DEV Community: Blessing Azeta

All about the "Capture" button on a Virtual Machine Interface in Azure.

Blessing Azeta — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 14:44:08 +0000

The Capture Button in the Azure Virtual Machine (VM) interface is a feature that allows you to create an image of an Azure VM.

This image also called Operating systems can then be used to create additional VMs with the same configuration, operating system, and software as the original VM.

Images are stored in the Azure Compute Gallery.

So, How do we CAPTURE?

Step 1: Create an Azure Compute Gallery.

Search for Azure Compute Gallery on Azure.
Click on + Create
Input your project details, resource group, region, and name.
Click on Create once validation is passed
Click on Go to Resource once the deployment is complete.

Let's go back to the virtual machine we created before and capture the image.

Go to the homepage
Click on "Virtual machine"
Select an existing virtual machine; we would be using the: DiskdataVirtualMachine
On the overview interface, Click on Capture and select Image.
The project details have been automatically filled by the current operating system.
For the Gallery details, Select the created Azure Compute Gallery as the target azure compute gallery and the Operating System State as Specialized.

For Generalised: You would require a username and password.
For Specialised: No username and password required.
Click on Create new for target VM image definition.
The new VM image definition would inherit the properties of the previous virtual machines.
Give it an expiry date
Replication would be done in another Region
Click on Review and create
Click on Create after validation has passed.
Deployment in progress
Deployment is complete
Click on Go to Resource to see the captured image.
You can use this image to create other virtual machines as needed.

How to add a data disk to a Virtual Machine.

Blessing Azeta — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 14:32:02 +0000

Hello everyone, this is a step-by-step process on how to add a data disk to a Virtual machine.

What is a data disk?

In Azure, a data disk is a managed disk that is used to store application data, databases, or any other files separate from the OS disk. It acts like an extra hard drive attached to the VM.

Now let's delve right into it.

In the Search resources, services and docs field, type virtual machines.
Click the Create button to start the virtual machine creation process
From the options choose Create a virtual machine hosted by Azure.
Enter Project details, this would be our subscription, resource group, Virtual Machine Name and Region.
Select your preferred Image; this is the operating system you would like to use.
.
Set up the administrator account for Log in once the virtual machine has been deployed.
Select Inbound Port Rule as RDP if you are creating a Windows VM
Check the licensing.
Leave OS disk settings as default
Click on the Monitoring tab, and click on disable under boot diagnostics.
Click on the Tags tab, and assign name/value pairs to categorize resources. (Optional depending on use-case.)
Click on Create, After Validation has passed.
Deployment in Progress
Click on Go to Resource, once deployment is complete.
Click on PublicIPAddress to extend idle time
Extend till the end 30 minutes

Adding the DataDisk to the Virtual Machine

Click on Settings on the Virtual Machine interface
Click on Disk; The OS disk has been automatically created by the cloud provider.
Click on + create and attach a new disk under the data disks section.
Input the details requested; the data disk name, the storage type and size
Click Apply

Connect to the Virtual Machine to access and use the disk.

Once the data disk is attached, you will need to initialize and format it within the VM's operating system.

Go to the Virtual Machine Overview page.
Click on Connect
Click on Select on the Native RDP box
Click on Download RDP file once configured.
Click on the downloaded RDP file once completed.
Click on Connect in the pop up message
Input your previously saved admin password
Follow the instructions to Log in and set up your virtual machine
On the search bar, type disk management
Click on create and format hard disk partitions.
Click Ok to initialize the disk
The disk is still unallocated; meaning not ready for use.

Format the data disk for it to be ready for use.

Right click on the disk, a provision has been made to make the formatting easier. It is called New Simple Volume
Click on Next, Leave everything as Default
You can Rename the data disk under the volume label.
Click on Next to perform the format operation.
Click on Finish

Now the Data disk is Healthy and Ready for use.

The Data Disk is now listed amongst the available storage.

App Service: Deploying a WepApp(Children's Library) on Azure.

