Azure VM Series Features and Pricing

Azure VM Series offers a variety of features to suit different needs, including support for up to 64 vCPUs and 256 GB of RAM.

The B-Series VMs are ideal for development and testing environments, with a 5% CPU reservation and a 10% memory reservation. They are also great for applications that require a high level of CPU utilization.

The M-Series VMs, on the other hand, are designed for high-performance workloads and support up to 128 vCPUs and 3.8 TB of RAM.

Pricing for Azure VM Series varies depending on the series and the region, with prices starting at $0.125 per hour for the B-Series.

Azure VMs offer a range of processor options, including Intel Xeon Platinum 8370C, Intel Xeon Platinum 8272CL, and Intel Xeon 8171M, among others.

You can choose from 2 to 64 vCPUs, depending on your needs.

The memory range is also flexible, with options for 8 to 256 GiB.

Local storage is available with 1 disk, offering a capacity of 50 to 1600 GiB, with IOPS ranging from 3000 to 96000 (RR) and throughput from 46 to 1000 MBps (RR).

Remote storage is available with 4 to 32 disks, offering IOPS from 160 to 4320 and throughput from 10 to 50 MBps.

Network options include 2 to 8 NICs, with speeds ranging from 1000 to 30000 Mbps.

Accelerators, such as GPUs and FPGAs, are not available on these VMs.

Here's a summary of the processor options:

Note that some of these options may have varying availability depending on the specific Azure region and instance type.

Some Azure VMs support live migration, which allows you to move a running VM from one host to another without downtime. This is supported in several Azure VM sizes.

Memory Preserving Updates are also supported in some Azure VMs, which helps minimize downtime during updates. This feature is available in a few different VM sizes.

Azure VMs support two types of VM generations: Generation 1 and Generation 2. Generation 1 is supported in some VM sizes, but not all.

Here are some Azure VM features and their support status:

Azure VMs support a range of features, but not all sizes support them equally.

Live Migration is supported across most VM sizes, allowing you to move your VM between hosts without downtime.

Memory Preserving Updates are also supported, helping to minimize the impact of updates on your VM's performance.

Accelerated Networking is supported for some VM sizes, including Standard_B12ms, Standard_B16ms, and Standard_B20ms.

Premium Storage is supported for some VM sizes, but not all.

VM Generation Support varies by VM size, with some sizes supporting Generation 1 and others supporting Generation 2.

Nested Virtualization is supported for some VM sizes, but not all.

Here is a summary of the features supported by Azure VMs:

Ephemeral OS Disks are not supported for most VM sizes, but Local Storage and Remote Storage are supported for all VM sizes.

Hybrid Benefits offer significant cost savings by allowing you to bring your existing Windows Server or SQL licenses to the Azure cloud, saving up to 85 percent compared to standard instance.

If you're already invested in Windows Server or SQL, you can transfer those licenses to Azure and enjoy substantial discounts. For example, the A1 v2 instance can be had for ~34% less with Hybrid Benefits, dropping the price from $0.065/hour to $0.043/hour.

The savings can be substantial, with some instances offering discounts of up to 49%. For instance, the F2s v2 instance can be had for ~49% less with Hybrid Benefits, reducing the price from $0.163/hour to $0.0846/hour.

Here's a breakdown of the Hybrid Benefits for some common instances:

These discounts can add up quickly, making Hybrid Benefits a compelling option for businesses looking to migrate to the Azure cloud.

Azure VM Sizes offer a range of options to suit different needs.

You can choose from various series, including Standard, E-Series, and NV-Series. The Standard series offers sizes with 1 to 64 vCPUs and 0.5 to 256 GB of memory.

The E-Series is optimized for heavy in-memory applications and features high memory-to-core ratios. The Ev3-series VMs range from 2 to 64 vCPUs and 16-432 GiB of RAM.

Here are some key Azure VM sizes to consider:

The E-Series and NV-Series offer unique features and are ideal for specific use cases.

Azure VM Sizes offer a range of options to suit different needs. You can choose from various series, each with its unique characteristics.

The Standard series is a popular choice, with sizes ranging from 1 to 64 vCPUs and 0.5 to 256 GB of memory. For example, the Standard_D2_v3 size comes with 2 vCPUs and 8 GB of memory.

The Standard_B series also offers a range of sizes, from 1 to 20 vCPUs and 0.5 to 80 GB of memory. The Standard_B1ls2 size is a good option for small tasks, with 1 vCPU and 0.5 GB of memory.

The Standard_NV6 size is a high-performance option, with 6 vCPUs and 56 GB of memory. It's ideal for compute-intensive workloads.

Here's a summary of the Standard series sizes:

The Standard series also includes sizes with accelerators, such as the Standard_D5_v2 size, which comes with 16 vCPUs, 56 GB of memory, and an accelerator.

The D-series VMs are a great choice for general purpose needs. They offer a combination of vCPUs, memory, and temporary storage that can meet the requirements of most production workloads.

These VMs are available in different sizes, each with its own unique features. The D v3 VMs, for example, are hyper-threaded and based on the 2.3 GHz Intel XEON E5-2673 v4 processor.

The D v3 VMs can achieve 3.5 GHz with Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0, making them a great option for applications that require a boost in processing power. The D v3 VMs can also handle a variety of tasks, from web servers to databases.

The D v4 and Dd v4 VMs, on the other hand, are based on a custom Intel Xeon Platinum 8272CL processor, which runs at a base speed of 2.5 GHz and can achieve up to 3.4 GHz all core turbo frequency. They offer a range of benefits, including fast and large local SSD storage.

The Dd v4 VM sizes feature up to 2,400 GiB of SSD storage, making them well-suited for applications that require low latency and high-speed local storage. They also offer a range of vCPU and memory options, making them a great choice for a variety of use cases.

Azure VM Storage is a vital component of any Azure Virtual Machine (VM) series. It's where your data lives, and it's essential to understand how it works.

Azure managed disks are a type of storage resource that can be shared among VMs. This is especially useful when you need to store large amounts of data that need to be accessed by multiple VMs.

There are different types of Azure managed disks, each with its own set of features and pricing. You can choose from a variety of disk types, including Standard SSD and Premium SSD.

Remote (uncached) storage is also available, which allows you to store data in a remote location without the need for caching. This can be useful for large datasets that don't need to be accessed frequently.

Here are the different storage options available for each Azure VM size:

The G-series VMs, in particular, offer a high level of storage performance with up to ½ TB of RAM and 32 CPU cores. This makes them ideal for demanding applications that require a lot of computational power and memory.

Azure managed disks can be shared among VMs, making it easier to manage storage resources and reduce costs. This feature is especially useful in scenarios where multiple VMs need to access the same data.