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Adah Okwara
Adah Okwara

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Creating and Connecting to a Linux Virtual Machine Using Public Key Authentication on Azure Portal

Azure Virtual machines (VMs) can be created through the azure portal. The Azure portal is a browser-based user interface to create Azure resources. This article shows you how to use the Azure portal to deploy a Linux Virtual Machine (VM)using Public key Authentication.

Step 1: Sign in to Azure Portal

  1. Open your web browser and access the Azure Portal.
  2. Sign in using your Azure account credentials

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Step 2: Create a Resource Group (if not available or use an existing one)

  1. Resource Group: If a suitable resource group for your VM deployment does not exist, create a new one.
  • Click on resource groups in the upper left corner of the Azure portal.

  • Click + Create to create a new resource group.

  • Assign a Name for your resource group, choose a Subscription, and select a Region.

  • Click Review + create and then Create to create the resource group.

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Step 3: Create a Virtual Machine

  1. Create VM: Now create a new Virtual Machine. There are several methods of searching for virtual machine:
  • In the Azure portal, click + Create a resource at the top-left corner.

  • Search for Virtual Machine and click Create.

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Alternatively, you can:

  • In the search bar of the home page, type 'Virtual Machines' and select Virtual Machines **under **Services

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  • On the Virtual Machines page, select Create, this will open the Create a virtual Machine page

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1. Configure the Basics

  • Subscription: Select the correct subscription you want to use
  • Resource group: Select the resource group you have created or create a new one if you have not (another way of creating resource group)
  • Virtual machine name: Specify a name for your VM

  • Region: Choose the region where you would want to deploy your VM

  • Availability options: Choose any if needed

  • Image: Select a Linux distribution (Ubuntu Server from the list)

  • Size: Choose a VM size based on what you require.

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  1. Administrator Account
  • Authentication type: Select SSH public key

  • Username: Choose a username

  • SSH public key source: Keep the default setting of Generate new Key pair

  • Key pair name: Name mostly pops up on its own

  • Public inbound ports: Select Allow selected ports

  • Select inbound ports: Choose HTTP (80) and SSH (22) or as required.

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3.Disks and other settings:

Configure the disk, networking, management, and monitoring options according to your requirements.

4. Review + Create:

  • Review your VM configuration

  • Click create to start deploying your VM after validation passed.

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Step 4: Connect to your Linux VM

SSH Connection through PowerShell: Once the deployment is complete, you can connect your VM to SSH through PowerShell.

  • Navigate to your VM in the Azure portal.

  • Under Settings, click on Connect to get connection information.

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Using PowerShell: This can be done with your Laptop.

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whereby, you replace the 'username' with the username you specified during the creation of VM and 'public-ip-address' with the public address of your VM.

  • If prompted to confirm the connection, type 'yes' and press Enter.

Step 5: Clean Up Resources

After you've finished using your VM, it's a good practice to clean up resources to avoid unnecessary charges:

  • In the Azure portal, navigate to your resource group containing the VM.

  • Select the resource group and click Delete.

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  • Follow the prompts to confirm deletion. This action will delete all resources within the resource group, including the VM, disks, and network interfaces.

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In conclusion, setting up and deploying a Linux VM on Azure, along with connecting to it via SSH using PowerShell, offers a versatile and potent environment for development and testing purposes. It's essential to regularly tidy up resources to control costs and uphold an organized Azure setup. Azure's user-friendly interface and comprehensive management tools simplify the process of efficiently handling your virtual machines.

Top comments (2)

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ifenna_oyeka_ profile image
IFENNA OYEKA

This is a Great tutorial, Adah Okwara. Creating and connecting to a Linux virtual machine on Azure portal using public key authentication, with clear and concise steps and helpful explanations.👌👏

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kelechi_ahanonu_0c8bef610 profile image
Kelechi Ahanonu

It was very enlightening, quite detailed, and great to learn from. keep it up.