Azure Resource Manager: Template Creation and Management Guide

Azure Resource Manager is a powerful tool for managing Azure resources. It provides a single location for managing all your resources, including virtual machines, storage accounts, and networking resources.

To create a template in Azure Resource Manager, you can use a JSON file. This file contains the template syntax, which is used to define the resources and their properties.

Azure Resource Manager templates can be created using a visual editor or a text editor. The visual editor provides a user-friendly interface for creating templates, while the text editor allows for more precise control over the template syntax.

Resource groups are used to organize related resources in Azure Resource Manager. They provide a way to group resources together for easier management and deployment.

Azure Resource Manager Templates are JSON files that define the resources you need to deploy for your solution. They provide a declarative way to define your intention to deploy a workload, specifying the resources to deploy, the location to deploy them, and the desired order of deployment.

ARM templates are idempotent, meaning you can run them multiple times, and they will always produce the same result. This feature makes ARM templates very useful for reliable infrastructure automation.

Templates can include parameters that allow for input values at deployment time, making the templates reusable and adaptable to different environments or scenarios. You can also use variables to simplify complex expressions and define values that are used multiple times within a template.

Here are some key benefits of using ARM templates:

To create a template, you'll need to define the resources and settings for your Azure environment. An ARM template is a JSON file that describes the resources you want to deploy, so start by creating a new JSON file and giving it a name.

You can create a basic ARM template using a single parameter, such as a storage account name. For example, you can define a parameter called StorageAccountName and use it to set the name of the storage account. Save this to a file called storageAccount.json.

ARM templates also support parameterization, which enables you to input values during deployment time. You can use parameters to customize your template for different environments or scenarios. For example, you can create a parameter file called virtualMachine.parameters.json that contains values for the virtual machine name, admin password, and size.

Here's an example of a parameter file with values for the virtual machine parameters:

```json

{

"$schema": "https://schema.management.azure.com/schemas/2019-04-01/deploymentParameters.json#",

"contentVersion": "1.0.0.0",

"parameters": {

"VMName": {

"value": "myvm"

},

"VMAdmin": {

"value": "adminuser"

},

"VMAdminPassword": {

"value": "P@ssw0rd"

},

"VMSize": {

"value": "Standard_DS2_v2"

}

}

}

```

You can also use a parameters file to specify values for your template. To do this, create a new file called storageAccount.parameters.json and add the values for your storage account parameters. Then, use the same command to deploy your template, but add the -TemplateParameterFile parameter with a value of the new parameter file.

Outputs are helpful for data that Azure dynamically generates during the deployment, like a public IP address.

The outputs section in an Azure Resource Manager template defines values and information returned from the deployment. This is useful for accessing data that Azure generates automatically.

You can use outputs to display the connection endpoints for a newly created storage account, like the stgAccountName variable. This variable is generated by the ARM template.

The primary endpoints can be listed when deploying the ARM template using PowerShell. This is a useful feature for connecting to other Microsoft cloud services, such as Office 365.

Azure Resource Manager templates are a powerful tool for deploying and managing cloud resources. They allow you to define the infrastructure and configuration of your resources in a single file.

You can use Azure Resource Manager templates to deploy resources across multiple Azure subscriptions.

What is the purpose of a parameters file in Azure Resource Manager templates? It allows you to define and pass values to your template, making it reusable and easier to manage.

The parameters file is a separate JSON file that contains the values for the parameters defined in your template.

You can use the Azure CLI to deploy an Azure Resource Manager template. This is a convenient way to deploy resources from the command line.

Azure Resource Manager templates support a wide range of resource types, including virtual machines, storage accounts, and networks.

ARM templates are JSON files that define the resources you need to deploy for your solution. They use a JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) syntax that also includes advanced capabilities.

A blank ARM template looks like a standard JSON file, waiting for you to add your own resources and configurations. You can save it to a file like storageAccount.json, or download a pre-made template from a GitHub repository.

