AZ-104 Certification Notes

Chapter 9.6 - Automating Virtual Machine Deployments

Why Automate VM Deployments?

• Patch/update Operating Systems (OS)
• Pre-Install software (e.g. Apache2 web server)
• Preconfigure settings

Azure Resource Manager (ARM) Templates

• Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
  • Text-based (declarative JSON) definition of Azure resources and resource configurations
• Deployment Consistency
  • Manage resource deployments using software deployments methodologies
• Automation
  • Automate resource deployments and provide modular approach to resource deployments

Resource: "Virtual Machine" {
	Virtual Machine Properties: {
		Name: "VM1",
		Location: "East US",
		Size: "Standard_B1s",
		Storage: {
			OSImage: "Linux",
			DataDisk: "DataDisk1"
		},
		Network: {
			NIC: "NIC1"
		}
	}
}

• Resource Group
  • VNet
    • Subnet
      • NSG
      • VM
        • Disk
        • NIC
          • Public IP

Virtual Hard Disk (VHD) Templates

• Prep Virtual Machine
  • Configure VM with required software, updates, and configurations
• Generalize Virtual Machine
  • Prepare VM for imaging using sysprep (Windows) or VM Agent deprovision (Linux)

Demonstration

• Deploy VM Using ARM Template
  • Using an ARM template, deploy a Linux VM and modify the NSG rule properties
• Generalize VM
  • Generalize the Linux VM to prep for imaging as a VHD template
• Deploy VM from Custom Image
  • Using the generalized image, deploy a Linux VM

Exam Tips

• ARM Templates
  • Deploy VMs quickly and manage infrastructure using change control using Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
• VHD Template
  • Create a golden image of VMs to easily deploy VMs with consistent software and configurations
• Automate Management
  • Manage VM deployments using custom data and manage VMs using extension scripts