Blessing Azeta — Sun, 23 Feb 2025 18:31:01 +0000

Hello everyone, this article will focus on step-by-step process on how to create a web app in Azure

NB: Azure App Service is a fully managed web application hosting platform. This platform as a service (PaaS) offered by Azure allows you to focus on designing and building your app while Azure takes care of the infrastructure to run and scale your applications.

In the Search resources, services and docs field, type App services.
Click the + Create button to start the web app creation process.
On the Basics tab, enter the following values for each setting.

Project details
Select the Azure subscription to which the resource group you are using belongs (or is going to belong, if you're creating a new resource group within the wizard).
Create a resource group or use the one associated with your web app. All Azure resources must belong to a resource group.

Instance details

Enter a unique name(ChildrenBookSite)
The name of your web app. This name becomes part of the app's URL: ChildrenBookSite.azurewebsites.net. The name you choose must be unique among all Azure web apps.
The method you want to use to publish your application. When publishing an application as code, you must also configure Runtime stack to prepare App Service resources to run your app.
Runtime Stack (.NET 8(LTS)) is the platform on which your application is going to run. Your choice might affect whether you have a choice of operating system - for some runtime stacks, App Service supports only one operating system.
Your operating system is automatically selected after the runtime stack.
Select the geographical region from which your app is hosted. I used North Europe.

Pricing Plans

Create a new Window plan - ChildrenLibrary
Select the pricing plan - I chose standard
The pricing tier of the service plan being created. The pricing plan determines the performance characteristics of the virtual servers that power your app and the features to which it has access.
Please note that Free and shared are not used for production just for trials.
Click on Review + Create
When deployment is complete, select Go to resource. The portal shows the App Service Overview pane for your web app.
To preview your web app's default content, select the URL under Default domain at the top right.
The placeholder page that loads indicates that your web app is up and running and is ready to receive deployment of your app's code.

Leave the browser tab with the new app's placeholder page open. You'll come back to it after your app is deployed.

To Add Your Code Manually

search for Advanced Tools
Click on Go.
You will be redirected to Kudu+.
Click on Debug Console
Select CMD
Click on Site
Click on wwwroot
Click on the pencil icon beside hostingsite.html to edit
Input your code and click on save
Refresh the browser tab and your web app is up and running.

Creating a Shared File Storage for a Company using Azure.

Blessing Azeta — Mon, 17 Feb 2025 14:10:44 +0000

Provide shared file storage for the company offices.

This is a continuation of the previous article. The company is geographically dispersed with offices in different locations. These offices need a way to share files and disseminate information. For example, the Finance department needs to confirm cost information for auditing and compliance. This file shares should be easy to access and load without delay. Some content should only be accessed from selected corporate virtual networks.

Create and configure a storage account for Azure Files.

Create a storage account for the finance department’s shared files.

In the portal, search for and select Storage accounts.
Select + Create.
For Resource group select Create new. Give your resource group a name and select OK to save your changes.
Provide a Storage account name. Ensure the name meets the naming requirements.
Set the Performance to Premium.
Set the Premium account type to File shares.
Set the Redundancy to Zone-redundant storage.
Select Review and then Create the storage account.
Wait for the resource to deploy.
Select Go to resource.

Create and configure a file share with directory.

Create a file share for the corporate office.

In the storage account, in the Data storage section, select the File shares blade.
Select + File share and provide a Name.
Review the other options, but take the defaults.
Select Create

Add a directory to the file share for the finance department. For future testing, upload a file.

Select your file share and select + Add directory.
Name the new directory finance.
Select Browse and then select the finance directory.
Notice you can Add directory to further organize your file share.
Upload a file of your choosing.

Configure and test snapshots.

Similar to blob storage, you need to protect against accidental deletion of files. You decide to use snapshots.

Select your file share.
In the Operations section, select the Snapshots blade.
Select + Add snapshot. The comment is optional. Select OK.
Select your snapshot and verify your file directory and uploaded file are included.

