Azure Virtual Machines – Practice Exercises

Overview
This course includes optional practical exercises where you can try out the techniques
demonstrated in the course for yourself. This guide lists the steps for the individual
practical exercises.

See the Overview page under Practical Exercises in your course for information about
getting started.

Azure Setup
If you already have a Microsoft Azure subscription, you can skip this section. Otherwise,
follow these steps to create a free trial subscription. You will need to provide a valid
credit card number for verification, but you will not be charged for Azure services – for
more information, see the frequently asked questions on the Azure sign-up page.

1. If you already have a Microsoft account that has not already been used to sign up
for a free Azure trial subscription, you’re ready to get started. If not, don’t worry,
just create a new Microsoft account.
2. After you’ve created a Microsoft account, create your free Microsoft Azure
account. You’ll need to sign-in with your Microsoft account if you’re not already
signed in. Then you’ll need to:
• Enter your cellphone number and have Microsoft send you a text message
to verify your identity.
• Enter the code you have been sent to verify it.
• Provide valid payment details. This is required for verification purposes
only – your credit card won’t be charged for any services you use during
the trial period, and the account is automatically deactivated at the end of
the trial period unless you explicitly decide to keep it active.

PowerShell Setup
Before you begin, make sure that your lab computer has a minimum of PowerShell 4
installed. You can install the latest version of the management framework (including
PowerShell 5.0) by downloading and installing the Windows Management Framework
5.0 software. You can download it from https://www.microsoft.com/en-
us/download/details.aspx?id=50395. Once you verify that your computer has the
minimum required version of PowerShell, you can proceed to download the necessary
modules:

1. From your lab computer, open an elevated PowerShell prompt.

2. Verify Azure related modules are available. If Azure modules are not available
proceed with the following steps.
Get-Module -All
3. Install the AzureRM module for resource management.
Install-Module AzureRM
4. If you get prompted to install and import the NuGet provider, Type Y and then
press the Enter key.
5. If you are notified that the repository is untrusted, confirm that you want to
install the modules by typing Y and then pressing the Enter key. The installation
process will take several minutes as packages are downloaded and installed.
6. After the download and installation is finished, import the module.
Import-Module AzureRM
7. Install the Azure module for service management.
Install-Module Azure command.
8. If you are notified that the repository is untrusted, confirm that you want to
install the modules by typing Y and then pressing the Enter key. The installation
process will take several minutes as packages are downloaded and installed.
9. Once the download and installation is finished, import the module.
Import-Module Azure command.
10. Verify Azure related modules are available.
Get-Module -All

If you have trouble installing the PowerShell modules from the PowerShell gallery, you
can try the WebPI method instead. Visit http://aka.ms/webpi-azps to download and
install the modules.
 Deploy a New Virtual Machine (Resource Manager)

In this exercise you will create a new virtual machine with a Resource Manager
deployment model.

1. Navigate to the new Azure Portal at https://portal.azure.com and sign in.

2. On the Hub menu, click New.
3. On the New blade, search for Server 2012 R2.
4. In the search results, click Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter.
5. In the Everything blade, click Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter.
6. On the Windows Server 2016 R2 Datacenter blade, notice the default deployment
model is set to Resource Manager. Click Create.
7. On the Create Virtual Machine blade, fill in the following values for basic settings
(substituting your information for the user name, subscription, and location) and
click OK.
• Name: SERVER-01
• VM disk type: HDD
• User name: <Your first name>
• Password: Pa$$w0rd12345
• Subscription: <Your subscription>
• Resource group: Create a new one named “Server2012R2-template”
• Location: <Your location>
8. On the Choose a size blade, click View all. Click the A0 Basic size and then click
Select.
9. On the Settings blade, review the default options for storage, network,
extensions, high availability, and monitoring. Click OK.
10. On the Summary blade, review the configuration and then click OK.
11. When the VM creation finishes, click Virtual machines in the left pane.
12. In the Virtual machines blade, click the server name for the VM that you
deployed.
13. In the Server-01 blade, click Stop at the top of the blade to stop the VM. This
ensures that you don’t consume resources unnecessarily.
 Configuring Endpoints on Virtual Machines (Resource Manager)

In this exercise you will explore virtual machine endpoints and how to add them. When
you need connectivity over to the internet to a VM, you need to use endpoints. If you
are using an operating system firewall, you might need to configure the firewall to
enable connectivity too.