To create a basic ARM template, you'll need to define a storage account with a parameter called StorageAccountName. This parameter will allow you to set the name of the storage account at deployment time.

Here are some key elements to include in your ARM template:

Remember to keep your template structured and organized, with clear and concise naming conventions. This will make it easier to read and maintain your template over time.

ARM templates are idempotent, meaning you can run them multiple times and they will always produce the same result. This feature makes ARM templates very useful for reliable infrastructure automation.

To deploy Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates, you'll need to use a deployment script, such as PowerShell. This is because ARM templates are declarative, meaning they describe what resources are needed, but not how to create them.

You can use the New-AzResourceGroupDeployment cmdlet to deploy a template, specifying the resource group to deploy to and the template file path. For example, you can use the command `New-AzResourceGroupDeployment -ResourceGroupName $rg.ResourceGroupName -TemplateFile .\storageAccount.json`.

ARM templates are idempotent, meaning you can run them multiple times and they will always produce the same result. This is because they are declarative, and the Azure Resource Manager takes care of the order of operations for deployment, deploying dependent resources in the correct order and, when possible, deploying in parallel for faster deployments.

To deploy using a parameters file, you can create a new file named storageAccount.parameters.json in the same directory as the ARM template, specifying the values for the parameters. Then, use the same command as before, adding the -TemplateParameterFile parameter with a value of the new parameter file.

Here's a summary of the deployment modes:

Deploying templates with PowerShell is a powerful way to automate Azure deployments. You can use PowerShell to deploy ARM templates, which are JSON files that define the resources you need to deploy for your solution.

To deploy an ARM template using PowerShell, you'll need to have PowerShell version 5.1 or higher, the Azure (Az) PowerShell module, and an Azure administrator account with sufficient permissions to create resources. The Azure (Az) PowerShell module is required to interact with Azure resources, and it provides a set of cmdlets that make it easy to work with Azure resources from PowerShell.

To deploy an ARM template, you'll need to use the New-AzResourceGroupDeployment cmdlet, which specifies the resource group to deploy to and the template file path. You can also specify the value of parameters using the -ParameterFile parameter.

Here are the required parameters to deploy an ARM template using PowerShell:

You can also use the -Verbose parameter to view the resource group deployment progress.

Here's an example of how to deploy an ARM template using PowerShell:

```

New-AzResourceGroupDeployment `

-TemplateFile .\storageAccount.json `

-ResourceGroupName $rg.ResourceGroupName `

-TemplateParameterFile .\storageAccount.parameters.json `

-Verbose

```

Note that you'll need to replace the file paths with the actual paths to your ARM template and parameter files.

Using a parameter file can make it easier to deploy templates with different values, and it's a good practice to use a parameter file to specify the values of parameters. This way, you can reuse the same template with different values for different deployments.

By following these steps and using the New-AzResourceGroupDeployment cmdlet, you can easily deploy ARM templates using PowerShell and automate your Azure deployments.

To connect to Azure, you first need to authenticate your account. Use the Connect-AzAccount command, and PowerShell will open an Internet browser to complete the authentication.

This step is crucial because it allows you to access the commands from the Az PowerShell module.

ARM templates provide a declarative way to define your intention to deploy a workload, specifying the resources to deploy, the location to deploy them, and the desired order of deployment. They are idempotent, meaning you can run them multiple times, and they will always produce the same result.

You should limit the size of the template to 4 MB, which is the limit after Resource Manager expands the template with iterative resource deployments and values for variables and parameters. This limit also applies to the number of parameters, variables, resources, output values, and characters in a template expression.

Here are some key limits to keep in mind:

ARM templates are also repeatable, meaning you can write and deploy the same template many times to get the same result. This feature makes ARM templates very useful for reliable infrastructure automation.

In Azure, a resource group is a container that holds related resources for an Azure solution. This group facilitates the collective management of these resources, sharing lifecycle, permissions, and policies.