Practice using snapshots to restore a file.

Return to your file share.
Browse to your file directory.
Locate your uploaded file and in the Properties pane select Delete. Select Yes to confirm the deletion.
Select the Snapshots blade and then select your snapshot.
Navigate to the file you want to restore,
Select the file and the select Restore.
Provide a Restored file name.
Verify your file directory has the restored file.

Configure restricting storage access to selected virtual networks.

This requires a virtual network with subnet. In a production environment these resources would already be created.

Search for and select Virtual networks.
Select Create.
Select your resource group and give the virtual network a name.
Take the defaults for other parameters, select Review + create, and then Create.
Wait for the resource to deploy.
Select Go to resource.
In the Settings section, select the Subnets blade.
Select the default subnet.
In the Service endpoints section choose Microsoft.Storage in the Services drop-down.
Do not make any other changes.
Be sure to Save your changes.

The storage account should only be accessed from the virtual network you just created.

Return to your files storage account.
In the Security + networking section, select the Networking blade.
Change the Public network access to Enabled from selected virtual networks and IP addresses.
In the Virtual networks section, select Add existing virtual network.
Select your virtual network and subnet, select Add.
Be sure to Save your changes.
Select the Storage browser and navigate to your file share.
Verify the message not authorized to perform this operation. You are not connecting from the virtual network.

Creating a Resource Group in Azure Portal.

Blessing Azeta — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 17:55:33 +0000

Hello everyone, this article will focus on step-by-step process on how to create a resource group in Azure.

In the Search resources, services and docs field, type resource group.
Click the Create button to start the resource group creation process.
Enter Project details, this would be our subscription, resource group name and region, then review tags.
Assign name/value pairs to organize your resources. (Optional depending on use-case.)
Click on Review + Create button.
Click Create to continue, if the validation passes.
Your resource group has been created successfully.

Creating a Virtual Machine in Azure Portal.

Blessing Azeta — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 16:49:55 +0000

Hello everyone, this article will focus on step-by-step process on how to create a virtual machine in Azure.

What is a Virtual machine?
A virtual machine is a digital emulation of a physical computer that runs an operating system and applications just like a physical machine.

Creating a Virtual Machine in Azure Portal

In the Search resources, services and docs field, type virtual machines.
Click the Create button to start the virtual machine creation process
From the options choose Create a virtual machine hosted by Azure.
Enter Project details this would be our subscription, resource group and Virtual Machine Name.
Provide information about our virtual machine, such as the operating system, size, and other configuration settings.
Create an Administrator Account. We need a username and a password in case we need to connect to the Virtual Machine.
Select the inbound port rule as SSH if we selected a Linux VM and RDP if it's a windows VM.
Check the licensing.
Click on the Monitoring tab, and click on disable under boot diagnostics.
Click on the Tags tab, and assign name/value pairs to categorize resources. (Optional depending on use-case.)
Click on Review + Create button.
If the validation passes, the deployment will go on.
Click Create to continue.
Check the Status and Go to resource.
Once the virtual machine has been deployed, we can access it by clicking on the Connect button in the virtual machine blade in the Azure portal.
Click Native RDP and click on Select.
Wait for configured sign to be displayed on the right hand side before you click on Download RDP.
Open the RDP file from local computer.
Click on Connect.
Enter the Admin details created during the process of creating the VM.
Accept the terms
You can start using your virtual machine.

Creating a Private Storage/Backup for the Company's Public Website.

Blessing Azeta — Sun, 02 Feb 2025 23:10:44 +0000

Provide private storage for internal company documents.

This is a continuation of the previous article. The company needs storage for their offices and departments. This content is private to the company and shouldn’t be shared without consent. This storage requires high availability if there’s a regional outage. The company wants to use this storage to back up the public website.

Create a storage account and configure high availability.

Create a storage account for the internal private company documents.