1. Navigate to the new Azure Portal at https://portal.azure.com and sign in.

2. On the Hub menu, click Virtual machines.
3. Click SERVER-01. This will reveal the properties page for the VM.
4. Under Settings, click Network interfaces.
5. On the Network interfaces blade, click the interface for this VM. For example, click
server-01670.
6. On the Network interface blade for this VM, under Settings, click Network
security group.
7. On the Network security group blade, click the NSG for this VM. For example,
click the name of the network security group. For example, SERVER01nsg374.
8. On the Network security group blade for this VM, review the available options,
such as inbound security rules and outbound security rules. Click Inbound
security rules. Review the existing endpoints configured for the virtual machine,
such as the default-allow-rdp inbound rule (which enables you to connect to the
VM with Remote Desktop Connection).
9. Click Inbound security rules. On the Inbound security rules blade, click Add. Fill
in the following values to add HTTPS as a new endpoint to this VM. Click OK to
apply your changes. Now, you can connect to the VM over HTTPS (TCP port 443).
This is the default port for secure web services.
• Name: HTTPS
• Priority: 1010
• Source: Any
• Protocol: Any
• Source port range: 443
• Destination: Any
• Destination port range: 443
• Action: Allow
10. On the menu bar, monitor the progress alerts as the new security rule is applied.
11. When you are finished adding your new endpoint, close the web page.
 Create a Windows Server 2016 Nano Server in Azure

In this task, you will create a Windows Nano virtual machine in Azure.

1. If you are not signed in to the Azure portal from the previous steps, navigate to
https://portal.azure.com/ and, when prompted, sign in with the credentials
provided to you for this lab.
2. In the hub menu, on the left-hand side of the portal page, click New (+) > Compute >
See all
3. Select Windows Server. A scroll list of Windows Servers is displayed on the right
side of the portal.
4. Scroll down and select Windows Server 2016 – Nano Server, then click Create.
5. On the Basics blade, enter a Name for the virtual machine. The name must be 1-15
characters long and it cannot contain special characters. For this exercise, use the
name:
• Nano-VM1
6. Select the VM disk type. You have the choice between SSD and HDD. For this
exercise, make sure to select:
• HDD.
7. Enter a User name, and a strong Password that will be used to create a local account
on the VM. The local account is used to sign in to and manage the VM. For this
exercise, use the following username and password:
• Student
• Pa55w0rd1234
8. Select an existing Resource group or type the name for a new one. (see terminology
in Module 2 for Resource group information). In this exercise, you will use the
existing resource group that automatically appears in the Resource group drop
down list.
9. Select an Azure Datacenter Location such as East US. Click OK.
10. Choose a VM size, and then click Select to continue. For this exercise, use:
• Standard_A1
11. Select not to use managed disks.
12. To allow PowerShell Remoting, click on the Network Security Group (firewall) blade.
13. Select Create New.
14. On the Create network security group, remove the predefined default-allow-rdp
rule and replace it with a new rule with the following settings:
• Name: WinRM-https
• Priority: 1000
• Source: Any
 • Service: WinRM
• Action: Allow
15. Make sure that the validation passes and, on the Summary blade, click OK.

On the Azure portal dashboard, you will see the Nano Server being deployed. Once it is up and
running you will see the Overview > Essentials section of the blade of the new server.

Connect to Windows Server 2016 Nano Server in Azure

In this task, you will connect to a Windows Nano virtual machine in Azure.

In this task, you will connect to the Nano server you deployed in the previous task. In the Azure
portal, in the Overview > Essentials section of the blade of the new Nano server, take the note
of its public IP address. You can connect to the Nano server using the public IP address and
PowerShell remoting. Note: PowerShell Remoting must be setup on the machine you are using
to connect to the Nano server. Also, you will need to add the Nano Server to your trusted host
group.

You can now connect to your Nano Server running in Azure. Watch this video “Nano Server and
Azure PowerShell” for a look at some of PowerShell’s new features running on Nano Server in
Azure. Here
 Sizing Virtual Machines for Azure IaaS (Resource Manager)

In this exercise you will explore the sizing options available for Azure virtual machines.
As part of your job managing Azure infrastructure, you need to be familiar with the
sizing options so that you can maximize the efficiency of your subscription. Your goal
should be to have enough resources to meet your company’s requirements but not
have more than you need because it impacts your ongoing costs.

1. Navigate to the new Azure Portal at https://portal.azure.com and sign in.

2. On the Hub menu, click Virtual machines.
3. Click the SERVER-01 virtual machine.
4. On the SERVER-01 blade, under Settings, click Size. Explore the list of available
sizing options. As you move down the list review each of the resource options
and the estimated costs, such as CPU cores, memory, disk drives, and IOPS.
Compare the size offerings between the options.
5. When you are finished exploring the list of virtual machine sizing options, close
the web page.
 Create a Linux virtual machine in the Azure Portal

In this task, you will create a Linux virtual machine in Azure. We use an Ubuntu Server image as
an example, but that's just one of the many images Azure offers. Your image choices depend on
your subscription. For example, some desktop images are available to MSDN subscribers.

