How To Attach A Data Disk To A Virtual Machine And How To Initialize It

#virtualmachine #cloudcomputing #devops #microsoftazure

What is a data disk? A data disk is a storage disk attached to a computer or virtual machine(VM) for the purpose of storing data.
A data disk is different from the OS disk, the data disk can be added or removed and it can also be resized independently.

Now, let us learn how we can attach a data disk to a Virtual Machine in few simple steps.

1.Come to the overview of your Virtual Machine and click settings and select disk

2.Your screen will display OS disk and Data disk. Click +create and attach a new disk

3.Come down to LUN (Logical Unit Number)
(a)select a number.
(b)Give your disk a name
(c)Go to size (GiB) to select a size
(d)Click Apply

4.Your screen will display creating a data disk follow by successfully created a data disk and follow by Updated virtual machine

Wow! you just learn how to attach a data disk to a virtual machine.

HOW TO INITIALIZE A DATA DISK

Adding a data disk to a Virtual is not enough but it must also be Initialized before it can be usable.

What does it mean to initialize a data disk?
Initializing a data disk means preparing and making it ready for use.

The following steps explain how a data disk is initialized

1.Come down to the Search bar at the left Corner of virtual Machine and type disk and select create and format hard disk partitions

2.Click OK to initialize your data disk

You still can't use it because it is still showing unallocated. scroll up, right click on the disk and *select new simple volume *

4.Click Next
5.Click Next
6.Click Next

7.Now it says perform a quick format. This where we are going to format the data disk.
Give your disk a name. in this article, we are going to name it disk1 then, click next

8.Click finish This is the final stage. You have successfully added a data disk to your Virtual Machine, you have initialized it and the data disk is now Healthy and ready for use.