Azure Jump Box: Features, Pricing, and Setup

Azure Jump Box is a secure and managed way to access your Azure resources. It's essentially a virtual machine that serves as a secure entry point to your Azure environment.

One of the key features of Azure Jump Box is its ability to provide secure access to your Azure resources using a jump server. This feature is especially useful for remote access and troubleshooting.

Setting up an Azure Jump Box is relatively straightforward, and can be done using the Azure portal. You can create a new virtual machine, configure the necessary settings, and deploy it to your desired location.

Azure Jump Box also provides a secure way to access your Azure resources using SSH keys, which adds an extra layer of security to your environment.

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A Jump Box is a virtual machine that sits over a virtual network and prevents all the other Virtual Machines from being exposed to the public.

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It acts as the doorway to all the RDP connections made to your VMs, making it a single point of access.

Only a single port will be exposed when using a Jump Box, instead of multiple ports that are exposed when you don't use it.

You can't interact with a Jump Box directly, but you can configure it according to your needs.

It supports both RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) & SSH connections.

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Having a jump box server is a good practice, especially when creating a private cluster with no access to the vnet, and it's recommended to set it up as a VM.

To deploy Azure Bastion, you should configure your target virtual network first. This involves creating an empty, non-delegated subnet named AzureBastionSubnet with a subnet ID of at least /27.

To create a Bastion, you'll need to specify the subscription, resource group, instance name, region, virtual network, public IP address, and more. Make sure to select the correct VNet and AzureBastionSubnet subnet for the virtual network.

Here's a summary of the required values for creating a Bastion:

Provision is a crucial step in setting up your infrastructure. Having a jump box server as your installation terminal is a good practice, especially when creating a private cluster with no access to the vnet.

To deploy Azure Bastion, configure your target virtual network first. You'll need to create an empty, non-delegated subnet named AzureBastionSubnet with an IP address prefix of at least /27.

The AzureBastionSubnet subnet is crucial for Bastion deployment. You can't use a delegated subnet for this purpose.

To deploy Azure Bastion, go to the Bastions blade, click Add, and complete the Create a Bastion form. You'll need to supply the following values: Subscription, Resource group, Instance name, Region, Virtual network, and Public IP address.

Be sure to specify the correct VNet and AzureBastionSubnet subnet when creating a Bastion. This is a critical step in the deployment process.

Here are the specific values you'll need to provide when creating a Bastion:

After creating the Bastion, you can deploy virtual machines to the target virtual network. Be sure not to associate a public IP address or a network security group (NSG) to the VM's virtual network interface card (NIC) yet.

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You can connect to a Windows Server VM through Azure Bastion by browsing to the Overview blade, clicking Connect, and selecting the BASTION tab.

The Azure Bastion engineering team at Microsoft plans to support client-side RDP and SSH tools in the future, but for now, you'll need to authenticate with a local administrative account and allow or block shared clipboard access.

For Linux VMs, the connection procedure is the same, and you can authenticate using an SSH private key or a password.

You can add Network Security Groups (NSGs) to both your Bastion subnet and your VM subnets to enhance security.

Here's a step-by-step guide to connecting to a VM using Bastion:

The RDP connection will open in a new tab via Bastion, allowing you to perform all actions, using port 443 and the Bastion service.

To configure Azure Bastion, you'll need a Public IP address with a specific configuration. The Public IP address SKU must be Standard and the assignment/allocation method must be Static.

You can choose to use a public IP address that you already created, as long as it meets the criteria required by Azure Bastion and is not already in use. To create a new public IP address, provide a name and use the Standard SKU.

To configure Azure Bastion, you'll need to create a subnet with the name AzureBastionSubnet and a prefix of /27 or larger. Make sure you use this name only and ensure it's NSG protected.

Here are the steps to create a new public IP address for Azure Bastion:

Azure Bastion is configured under the same virtual network where all Azure VMs reside.

The Bastion subnet is protected by a Network Security Group (NSG) and has its own unique name, "AzureBastionSubnet", with a minimum /27 prefix.

Only TCP port 443 is supported for communication through the Bastion subnet from the Azure Portal.

Azure Bastion eliminates the need for network hardening and Just In Time access, which can be costly and time-consuming.

The Bastion subnet only allows communication through TCP port 443 from the Azure Portal, making it a secure option for connecting to Azure VMs.

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To set up Azure Bastion, you'll need to create a Public IP address with specific configuration. The Public IP address SKU must be Standard, and the assignment/allocation method must be Static.

You can choose to use a Public IP address you already created, as long as it meets the criteria required by Azure Bastion and is not already in use. To create a new Public IP address, simply give it a name that you'll use to refer to it.

To configure Azure Bastion Host, start by logging into the Azure portal and searching for "Bastion" in the global search box. Then, click on Bastions under services.

You'll need to select or create a subnet named "AzureBastionSubnet" that's at least /27 or larger. For the Standard SKU, we recommend /26 or larger to accommodate future additional host scaling instances.

Here are the steps to configure Azure Bastion:

Note: After selecting the required Virtual Network, you'll need to choose or create the subnet named “AzureBastionSubnet,” and that subnet must be at least /27 or larger.

Azure Bastion Host is a secure and seamless way to access your virtual machines, offering RDP and SSH access without exposing your VM to public IP addresses. This helps limit threats such as port scanning and malware targeting your VMs.

A modern HTML5-based web client and standard SSL ports make it easy to manage Firewall and security rules. The service uses a fixed charge, which is billed hourly, with prices varying by location. For example, in East US, the hourly charge is around $0.19.

You'll also pay for outbound data transfer, with the first 5 GB free each month. After that, prices range from $0.0435 to $0.025 per GB, depending on the total consumption. Here's a rough breakdown of the costs:

The total cost for a setup with 25 TB of traffic, for example, would be around $972.70, based on public preview pricing. Keep in mind that prices may change when Azure Bastion Host hits general availability.

Azure Bastion offers secure and seamless RDP and SSH access to your virtual machines. This is a game-changer for remote work and server management.

One of the best features of Azure Bastion is that it doesn't expose your virtual machine's public IP address, which helps limit threats like port scanning and malware.

Azure Bastion uses a modern HTML5-based web client and standard SSL ports, making it easy to manage Firewall and security rules.

The service has a fixed charge, which is around $0.19 per hour in the East US location. This can add up to a monthly cost of $70 in some regions.

There are also outbound data transfer charges, which are tiered based on total consumption. The first 5 GB of data transfer is free, and then it costs between $0.0435 to $0.025 per GB for each additional GB.

Here's a breakdown of the estimated costs for a scenario where two server admins generate 25 TB of traffic:

Total estimated cost for this scenario: 972.70 €

Keep in mind that these prices are subject to change, and you can review the Azure Pricing sheet for the latest information.

Azure Bastion offers two types of SKU: Basic and Standard.

The Basic SKU is a more affordable option, but it's limited in its features and capabilities.

Azure Bastion also supports the Standard SKU, which offers more features and capabilities than the Basic SKU.

The Standard SKU is a good choice for users who need more advanced features and better performance.