1. If you are not still signed in to the Azure portal from the previous task in this lab, sign
in to the Azure portal now. https://portal.azure.com/
2. On the hub menu, click New (+) > Compute > and choose the featured version of
Ubuntu Server.
3. On the Ubuntu Server blade, in Select a deployment model, verify that Resource
Manager is selected. Click Create.
4. After you select the image, you can use the default settings and quickly create the
virtual machine.
5. On the Basics blade, enter a Name for the virtual machine. The name must be 1-15
characters long and it cannot contain special characters. For this exercise, use the name:
• Ubuntu-VM1
6. Select the VM disk type. You have the choice between SSD and HDD. For this
exercise, make sure to select:
• HDD.
7. Enter a User name, and a strong Password that will be used to create a local account
on the VM. The local account is used to sign in to and manage the VM. For this
exercise, use the following username and password:
• Student
• Pa55w0rd1234

Note: Alternatively, you can authenticate by using a combination of a user name and an OpenSSH key. In
this case, you would need to provide the public key of an OpenSSH certificate, which you can generate
by using keygen on Linux and OS X, or PuTTYGen on Windows.

8. Select an existing Resource group or type the name for a new one. (see terminology
in Module 2 for Resource group information). In this exercise, you will use the
existing resource group that automatically appears in the Resource group drop
down list.
9. Select an Azure Datacenter Location such as East US. Click OK.
10. Choose a VM size, and then click Select to continue. For this exercise, use:
• Standard_A1
11. On the Settings blade, you can change the storage and network options. For this
exercise, you will use managed disks and accept all other default settings. Once
you're done applying the change, click OK.
 12. Click Summary to review your choices. When you see, the Validation passed
message, click OK.
13. Remember the Computer name, User name and, password for the Windows Server
14. While Azure creates the virtual machine, you can track the progress on the Virtual
Machines blade accessible from the hub menu.

Note: If you are not familiar with Linux, for help, you can watch the video How to setup a Linux Server
in Azure in the Practical Exercises panel.

Connect to the Linux virtual machine

1. From the Virtual machines blade, click the entry representing the virtual machine
you deployed earlier in this exercise. You will be automatically presented with the
Overview > Essentials blade of that VM.
2. On the blade for the virtual machine, take the note of the value appearing under the
Public IP address/DNS name label entry.
3. Start Internet Explorer and browse to
http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/download.html
4. Download the putty.exe to your computer and Run it from the download location.
5. In the PuTTY Configuration window, type the IP address you noted in step 2 in the
Host Name (or IP address) text box and click Open.
6. When prompted by the PuTTY Security Alert, click Yes.
7. In the PuTTY window, when prompted for the username and the corresponding
password, type in the values of you specified when creating the Linux virtual
machine.
8. Verify that you managed to successfully authenticate.

Configuring VM IP Addressing (Resource Manager)

In this exercise you will assign a static IP address to your Azure virtual machine. While
dynamically assigned IP addresses are the default and help to reduce administrative
overhead, there are situations where you want to have a specific static IP address (such
as for a migration or upgrade or if you have an environment with all statically assigned
IP addresses).
 1. Navigate to the new Azure Portal at https://portal.azure.com and sign in.
2. On the Hub menu, click Virtual machines.
3. Click the UBUNTU-01 virtual machine that we created earlier in this module.
4. On the UBUNTU-01 blade, under Settings, click Network interfaces. Review the
list of available network interfaces.
5. On the UBUNTU-01 Network interfaces blade, select the network interface for this
VM.
6. On the network interface blade, under Settings, click IP configurations.
7. On the IP configurations blade, click ipconfig1. Review the default settings, such
as subnet, assignment, and IP address.
8. On the ipconfig1 blade, change the following values and then click Save.
• Assignment: Static
• IP address: 10.0.0.20
9. On the menu bar, monitor the alerts for progress as the network interface update
is applied.
10. When you are finished updating the IP address for your Ubuntu Server, close the
web page.

Attaching New and Existing Disks (Resource Manager)

In this exercise you will attach a new disk to your virtual machine in Azure. In this
scenario, we will add a new disk. Optionally, you can upload an existing disk with data
from your on-premises data center to Azure and then add that disk as a data disk to a
VM.

1. Navigate to the new Azure Portal at https://portal.azure.com and sign in.

2. On the Hub menu, click Virtual machines.
3. Click the UBUNTU-01 virtual machine that we created earlier in this module.
4. On the UBUNTU-01 blade, under Settings, click Disks.
5. On the UBUNTU-01 Disks blade, click Attach new.
6. On the Attach new blade, review the list of available settings. Fill in the following
values and click OK.
• Name: UBUNTU-01-DATADISK1
• Type: HDD
• Size (GiB): 10
• Location: <Select your storage account>
 • Host caching: None
7. On the menu bar, monitor the alerts for progress as the new virtual disk is
created and attached to the virtual machine.
8. When you are finished attaching the new disk to your Ubuntu Server, close the
web page.