The Moment Everything Clicked
"I'm supposed to create my Virtual WAN in East US but then put the hub in West US? That seems backwards..."
That was my initial confusion when I started the AZ-700 Virtual WAN lab. As someone relatively new to Azure networking, the concepts felt abstract until I actually built something hands-on. In this article, I'll take you through my journey from confusion to clarity, complete with screenshots and practical explanations.
What Even is Azure Virtual WAN? (And Why Should You Care)
Before we dive into the lab, let me save you the confusion I experienced. Azure Virtual WAN is essentially Microsoft's answer to complex global networking.
Think of it like this:
Traditional networking: Building individual roads between every city (manual, complex)
Virtual WAN: Creating a highway system with on-ramps everywhere (automated, scalable)
The Problem It Solves:
Imagine your company has offices in Seattle, New York, and London. Each needs to connect to Azure resources securely. Without Virtual WAN, you'd be configuring VPNs and routes manually for each location. With Virtual WAN, it's all managed through a single interface.
Lab Scenario: Building Contoso's Global Network
Our mission: Create a Virtual WAN for Contoso that can connect their West Coast research team to Azure resources efficiently.
Task 1: Creating the Virtual WAN - Laying the Foundation
What I Actually Did:
Created a Virtual WAN named ContosoVirtualWAN
Selected Standard type for full functionality
Chose a resource group to keep everything organized
The "Aha!" Moment:
The Virtual WAN itself isn't a physical thing living in a data center. It's a global management overlay - think of it as the mission control center that will coordinate all our networking components across different regions.
Why This Step Matters:
This single resource becomes the brain of our entire network operation. Instead of managing multiple disconnected networks, we now have one pane of glass for global connectivity.
Task 2: Creating the Virtual Hub - The Regional Gateway
What I Actually Did:
Created a hub named ContosoVirtualWANHub-WestUS
Placed it in West US (strategic for West Coast users)
Allocated IP space 10.60.0.0/24 for the hub
Enabled Site-to-site VPN capabilities
The "Aha!" Moment:
Here's where the East US/West US confusion cleared up! The Virtual WAN is the global manager, while the hub is the regional connector. They can be in different regions because they serve different purposes.
Real-World Benefit:
If Contoso has a research team in Seattle, they connect directly to the West US hub instead of routing through Virginia. This means:
✅ Lower latency for West Coast users
✅ Better performance for real-time applications
✅ Redundancy if East US has issues
The Waiting Game:
This step takes about 30 minutes because Azure is provisioning actual VPN gateways behind the scenes. Perfect time for a coffee break! ☕
Task 3: Connecting the VNet - Bringing Cloud Resources Online
What I Actually Did:
Connected ResearchVNet to our Virtual Hub
Named the connection ContosoVirtualWAN-to-ResearchVNet
Configured route propagation
The "Aha!" Moment:
This is where the magic happens! By connecting the Virtual Network to our hub, we're essentially creating an on-ramp to our global highway system. Any resource in ResearchVNet can now communicate securely with any other connected resource.
What Azure Handles Automatically:
Route propagation between regions
Security policy enforcement
Optimal path selection
Traffic encryption
Business Impact:
Researchers can now access their tools and data as if they're on the same local network, regardless of where they're physically located.
🧹 The Most Important Step: Cleanup!
Why I Almost Skipped This:
"I'm learning, why worry about cleanup?" Then I remembered: Azure resources cost money when they're running!
What I Did:
Navigated to Resource Groups
Selected ContosoResourceGroup
Clicked "Delete resource group"
Typed the name to confirm
Watched everything disappear (satisfying!)
Pro Tip:
Always set up budget alerts in your Azure subscription. It's easy to forget about running resources when you're focused on learning.
💡 Key Takeaways From My Journey
- Global vs Regional Thinking: Virtual WAN = Global management plane (the strategy)
Virtual Hub = Regional execution point (the tactics)
2.** Automation is Powerful**:
What would take days of manual configuration now happens with a few clicks. Azure handles the complex routing behind the scenes.
- Performance Matters: Placing hubs close to users isn't just nice-to-have—it's critical for modern applications.
4.** Cost Awareness**:
Always clean up your learning environments. Cloud resources aren't free!
🚀** Ready to Start Your Own Journey?**
This lab transformed my understanding of cloud networking from theoretical to practical. The best part? You can recreate this exact experience through Microsoft's free learning resources.
Next Steps for Your Learning:
Try creating multiple hubs in different regions
Experiment with Point-to-site VPN for remote users
Explore ExpressRoute for dedicated private connections
Challenge Yourself:
What networking problems does your organization face? How could Virtual WAN solve them?
📚 Resources That Helped Me:
Microsoft Learn AZ-700 Path
Azure Virtual WAN Documentation
Cloud Skills Challenge: Azure Networking
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