What Is Azure Pro and How Does It Work

Azure Pro is a program that offers exclusive benefits to Microsoft Azure customers who have achieved a certain level of expertise and commitment to the platform.

Members of Azure Pro get access to priority support from Microsoft engineers, who can provide expert guidance and help troubleshoot complex issues.

This support is available 24/7, and members can also get help from a dedicated account manager who can help with account setup and management.

With Azure Pro, members also get access to a range of training and certification resources, which can help them develop their skills and stay up-to-date with the latest Azure technologies.

The Azure Stack Edge Pro solution consists of three main components: the Azure Stack Edge resource, the Azure Stack Edge Pro physical device, and the local web UI. The Azure Stack Edge Pro physical device is a compact 2U device supplied by Microsoft that can be configured to send data to Azure.

To procure a device, you can go to the Azure Edge Hardware Center and place an order. You can choose from a variety of Azure Stack Edge SKUs as per your business need, and even order multiple units of a device type to be shipped to different locations.

The Azure Stack Edge resource is a resource in the Azure portal that lets you manage an Azure Stack Edge Pro device from a web interface that you can access from different geographical locations. You can use the Azure Stack Edge resource to create and manage resources, view and manage devices and alerts, and manage shares.

The local web UI on the device is a browser-based interface primarily intended for the initial configuration of the device. It currently supports the following languages: English, Czech, German, Spanish, French, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese - Brazil, Portuguese - Portugal, Russian, Swedish, Turkish, Chinese - simplified, and Chinese - traditional.

Here are the Azure Stack Edge Pro R capabilities:

Azure Stack Edge Pro 2 and Pro R are designed for deployment in edge locations such as retail, telecommunications, manufacturing, or even healthcare.

They can be used for rapid Machine Learning (ML) inferencing at the edge, allowing you to get quick results that can be acted on before the data is sent to the cloud.

Here are the various scenarios where Azure Stack Edge Pro 2 and Pro R can be used:

The full data set can optionally be transferred to continue to retrain and improve your ML models. This is especially useful for scenarios where you need to continue training and refining your models in the cloud.

Azure Stack Edge Pro 2 and Pro R devices are equipped with a range of key capabilities that make them ideal for various edge computing scenarios. These capabilities include accelerated AI inferencing, edge computing, data access, and cloud-managed operations.

Accelerated AI inferencing is enabled by the compute acceleration card, which can be configured with one, two, or no Graphical Processing Units (GPUs). This allows for fast and efficient processing of machine learning models at the edge.

Azure Stack Edge devices support VM and containerized workloads, enabling analysis, processing, and filtering of data. This is particularly useful for applications that require real-time data processing and analytics.

Data access is another key capability of Azure Stack Edge devices. They provide direct access to Azure Storage Blobs and Azure Files using cloud APIs, allowing for additional data processing in the cloud. A local cache on the device is also used for fast access of most recently used files.

Azure Stack Edge devices can be managed via the Azure portal, making it easy to deploy, run, and manage applications in the cloud. They also support disconnected mode, which allows for offline upload scenarios.

In terms of security, Azure Stack Edge devices provide double encryption, using self-encrypting drives and BitLocker support to locally encrypt data and secure data transfer to the cloud over HTTPS.

Here is a summary of the key capabilities of Azure Stack Edge devices:

The Azure Stack Edge Pro 2 solution is comprised of three main components: the Azure Stack Edge Pro 2 physical device, the Azure Stack Edge resource, and the local web UI.

The Azure Stack Edge Pro 2 physical device is a compact 2U device supplied by Microsoft that can be configured to send data to Azure. You can procure a device by visiting the Azure Edge Hardware Center and placing an order.

The Azure Stack Edge resource is a resource in the Azure portal that lets you manage an Azure Stack Edge Pro 2 device from a web interface accessible from different geographical locations. This resource enables you to create and manage resources, view and manage devices and alerts, and manage shares.

The local web UI on the Azure Stack Edge Pro 2 device primarily serves for the initial configuration of the device and supports multiple languages, including English, Czech, German, Spanish, and more.

Here are the languages supported by the local web UI on the Azure Stack Edge Pro 2 device:

Virtual Machines are a great way to host DriveWorks modules, and Azure Windows Server based Virtual Machines are fully supported.

You can access a Virtual Machine remotely using Remote Desktop Connection, and then download and install the required DriveWorks software.

Azure provides an Azure File Storage service, but our tests have found it to have a detrimental effect on performance, so it's best to avoid using it.

Any other third-party software, such as SOLIDWORKS or Office, can be installed on an Azure VM as long as the prerequisites are met.

To host DriveWorks Pro Server on an Azure VM, you'll need to add two specific ports to the Windows Firewall exceptions: 8000 and 8025.

Here are the steps to configure these ports in the networking options for your VM:

Databases are a crucial part of any DriveWorks implementation, and Azure SQL Database is a fully supported option.

You'll be given a server address once your database is provisioned, which should be entered into the Server field of DriveWorks Pro Server.

Using SQL Server Authentication is recommended for connecting to an Azure SQL Database, and you'll need to use the login details you entered when provisioning the database.

With Azure SQL Database, you can create a new Shared Group and start a new DriveWorks implementation using DriveWorks Administrator.

There is a known issue with creating a New Shared Group in Microsoft Azure, so be sure to check the Known Issues section for more information.

You can migrate an existing local implementation to Azure using the DriveWorks Data Management Copy Group task.

All DriveWorks database functionality is fully supported with Azure SQL Databases, including functions like DbQuery, QueryDataValues, and QueryData.

Make sure to enter the correct values in the User Name and Password fields for these functions to work properly.

The Azure SQL Database server address should be included in the connection string when using Data Documents - SQL Server Data Export.

Networking is a crucial aspect of any system, and Azure offers a range of services to connect cloud and on-premises infrastructure.

Azure provides DNS domain hosting, which allows you to host your own domain and manage your DNS settings.

Azure also offers virtual and private networks, which enable you to create a secure and isolated network for your applications.

One of the key services offered by Azure is Load Balancer, which distributes traffic across multiple servers to ensure high availability and scalability.

To connect to Azure, you'll need to configure your network settings, including adding inbound port rules for services like DriveWorks Pro Server.

To host DriveWorks Pro Server on an Azure VM, you'll need to add two ports to the Windows Firewall exceptions: 8000 and 8025.

Once you've added the exceptions, you'll need to configure the same ports in the networking options for that VM.

Here's a step-by-step guide to configuring the ports for DriveWorks Pro Server on Azure:

By following these steps, you'll be able to configure your network settings and connect to Azure.