Azure Virtual Machine Types for Different Workloads

Azure offers a range of virtual machine types to suit different workloads, from general-purpose to high-performance.

For general-purpose workloads, Azure offers B-Series VMs, which provide a balance of CPU and memory resources.

For high-performance computing, Azure offers H-Series VMs, which provide high-frequency processors and large amounts of memory.

These VMs are ideal for workloads that require intense processing power and memory, such as scientific simulations and data analytics.

Azure Virtual Machine Types are categorized into six main types: General purpose, Compute optimized, Memory optimized, Storage optimized, GPU, and High performance Compute. Each type has its own unique characteristics and uses.

The General purpose type is not explicitly described in the article section, but it's implied to be a default or all-purpose type.

Compute optimized VMs have a high CPU-to-memory ratio, making them suitable for workloads that require high processing power. They come in sizes like Fsv2, Fs, and F.

Expand your knowledge: Azure Compute

Memory optimized VMs, on the other hand, have a high memory-to-CPU ratio, making them ideal for applications that require a lot of memory. They come in a wide range of sizes, including Esv3, Ev3, M, GS, G, DSv2, DS, Dv2, and D.

Storage optimized VMs are designed for high disk throughput and I/O, making them perfect for workloads that require fast storage. They come in size Ls.

GPU VMs are specialized for heavy graphic rendering and video editing, making them ideal for applications that require high-end graphics processing.

High performance Compute VMs are the fastest and most powerful CPU virtual machines, with optional high-throughput network interfaces (RDMA). They come in sizes like H and A8-11.

Here's a summary of the VM types and their characteristics:

Each VM type has its own unique characteristics, and choosing the right type for your workload is crucial for optimal performance.

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Azure Virtual Machine types offer a range of VM families to suit different needs, from general-purpose workloads to specialized compute-optimized VMs.

The D-series family is a popular choice for enterprise-grade applications, relational databases, in-memory caching, and data analytics, with VMs based on custom Intel Xeon processors and offering fast local SSD storage.

Azure VM families include A-family, B-family, D-family, and DC-family, each with its own set of recommended workloads and VM series.

Here's a brief overview of the main VM families:

The D-series family is particularly well-suited for applications that demand faster CPUs, IOPS, and memory, making it a great choice for demanding workloads.

The M family of VMs is a high-end option for those who need a lot of memory. They are designed for large in-memory databases and can support up to 416 vCPUs and 3TB, 6 TB, or 12 TB of memory.

The Mv2-series VMs are hyper-threaded and feature Intel Xeon Platinum 8180M 2.5GHz (Skylake) processors. This makes them ideal for workloads that require a lot of memory and processing power.

One of the key benefits of M-series VMs is their ability to support large in-memory databases. This is particularly useful for applications that require a lot of memory to operate efficiently.

The Mv2-series VMs are also highly scalable, allowing you to add or remove resources as needed to match your workload requirements. This makes them a great option for businesses that need to scale quickly to meet changing demands.

Here are some key specs for the Mv2-series VMs:

Overall, the M family of VMs is a great option for businesses that need a lot of memory and processing power to run their applications efficiently.

For Development/Testing, you'll want to consider the following.

VM families are categorized into three main types: Type 1, Type 2, and Type 3. These categories determine how the virtual machine interacts with the host machine's hardware.

Type 1 VMs, also known as bare-metal hypervisors, run directly on the host machine's hardware without requiring an underlying operating system. This allows for faster and more efficient virtualization.

Type 2 VMs, also known as hosted hypervisors, run on top of an existing operating system on the host machine. This provides an additional layer of abstraction but can lead to performance issues.

Type 3 VMs, also known as system virtual machines, are a subcategory of Type 2 VMs that run on a host operating system and use a combination of host and guest operating systems to manage virtualization.

For development and testing purposes, Type 1 VMs are often preferred due to their performance and efficiency. They allow developers to create isolated and reproducible environments for testing and debugging code.

Type 2 VMs, on the other hand, are more commonly used in production environments where the additional layer of abstraction is necessary for compatibility and security reasons.

Azure virtual machines come in various sizes, each designed to cater to specific workloads and needs. These sizes are categorized into type, series, and size, which provide a clear understanding of the VM's configuration and features.

Azure VM sizes follow specific naming conventions, with each character representing different aspects of the VM, such as the VM family, number of vCPUs, and extra features like premium storage or included accelerators.

The VM size naming is further broken down into 'Series' and 'Size' names, where Size names include extra characters representing the number of vCPUs, type of storage, etc. The Category column lists the type of workload the VM is intended for, including General purpose, Compute optimized, Memory optimized, Storage optimized, GPU accelerated, and FPGA accelerated.

Here's a breakdown of the main categories:

Azure offers multiple standard VM sizes to choose from, each with its own set of limitations.

Consideration of VM sizes is crucial to ensure your virtual machine meets your needs.

Standard VM sizes have limitations on the number of data disks, storage throughput, and network bandwidth.

Proper baselines should be captured to determine storage throughput needs as well as network bandwidth to avoid hitting the Azure VM limitations.

