Create a Comprehensive Azure Network Diagram

Creating a comprehensive Azure network diagram is essential for visualizing and understanding your network architecture. This will help you identify potential issues and make informed decisions about your network infrastructure.

A good Azure network diagram should include all the necessary components, such as virtual networks, subnets, network security groups, and load balancers.

To create a comprehensive diagram, start by identifying the different network components in your Azure environment, including virtual networks, subnets, and network security groups.

Keep in mind that a network diagram should be a living document, regularly updated to reflect changes to your network architecture.

Creating an Azure Network Diagram is a great way to visualize your cloud infrastructure. You can use Hava to automatically produce diagrams, including an extended infrastructure view that adds metadata like full resource names and resource sizes.

Hava offers three types of diagrams: standard infrastructure and security diagrams, an extended infrastructure view, and a List View. The List View is a list of all resources discovered in your environment, including elements not visualized on the diagrams.

To create a List View, you can filter, sort by name, type, or price, and export it to CSV for easy import into a spreadsheet for cost analysis.

Some resources are not visualized on the diagrams, but do appear in the List View, such as Network Interface, Network Security Group, and Public IP.

Here's a list of visualized resources:

Azure also offers an Azure Architecture Diagram Template, which visually shows the steps of a cloud architecture framework.

Designing an Azure network diagram requires careful consideration of various network topologies. You can connect multiple landing zone virtual networks using hub-and-spoke, full-mesh, and hybrid topologies.

To ensure connectivity between virtual networks across different subscriptions, you can use virtual network peering, an ExpressRoute circuit, or VPN gateways. Virtual network peering is the preferred method to connect virtual networks in Azure.

To establish connectivity across virtual networks, consider using ExpressRoute circuits or VPN gateways. ExpressRoute circuits can provide global connectivity with premium add-ons. VPN gateways have a maximum aggregated throughput of 10 gigabits per second and support up to 100 site-to-site or network-to-network tunnels.

Here are the five pillars of the Azure architecture framework to keep in mind when designing your network diagram:

Design considerations are crucial when it comes to connecting multiple virtual networks in Azure. You can use various network topologies, such as hub-and-spoke, full-mesh, and hybrid topologies.

Virtual networks can't traverse subscription boundaries, so you'll need to use virtual network peering, ExpressRoute circuits, or VPN gateways to achieve connectivity between virtual networks across different subscriptions. Virtual network peering is the preferred method to connect virtual networks in Azure, allowing you to connect virtual networks in the same region, across different Azure regions, and across different Microsoft Entra tenants.

To enable a transit network, you need user-defined routes (UDRs) and network virtual appliances (NVAs). ExpressRoute circuits can be used to establish connectivity across virtual networks within the same geopolitical region or across geopolitical regions with the premium add-on.

VPN gateways with Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) are transitive within Azure and on-premises networks, but they don't provide transitive access to networks connected through ExpressRoute by default. If you need transitive access to networks connected through ExpressRoute, consider Azure Route Server.

Here are some key considerations for ExpressRoute circuits:

Creating an Architecture Diagram Template is a crucial step in the design and planning process. You can use Azure Architecture Diagram Templates, which are available in the template library, to get started.

To create an Azure Architecture Diagram Template, you'll need to use a tool like Miro, which offers an Azure Architecture Diagram Template that you can customize as needed. Once you have the diagram structure, you can start adding the icons, which can be found under the Azure Icon Set integration.

There are several Azure diagram templates available in the template library, which can be accessed by clicking Arrange > Insert > Template. You can then expand the Cloud section and select Azure to see the available templates.

You can preview a template by clicking on the magnifying glass in the top right corner, and then select a template to add it to the drawing canvas. This will give you a solid foundation for your architecture diagram.

The Azure Architecture Diagram Template is a valuable resource that can help you visualize your cloud architecture framework. The template is organized into five pillars: Cost optimization, Operational excellence, Performance efficiency, Reliability, and Security.

Here are the five pillars of the Azure Architecture Framework:

Network Diagnostic Tools are a crucial part of managing your IaaS resources, and Azure's Network Watcher has several tools to help you do just that.

Network Security Groups (NSGs) contain rules that determine if network traffic can flow between two endpoints. These rules include information such as source and destination IPv4 addresses, ports, protocols, and traffic direction.

Azure creates NSGs with default rules for allowing traffic between subnets or out to the Internet. You can make additional rules to allow or block other traffic based on the virtual machine's network requirements.

One of the tools in Network Watcher is the IP flow verify tool, which tests communication between endpoints and shows which rule is allowing or denying the traffic. This tool is especially useful when you create a rule that ends up blocking traffic and impacting a VM's workload.

Here are some of the diagnostic tools available in Network Watcher:

Now that you have a solid understanding of the design and planning process, it's time to think about the next step.

Create a detailed project schedule that outlines key milestones and deadlines. This will help you stay on track and ensure that all aspects of the project are completed on time.

Break down the project into smaller, manageable tasks that can be tackled one by one. This will make it easier to focus on each task and avoid feeling overwhelmed.

Don't forget to include regular check-ins with your team and stakeholders to ensure everyone is on the same page.

Establishing a clear communication plan will help prevent misunderstandings and keep the project moving forward.

Network Configuration is a crucial aspect of setting up your Azure network.

In Azure, you can create and manage virtual networks using the Azure portal, Azure CLI, or Azure PowerShell.

A virtual network is a virtualized version of a traditional network, allowing you to create a secure and isolated environment for your resources.

You can create a virtual network by specifying a unique name, a resource group, and a location.

The virtual network address space is divided into subnets, which can be used to organize your resources logically.

You can create subnets by specifying a unique name, a subnet address range, and a subnet prefix length.

Subnets can be used to isolate resources that require different security configurations or network policies.

For example, you can create a subnet for your web servers and another subnet for your databases.

Azure provides several types of subnets, including public-facing subnets and private-facing subnets.

Public-facing subnets are used for resources that require external access, such as web servers and load balancers.

Private-facing subnets are used for resources that do not require external access, such as databases and file shares.

You can also create network security groups (NSGs) to control traffic flow to and from your subnets.

NSGs can be used to allow or deny traffic based on source IP address, destination IP address, and port number.

For example, you can create an NSG that allows traffic from the internet to your web servers on port 80.

Logging and Monitoring is a crucial aspect of Azure network management. Network Monitor provides logging for various Azure resources, including NSGs, VM network interfaces, public IP addresses, and more.

You can analyze the logs using Microsoft's PowerBI and PowerBI displays the log data using rich visualizations. This helps you quickly identify trends and patterns in your network traffic.

Enabling diagnostic logging for these resources allows you to capture detailed information about network activity. Each resource can have up to 5 diagnostic settings, giving you flexibility in what you want to track.

Azure captures the diagnostic logs and exports them to a data store of your choosing, such as Log Analytics workspace, Event Hubs, or Azure Storage. This centralized approach makes it easier to manage and analyze your network data.

You can export your Azure diagram in various formats to share with others. PNG, SVG, or JPEG image formats are available, and you can also export to PDF, which can be cropped to the diagram size.

To share your diagram with others, select the Include a copy of my diagram in the Image export options dialog. This will allow them to edit the diagram.

You can embed your Azure diagram in a variety of documentation platforms. Some of these platforms include Confluence Cloud, Jira Cloud, Google Docs, Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, as well as Google Sites and GitHub markdown pages.

Here are some of the platforms where you can embed your diagram:

If you need to export your diagram in Visio format, you can use the VSDX export option. This will allow you to import the diagram into Visio or a compatible application for editing.