Cloud Computing on Azure - Assignment 2: Introduction to Azure Principles

Objective:

This assignment aims to familiarize you with fundamental Azure cloud computing concepts and the Azure portal, helping you develop a basic understanding of Azure's core services and architecture. By the end of this exercise, you will have explored the Azure platform, learned how to set up basic resources, and gained hands-on experience with cloud management principles.

Part 1: Exploring Azure Storage

1. Task: Create a Storage Account in Azure to explore Azure Storage services.

2. Instructions:

   • In the Azure Portal, go to Storage Accounts and click on Create.
   • Set the following:
     • Resource Group: Use the previously created resource group (CloudBasics_RG).
     • Storage Account Name: Choose a unique name (e.g., cloudstorage123).
     • Region:Select a region.
     • Redunduncy: Choose Locally redundant storage (LRS).
   • Review and create the storage account.
   • After creation, navigate to the resource group you just created. how many resources are linked to it?
   • Navigate to the storage account you just created. What do you see under the Essentials panel?
   • Navigate to Tutorials panel and find the Azure stoarge documentation.
   • Delete the storage account and the associated resource group with the portal. Then re-create it for later use.

Part 2: Creating a Virtual Machine

1. Task: In this step, you will deploy a basic Virtual Machine (VM) in Azure using the Azure Portal.

2. Instructions:

   • Go to Virtual Machine service on the azure portal.
   • Click on Create and select Virtual Machine.
   • For configuration:
     • Resource Group: Create a new resource group (e.g., VM_RG).
     • VM Name: Use a unique name for your virtual machine (e.g., CloudVM01).
     • Region: Select a region (East US or any other region). Note that the pricing of VMs may change from a region to another. Checkout the price of B2pts v2 with Linux configuration in France vs East US here.
     • Image: Select a pre-built OS image like Ubuntu Server 20.04 LTS.
     • Size: Select an appropriate size. Your subscription will not allow you to use Bs1 machines, so just use the cheapest one you have in your list. Check the pricing before selecting one.
   • Review and create the VM.
   • After the VM is created, navigate to the resource group you created. How many resources are linked to it?

Part 3: Accessing and Managing Resources Using Azure CLI

1. Task: Install and use the Azure Command-Line Interface (CLI) to manage Azure resources. This will introduce you to programmatic interaction with Azure services.

2. Instructions:

   • Install the Azure CLI on your local machine (Windows, macOS, or Linux) by following the instructions from the official Azure CLI documentation.
   • Before continuing, define a CLI in your own words. What are the advantages compared to the portal?
   • Check everything is installed correctly by running the following command in your terminal:

     az --version
     

   • After installation, log in to your Azure account using:

     az login
     

   • Using Azure CLI, list all the resources of your subscription with:

     az resource list
     

   • Using Azure CLI, list all your resource groups with:

     az group list --output table
     

   • Retrieve details about your virtual machine with:

     az vm show --resource-group <your-resource-group-name> --name <your-vm-name> --output json
     

   • Turn-off the VM using:

     az vm deallocate -g <your-resource-group-name> -n <your-vm-name>
     

   • Delete the VM using the CLI (look at the documentation to find the command).
   • What's the difference between az vm deallocate and az vm delete commands?
   • Delete the VM resource group using the CLI (make sure all the resources it contained are also deleted).
   • Delete the storage resource group you created in exercise 1 using the CLI. What did happen?

Additional Resources

• Azure Documentation: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/
• Azure CLI Documentation: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/cli/azure/
• Azure CLI VM Documentation: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/cli/azure/vm?view=azure-cli-latest

Note: It is essential to follow best practices, including shutting down your virtual machines after use to avoid any unintended charges from your free tier credits.