Constrained core VMs can help from a SQL Server license perspective, allowing you to gain benefits of a larger VM without extra vCPUs requiring additional licensing.

The result of choosing the right VM size is effective, accessible, and easy-to-use IT management products.

VM sizes in Azure follow specific naming conventions to denote varying features and specifications. Each character in the name represents different aspects of the VM.

The naming convention is broken down into the 'Series' name and the 'Size' name. Size names include extra characters representing the number of vCPUs, type of storage, and other features.

VM families are categorized by intended workload, including General purpose, Compute optimized, Memory optimized, Storage optimized, GPU accelerated, and FPGA accelerated.

Here's a breakdown of the different categories:

The 'Series' name represents the group of sizes with similar hardware and features, while the 'Size' name represents the specific VM configuration.

For example, a 'General purpose, DCads_v5-series' size series indicates that it is a general-purpose VM with a DCads_v5 series configuration.

Each VM size family has a 'Series List' column with a linked list of all available size series, which can be found by clicking the 'family' tab under each type section.

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The Mv2-series VMs are a beast when it comes to raw power and memory. They feature Intel Xeon Platinum 8180M 2.5GHz processors, which is a serious upgrade from the standard issue.

These VMs are hyper-threaded, meaning they can handle a lot of tasks at once. They offer up to 416 vCPUs on a single VM, which is more than enough for most large-scale applications.

You can choose from three memory configurations: 3TB, 6 TB, and 12 TB. This is perfect for large in-memory databases that need to process a huge amount of data.

Here are the specs of the Mv2-series VMs in a nutshell:

Entry-Level VMs are a great starting point for development and testing. They're economical and provide a low-cost option to get started with Azure.

A-series VMs are ideal for entry-level workloads like development and test, code repositories, and low-traffic web servers. They're also suitable for small to medium databases and servers for proof-of-concepts.

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Av2 Standard is the latest generation of non-hyperthreaded A-series VMs, offering similar CPU performance but more RAM per vCPU and faster disks. Basic and Standard A-series VMs will retire on August 31, 2024.

Bs-series VMs are another economical option for development and testing servers, small web servers, micro services, and other small workloads. They typically run at a low to medium baseline CPU utilization, but can burst to significantly higher CPU utilization when needed.

These economical burstable VMs are perfect for workloads that don't require high CPU utilization most of the time, but need to scale up when demand rises.

VM pricing can be a bit complex, but it's worth understanding to make the most of your Azure Virtual Machine costs.

The prices for Azure Virtual Machines vary depending on the instance type, operating system, and reservation period. For example, a D2 v3 instance with Windows OS costs $0.192/hour on PAYG, but only $0.15/hour for a 1-year reserved instance, which is a 22% discount.

If this caught your attention, see: Azure Machine Types

You can also get discounts on VM licensing costs, such as the Windows OS, RedHat, and Ubuntu costs listed in the example. For instance, an A1 v2 instance with Windows OS costs $0.065/hour, while an A1 v2 instance with RedHat costs $0.133/hour.

One thing to note is that promo VMs offer discounted prices, but these discounts vary and are only available for a limited time. Currently, Microsoft is offering 40-56% discounts on NCv1, NVv1, and Hv1 VMs.

Here's a summary of the pricing discounts mentioned in the article:

Keep in mind that these prices are subject to change, and it's always a good idea to check the current pricing and discounts before making a purchase.

Azure Virtual Machine types have various features that make them suitable for different workloads. The E-series VMs are optimized for in-memory applications, making them well-suited for memory-intensive enterprise applications.

These VMs have high memory-to-core ratios, which enable them to handle large relational database servers, in-memory analytics workloads, and more. The Ev3-series VMs range from 2 to 64 vCPUs and 16-432 GiB of RAM, respectively.

The Ev4 and Edv4 VMs feature up to 504 GiB of RAM and a custom Intel Xeon processor that runs at a base speed of 2.5Ghz. The Edv4 VMs also include a fast and large local SSD storage (up to 2,400 GiB).

Efficient VMs can be created using the "template" feature, which allows users to create a new VM from a pre-configured template.

This feature is especially useful for users who want to quickly deploy multiple VMs with the same configuration.

By using a template, users can save time and reduce errors when setting up new VMs.

With the "clone" feature, users can create an exact copy of an existing VM, including its configuration and data.

This feature is useful for users who need to create multiple VMs with the same configuration, but with different names or IP addresses.

The "snapshot" feature allows users to capture the state of a VM at a specific point in time, which can be useful for users who need to roll back to a previous state in case of an issue.

Snapshots can also be used to create a backup of a VM, which can be stored for a long time.

The "suspend" feature allows users to pause a VM and resume it later, which can be useful for users who need to perform maintenance on the VM or the underlying hardware.

Intriguing read: Creates Multiple Virtual Machines

Protecting your confidential data is a top priority, and Azure's DC-series VMs have got you covered. These VMs use secure enclaves to safeguard your data and code while it's being processed.