In the portal, search for and select Storage accounts.
Select + Create.
Select the Resource group created in the previous lab.
Set the Storage account name to private. Add an identifier to the name to ensure the name is unique.
Select Review, and then Create the storage account.
Wait for the storage account to deploy, and then select Go to resource.

This storage requires high availability if there’s a regional outage. Read access in the secondary region is not required. Configure the appropriate level of redundancy.

In the storage account, in the Data management section, select the Redundancy blade.
Ensure Geo-redundant storage (GRS) is selected.
Refresh the page.
Review the primary and secondary location information.
Save your changes.

Create a storage container, upload a file, and restrict access to the file.

Create a private storage container for the corporate data.

In the storage account, in the Data storage section, select the Containers blade.
Select + Container.
Ensure the Name of the container is private.
Ensure the Public access level is Private (no anonymous access).
As you have time, review the Advanced settings, but take the defaults.
Select Create.

For testing, upload a file to the private container. the type of file doesn’t matter. A small image or text file is a good choice. Test to ensure the file isn’t publicly accessible.

Select the container.
Select Upload.
Browse to files and select a file.
Upload the file.
Select the uploaded file.
On the Overview tab, copy the URL.
Paste the URL into a new browser tab.
Verify the file doesn’t display and you receive an error.

An external partner requires read and write access to the file for at least the next 24 hours. Configure and test a shared access signature (SAS).

Select your uploaded blob file and move to the Generate SAS tab.
In the Permissions drop-down, ensure the partner has only Read permissions.

Verify the Start and expiry date/time is for the next 24 hours.
Select Generate SAS token and URL.

Copy the Blob SAS URL to a new browser tab.

Verify you can access the file. If you have uploaded an image file it will display in the browser. Other file types will be downloaded.

Configure storage access tiers and content replication.

To save on costs, after 30 days, move blobs from the hot tier to the cool tier.

Return to the storage account.
In the Overview section, notice the Default access tier is set to Hot.
In the Data management section, select the Lifecycle management blade.
Select Add rule.
Set the Rule name to movetocool.
Set the Rule scope to Apply rule to all blobs in the storage account.
Select Next.
Ensure Last modified is selected.
Set More than (days ago) to 30.
In the Then drop-down select Move to cool storage.
As you have time, review other lifecycle options in the drop-down.
Add the rule.

The public website files need to be backed up to another storage account.

In your storage account, create a new container called backup. Use the default values.

Navigate to your publicwebsite storage account. This storage account was created in the previous exercise.

In the Data management section, select the Object replication blade.
Select Create replication rules.
Set the Destination storage account to the private storage account.
Set the Source container to public and the Destination container to backup.
Create the replication rule.

Optionally, as you have time, upload a file to the public container. Return to the private storage account and refresh the backup container. Within a few minutes your public website file will appear in the backup folder.

Highly Available Storage for a company's public website using Azure.

Blessing Azeta — Wed, 29 Jan 2025 18:10:02 +0000

Hello everyone, this article would focus on step-by-step instructions on how you can provide storage for a company using Azure.

Provide storage for the public website

The company website supplies product images, videos, marketing literature, and customer success stories. Customers are located worldwide, and demand is rapidly expanding. The content is mission-critical and requires low latency load times.

Create a storage account with high availability

Create a storage account to support the public website.

In the portal, search for and select Storage accounts.
Select + Create.
For resource group select new. Give your resource group a name and select OK.

Set the Storage account name to publicwebsite. Make sure the storage account name is unique by adding an identifier.
Take the defaults for other settings.
Select Review and then Create.

Wait for the storage account to deploy, and then select Go to resource.

This storage requires high availability if there’s a regional outage. Additionally, enable read access to the secondary region.

In the storage account, in the Data management section, select the Redundancy blade.

Ensure Read-access Geo-redundant storage is selected.
Review the primary and secondary location information.

Information on the public website should be accessible without requiring customers to login.

In the storage account, in the Settings section, select the Configuration blade.
Ensure the Allow blob anonymous access setting is Enabled.
Be sure to Save your changes.

