you time and effort.