To create a resource group, you can use the New-AzResourceGroup command, as shown in Example 1. This command requires a name and Azure region for the resource group.

A resource group name can be something like "armdemo-rg", and the location can be set to "WestUs2" as demonstrated in Example 1. This will help you organize your resources and manage them efficiently.

You can manage and monitor related resources as a single entity by grouping them together into a single resource group, as mentioned in Example 2. This makes it easier to monitor and manage your Azure environment.

Here are some benefits of using resource groups:

Resource groups also enable you to apply consistent policies and access controls to the entire group, enhancing security and compliance, as noted in Example 2. This is a great way to ensure that all your resources are managed consistently and securely.

Concurrent operations can be a challenge in template management, but Azure Resource Manager has a built-in mechanism to resolve them.

Azure Resource Manager detects conflicts and permits only one operation to complete successfully, blocking the other operations and returning an error.

This resolution ensures that your updates are deterministic and reliable, allowing you to know the status of your resources and avoid any inconsistency or data loss.

If two requests try to update the same resource at the same time and one finishes before the other, the first request succeeds and the second request fails with a 409 error.

After receiving the 409 error, you can get the updated status of the resource and determine if you want to resend the second request.

Locks are a crucial aspect of template management in Azure. They prevent accidental modifications or deletions of your Azure resources.

You can apply locks at different scopes, including subscriptions, resource groups, and individual resources. This ensures critical components of your infrastructure remain unchanged and protected.

Locks can be applied directly through the Azure portal or programmatically using the Azure Command Line Interface (CLI) or PowerShell. This provides a way to automate the protection of resources.

There are two types of locks: Read-Only and Delete. A Read-Only lock makes the resource read-only, preventing any modifications. Users can still read and list the resource but cannot make changes.

A Delete lock prevents the resource from being deleted. It's particularly valuable for resources that are crucial to your environment's integrity, ensuring they cannot be removed without removing the lock first.

Locks applied at a higher scope are inherited by the resources within that scope. This feature ensures comprehensive protection across your Azure environment.

Only users with administrative privileges, such as the Owner or User Access Administrator roles, can manage locks to prevent unauthorized changes.

Here's a summary of the types of locks:

If a request tries to update a resource that's locked, it will return a 409 error code. After getting this error code, you can get the updated status of the resource and determine if you want to resend the request.

ARM template deployments have two different modes: incremental and complete. The default mode is incremental, which means Azure deploys the resources in the template and leaves other resources not specified in the template alone.

In incremental mode, Azure deploys (or updates) resources in the resource group but leaves any existing resources alone. This mode is implicit by default, but you can use -Mode Incremental in the deployment command to explicitly specify the deployment mode.

Complete mode has completely different and potentially destructive behavior. When using complete mode, the Resource Manager service will delete any resources from the resource group specified in the ARM template that are not defined in the template.

ARM templates offer two deployment modes: incremental and complete.

The default mode is incremental, which means Azure deploys the resources in the template and leaves other resources not specified in the template alone.

You can use -Mode Incremental in the PowerShell command to explicitly specify the deployment mode.

In incremental mode, Azure tries to create all the template resources. If the resource already exists and matches the resource defined in the template, the Azure resource is left unchanged.

If you change one or more property values in a resource, Azure updates the resource with the new value.

Here are the key differences between incremental and complete modes:

In complete mode, Azure will prompt if you are sure you want to continue with a complete deployment mode as the Resource Manager service could delete resources.

Moving Between Groups/Subscriptions is a crucial aspect of managing your resources. You can move resources between resource groups and even between subscriptions using Azure Resource Manager. This functionality is key for managing the lifecycle of your resources and organizing your infrastructure according to changing business needs.

Not all resources can be moved, however. Certain conditions must be met before moving resources, so be sure to consult the Azure documentation for specific rules and limitations related to moving resources.