Create a blob storage container with anonymous read access

The public website has various images and documents. Create a blob storage container for the content.

In your storage account, in the Data storage section, select the Containers blade.
Select + Container.

Ensure the Name of the container is public.
Select Create.

Customers should be able to view the images without being authenticated. Configure anonymous read access for the public container blobs.

Select your public container.

On the Overview blade, select Change access level.

Ensure the Public access level is Blob (anonymous read access for blobs only).
Select OK.

Practice uploading files and testing access.

For testing, upload a file to the public container. The type of file doesn’t matter. A small image or text file is a good choice

Ensure you are viewing your container.
Select Upload.
Browse to files and select a file. Browse to a file of your choice.
Select Upload.
Close the upload window, Refresh the page and ensure your file was uploaded.

Determine the URL for your uploaded file. Open a browser and test the URL.

Select your uploaded file.
On the Overview tab, copy the URL.
Paste the URL into a new browser tab.
If you have uploaded an image file it will display in the browser. Other file types should be downloaded.

Configure soft delete

It’s important that the website documents can be restored if they’re deleted. Configure blob soft delete for 21 days.

Go to the Overview blade of the storage account.
On the Properties page, locate the Blob service section.
Select the Blob soft delete setting.
Ensure the Enable soft delete for blobs is checked.
Change the Keep deleted blobs for (in days setting is 21.
Notice you can also Enable soft delete for containers.
Don’t forget to Save your changes.

If something gets deleted, you need to practice using soft delete to restore the files

Navigate to your container where you uploaded a file.
Select the file you uploaded and then select Delete.
Select OK to confirm deleting the file.
On the container Overview page, toggle the slider Show deleted blobs. This toggle is to the right of the search box.
Select your deleted file, and use the ellipses on the far right, to Undelete the file.
Refresh the container and confirm the file has been restored.

Configure blob versioning

It’s important to keep track of the different website product document versions

Go to the Overview blade of the storage account.
In the Properties section, locate the Blob service section.
Select the Versioning setting.
Ensure the Enable versioning for blobs checkbox is checked.
Notice your options to keep all versions or delete versions after.
Don’t forget to Save your changes.

As you have time experiment with restoring previous blob versions.

Upload another version of your container file. This overwrites your existing file.
Your previous file version is listed on Show deleted blobs page.

Key Concepts in Cloud Computing.

Blessing Azeta — Fri, 24 Jan 2025 21:27:37 +0000

Hello everyone, I started my journey in DevOps and would be explaining some key concepts in cloud computing that I just learned.

What is Virtualization?

Virtualization is the technology that enables the creation of virtual replicas of computer resources like servers, operating systems and application that facilitates the production of virtual instances.
Scalability

The cloud's capacity to host apps for a long time, it's dynamic nature and its ability to withstand increasing demand and traffic is known as scalability. In Azure, one can scale out by adding resources manually or automatically to ensure capacity when there is a peak period and return to normal when the peak drops.
Agility

The cloud has the ability to help you do all you need to do about an idea quickly without delay. One is able to develop, test, and launch an application speedily using the resources available in the cloud.
High Availability

In simple terms, "The cloud is always available". It means it never goes off and there is no power interruption during its use. Bank apps are best hosted in the cloud due to its high availability, no one wants to try to log in and there is unavailable error popping up.
Fault Tolerant

Mechanism have been put in place to tolerate fault; the cloud is built to adapt and recover from unexpected disruption. The cloud infrastructure always has a replacement to avoid disruption, making it very reliable.
Global Reach

This means that it is globally available, you can start your business from anywhere in the world. Data center regions are all over the world and if you need any customer in any part, you only need to save the data for that business in a region closest to the customer.
What is the difference between Elasticity and Scalability

The cloud can stretch to whatever capacity you want it to, and it has the ability to automatically adjust resources like the storage and network capacity in response to changing workload, this is called Elasticity, it is very intuitive without under or over provisioning.
Scalability is only concerned about expanding the capacity to meet the rising workload.