Azure Core Products Flashcards
Virtual Machines
Windows Server, Windows Client, or Linux Virtual Machines can be created on-demand. Virtual Machines increase stability and reduce hardware costs.
Virtual Machine Scale Sets allow you to create a duplicated group of VMs, making it easy to configure and manage several VMs in a short time.
Azure Batch can increase computing power (dozens or even hundreds of VMs) on demand. Azure Virtual Machines can be used for:
Times when you need full control over a machine.
Running custom software.
Testing and development.
Increasing the size of a data center.
Applications with fluctuating demands.
Azure Container Instances
Web apps, configurations, and files are packaged together so they can be consistently shared and deployed over the cloud.
Azure Container Instances can be used when:
You need to run multiple isolated container instances on one computer.
You do not need to have full control over the VM.
You want to develop without worrying about managing a full virtual machine.
You need to split your app into logical parts for maintenance and scalability.
Azure Virtual Desktop
Azure Virtual Desktop is an application and desktop virtualization that can be run anywhere in the world using any operating system and any modern browser.
Azure Virtual Desktop can be used when:
You do not want to risk personal data stored on a laptop or other physical device.
Your end-users are using different operating systems.
Your users are scattered across different locations and need anywhere-access.
You need to accommodate users using various operating systems.
Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) is an orchestration service that can be used to manage numerous container instances (nodes).
Azure Kubernetes Service can be used when you need to manage a large number of container instances.
Virtual Network
Azure virtual networks provide a method for Azure VMs, databases, and apps to communicate. These virtual networks work as an extension of your local network. This means that your users and client computers can communicate with your Azure VMs, databases, and web apps as if they were stored locally. The following methods can be used to extend your virtual network:
Azure ExpressRoute
Point-to-site private networks
Site-to-site private networks
Azure virtual networks can be used for:
Segmentation (subnets)
Isolation
Network traffic filtering
Communication between local and Azure resources
Azure VPN Gateway
Azure VPN Gateway provides a secure connection between an Azure virtual network and another network.
VPN Gateways can be used to establish the following connections:
Network-to-network connection
Site-to-site connection
Point-to-site connection
Azure ExpressRoute
ExpressRoute is a private connection between your on-premises network and Microsoft cloud services such as Azure.
Unlike a VPN that is limited to around 1.25 Gbps network speed, Azure ExpressRoute can provide up to 10 Gbps.
A router on the edge of your on-premise network would connect to a service provider. Instead of a public network connection, the ISP would use a dedicated connection to connect to a Microsoft Enterprise Edge router (MSEE) located at the edge of Microsoft’s network.
Azure ExpressRoute is useful when you need faster speeds, lower latency, and increased reliability over regular internet connectivity.
Virtual network peering
Virtual network peering provides a low-latency option for connecting one virtual network to another. Traffic between the two networks is done on Microsoft’s private infrastructure instead of over the Internet. Virtual network peering is useful for database failover and data replication.
Virtual network peering
Virtual network peering provides a low-latency option for connecting one virtual network to another. Traffic between the two networks is done on Microsoft’s private infrastructure instead of over the Internet. Virtual network peering is useful for database failover and data replication.
Blob Storage
Blob storage houses large amounts of unstructured data such as images, audio, video, and text. Items stored in Blob storage are called blobs. Blobs are organized into containers. This data is connected to user accounts and can be accessed from anywhere.
Blob storage is often used for:
Files that need distributed access
Streaming video
Backup and disaster recovery data
Browser images or documents
Disk Storage
Azure-managed disks are used with Azure Virtual Machines. Azure provides hard disks, solid-state drives, and ultra disks.
Azure-managed disks are valuable when you need:
A high level of availability
A large number (potentially thousands) of virtual machines
Protection against regional disasters
Protection from datacenter failures
File Storage
Azure files provide cloud-based file shares. These file shares can be accessed by Windows, macOS, or Linux deployments can access these file shares on the premises or in the cloud. Azure Files can be shared using a URL. Shares can be long-term or managed for a shorter term using Shared Access Signature (SAS) tokens.
File storage are useful for:
Sharing files between on-premise or cloud-based applications
Sharing files between multiple virtual machines
Archive Storage
Archive storage is designed to store important data, but does not need to be accessed regularly.
Archive storage is useful for:
Storing old data for compliance purposes
Long-term backup
Surveillance footage
Cosmos DB
Cosmos DB is an Azure hosted NoSQL database system. You can choose to use any of the following API/database types:
Core (SQL)
Cassandra
Gremlin
MongoDB
Azure Table
Cosmos DB is useful when you want to migrate your database to Azure, but you do not want to change your API.
Azure SQL Database
Azure SQL Database is a platform as a service (PaaS) hosted by Microsoft. The backend infrastructure, upgrades, backups, and monitoring are fully managed, so you just need to focus on your data.
Azure SQL Database is useful when you need a highly reliable, high-performing relational database without the hassle of database management.
Azure Database for MySQL
Azure Database for MySQL is a relational database service hosted by Microsoft. The backend infrastructure, upgrades, and monitoring are fully managed so you can focus on your data.
Azure Database for MySQL is useful when you need a reliable relational database based on MySQL without the hassle of database design, building, and management.
