DEV Community: prinok7

How To Create A Linux Virtual Machine on Azure and Access It On Your Local Windows Machine.

prinok7 — Sun, 23 Jul 2023 14:11:42 +0000

Introduction-
In Sub-Saharan Africa, the most ubiquitous computer systems most people come in contact with are the Windows Operating System made and marketed by Microsoft Corporation Redmond Washington United States of America. Due to the all pervading presence of Windows in Nigeria and else where in Africa, some people do not know there is another computer systems on which much of the internet is built on called the Linux/Unix System completely different from the usual Windows system known to most people in Nigeria and Africa. To know more about Linux click on this link-https://www.linux.com/what-is-linux/

It is possible to create a Linux VM on Azure and access same on your local machine via the following steps-
1.
Go to Azure portal and click on create virtual machine-

2.
Choose Ubuntu- a distribution of Linux.

Fill the necessary fields and click on create as shown here-
Go to the created VM on azure portal and click on connect-(ensure the ssh private/public key is downloaded during creation of VM)as shown here-

5.
Go to resources and Click on connect shown here-

6.
Follow the instruction on this page as shown here(you must ensure you have already downloaded and installed WSL-Windows Subsystem for Linux-on your local machine- to download WSL on your local machine go to-https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/install. Make sure your local machine is enabled for virtualization in your system BIOS)-
Open the WSl terminal as shown here-

8.
input these commands on the WSL command line interface- make sure the .PEM is in the root folder-

9.
Input the commands and connect as shown-

Conclusion- The above steps encapsulate how to connect to a Linux Virtual Machine created on Azure on a local windows machine running at least Windows 10.

How To Remotely Access Via RDP Any Windows Virtual Machine Created on Azure.

prinok7 — Sun, 23 Jul 2023 13:16:50 +0000

It is very possible to access via RDP(Remote Desktop Protocol) your Windows Virtual Machine created on the Azure Platform.
Here are the steps to follow to access your windows virtual machine via rdp.

Log into your azure portal-
Click on create-
Input and populate the fields as shown- 4.After inputting and populating the required fields, then click on create as shown- 5.To access the created windows virtual machine, click on Connect as shown here-
Once the connect opens as here- download the rdp file or search for rdp at the start bar in your local machine- copy and input the public ip address as shown here-
The rdp dialogue box will request for a username and password which were inputted during creation of the windows virtual machine on the Azure Platform. See sample here-
Input the required credentials- username and password. Then click on connect.

Conclusion- Those are the steps to connect to a windows machine created on Azure via rdp on your local machine.

How To Create A Free Microsoft Azure Account From Nigeria.

prinok7 — Sun, 23 Jul 2023 12:25:50 +0000

For anyone starting out in cloud computing on the Microsoft Azure platform, it is an absolute requirement that such a person must create an Azure account. Just as one cannot bathe without getting wet, it becomes impossible to do anything on Microsoft Azure platform without an account.

What then are the steps an absolute newbie can take to successfully create an Azure account? The steps are enumerated as follows:
1.A Computer( Laptop/DeskTop) with an Internet Access.

At least a rudimentary knowledge of internet surfing and basic computer knowledge.
Go to your web browser and type in the Search " How To Create Free Azure Account"
Upon typing No.3 above, the search results below will be displayed- .
The user is to click on- https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free
For users in Africa ( especially Nigeria), ensure you have a dollar denominated bank card or that your local Naira card is chargeable for international transactions. In the alternative, those without a dollar bank card or whose local naira is not chargeable for international transactions, such persons can fund a virtual dollar card through Payday App and Bitnob App which are both available on Google PlayStore for Android users and App Store for iOS users. When inputting your details during signup on Azure page, kindly ensure that your given address is in agreement with the address on the Card you are using. If issued with a virtual dollar card from Payday, you may have to use a VPN to be logged in as a US Resident, while using a Nigerian Mobile Number for verification.
The instruction in No.6 above is necessary because Microsoft has two levels of authentications before allowing a person to open a free Azure Account loaded with $200 Credit- a. Authentication via Mobile Number/Email; b. Authentication via a Bank Card.

In conclusion, those living in Sub-Saharan Africa have an extra hurdle to cross to open and access cloud computing services on the Microsoft Azure Platform. This blog post is intended to provide some guidance in this respect, however miniscule. Happy Cloud Computing.