DC-series VMs are backed by the latest generation of Intel Xeon E-2176G 3.7GHz Processor, which is a significant boost in processing power. This processor can reach up to 4.7GHz with Intel Turbo Boost Technology.

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Hybrid Benefits can be a game-changer for your organization. With Azure Virtual Desktop, you can enjoy significant discounts on your virtual machine costs.

Let's take a look at some examples of Hybrid Benefits in action. You can get a discount of ~34% on the PAYG price by using Hybrid Benefits for A1 v2 instances, which drops the price from $0.065/hour to $0.043/hour.

The discounts vary depending on the instance type. For F2s v2 instances, you can save ~49% with Hybrid Benefits, bringing the price down to $0.0846/hour from $0.163/hour.

Here's a breakdown of the Hybrid Benefits discounts for different instance types:

These discounts can add up quickly, making Hybrid Benefits a cost-effective option for your organization.

GPU Enabled virtual machines are designed for compute-intensive and graphics-intensive workloads.

These types of virtual machines provide high graphic performance and are available with single or multiple GPUs.

The N-series is a family of VMs with GPU capabilities, ideal for compute and graphics-intensive workloads.

The N-series has three different offerings aimed at specific workloads: the NC-series for high-performance computing and machine learning, the NDs-series for deep learning, and the NV-series for remote visualization.

The NC-series is focused on machine learning and high-performance computing, with the latest version NCsv3 featuring NVIDIA's Tesla V100 GPU.

The NDs-series is focused on training and inference scenarios for deep learning, using the NVIDIA Tesla P40 GPUs, with the latest version NDv2 featuring the NVIDIA Tesla V100 GPUs.

The NV-series is backed by the NVIDIA Tesla M60 GPU for powerful remote visualization workloads and other types of intense graphics applications.

NCsv3, NCsv2, NC, and NDs VMs offer optional InfiniBand interconnect to enable scale-up performance.

Some examples of workloads that benefit from GPU enabled virtual machines include simulation, deep learning, graphics rendering, video editing, gaming, and remote visualization.

Here are the different N-series offerings:

Microsoft Azure offers a Service Level Agreement (SLA) for virtual machines, which guarantees a certain level of uptime and reliability.

The SLA varies depending on the number of virtual machine instances, disk type, and availability settings. For a single instance, the SLA is 95% for HDD, 99.5% for Standard SSD, 99.9% for Premium SSD, and 99.9% for Ultra-Disk.

A virtual machine with multiple instances, placed in two or more availability zones, has a 99.99% SLA. On the other hand, multiple instances in an availability set but not across zones have a 99.95% SLA.

Here's a summary of the SLA for different scenarios:

Remember to review the Service Level Agreement for Virtual Machines to understand the specifics of your virtual machine setup.

The REST API is a powerful tool for managing virtual machines. You can use it to query for VM sizes, which is essential for resizing or creating new VMs.

To list available virtual machine sizes for resizing, you can use the REST API. This is a great way to see all the options available for your VM.

For instance, if you're looking to resize a VM, you'll want to know which sizes are available for that specific task. The REST API can help you with that.

You can also use the REST API to list available virtual machine sizes for a subscription. This is useful if you want to see all the VM sizes available to you within a particular subscription.

Here are some specific ways you can use the REST API to query for VM sizes:

The E-Series is optimized for in-memory, hyper-threaded applications. These applications are perfect for relational database servers with medium to large caches, and in-memory analytics.

The E-Series has a higher memory-to-core ratio compared to the D-Series, making it a better option for heavy in-memory applications like SAP HANA. This means you can expect faster performance and better results.

The Ev5 and Edv5 VMs use the Intel Xeon Platinum 8370C processor, which is hyper-threaded and supports up to 672GB of RAM. This is a game-changer for applications that require a lot of memory.

The EasV5 and Eadsv5 VMs use the AMD EPYC 7763v (Milan) processor, which can boost to 3.5GHz. This level of performance is ideal for applications that require a lot of processing power.

The Ebsv5 and Ebdsv5 VMs have increased remote storage performance, making them ideal for storage throughput intensive workloads like data analytics applications. This is a huge advantage for applications that rely on fast storage.

In summary, the E-Series is designed for hyper-threaded applications, and its features make it a great option for in-memory applications like SAP HANA and relational databases.

Check this out: Azure Storage Types

Azure offers a variety of VM size families, each designed for specific workloads and performance needs.

The A-family is best suited for entry-level economical workloads, with the Av2-series being a part of this family.

The B-family, on the other hand, is ideal for burstable workloads, with options like the Bsv2-series, Basv2-series, and Bpsv2-series.

The D-family is designed for enterprise-grade applications, relational databases, in-memory caching, and data analytics, making it a great choice for demanding workloads.

The D-family includes various series, such as the Dpsv6-series, Dplsv6-series, and Dasv6-series, each with its own set of specifications.

Here's a breakdown of the different D-family series:

The DC-family, a subset of the D-family, offers confidential computing capabilities, with options like the DCasv5 and DCadsv5-series.

The B-family VMs are best suited for workloads that don't require constant full CPU performance, making them a great choice for applications with variable or unpredictable workloads.