Describe Azure architecture and services: Describe Azure compute and networking services Flashcards
What are Azure Virtual Machines (VMs)?
Virtualized servers that provide Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), offering complete control over the OS, software, and hosting configurations.
What are common use cases for Azure VMs?
Testing and development.
Running applications in the cloud.
Extending datacenters to the cloud.
Disaster recovery.
What are Virtual Machine Scale Sets (VMSS)?
VMSS allows automated scaling and centralized management of identical, load-balanced VMs, ideal for large-scale services.
What is an Availability Set in Azure?
A grouping of VMs to ensure fault tolerance by distributing VMs across fault domains (power/network failure zones) and update domains (maintenance zones).
What are containers in Azure?
Lightweight virtualization environments that run multiple apps on a single host without managing the OS, designed for agility and dynamic scaling.
How do containers differ from VMs?
VMs virtualize hardware and include an OS, while containers virtualize the OS, bundling only the app and its dependencies.
What is Azure Container Instances (ACI)?
A PaaS offering to run single-container workloads without managing VMs or infrastructure.
What is Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)?
A container orchestration service for deploying, managing, and scaling containerized applications.
What are Azure Functions?
Event-driven, serverless compute options that run code in response to triggers without maintaining infrastructure.
What are the benefits of Azure Functions?
No infrastructure management.
Automatic scaling based on demand.
Pay only for the execution time.
What is the difference between stateless and stateful Azure Functions?
Stateless functions restart on each event; stateful (Durable Functions) retain context between executions.
What is an Azure Virtual Network (VNet)?
A logically isolated network in Azure that securely connects Azure resources and extends on-premises networks to the cloud.
What are subnets in Azure?
Subdivisions of a VNet’s IP address range to organize and isolate resources for better scalability and security.
What are public and private endpoints in Azure networking?
Public endpoint: Accessible over the internet with a public IP.
Private endpoint: Uses a private IP within a VNet.
What is virtual network peering?
A connection between two VNets that allows private communication without routing traffic over the public internet.
What is a VPN Gateway in Azure?
A virtual network gateway used to send encrypted traffic between Azure VNets, on-premises networks, or devices.
What is Azure ExpressRoute?
A private, high-speed connection between on-premises infrastructure and Azure, bypassing the public internet for better security and reliability.
What is the difference between policy-based and route-based VPN gateways?
Policy-based: Statically defines encrypted traffic.
Route-based: Uses IP routing to dynamically select traffic for encryption.
What is Azure DNS?
A hosting service for DNS domains that provides name resolution using Microsoft Azure infrastructure.
What are alias records in Azure DNS?
Records that point to Azure resources and update automatically when the resource’s IP changes.
Does Azure DNS allow you to purchase domain names?
No, you must purchase domains through App Service domains or a third-party registrar and host them in Azure DNS.
What is Azure App Service?
An HTTP-based service for hosting web apps, APIs, and mobile backends with automatic scaling and high availability.
What app types can be hosted on Azure App Service?
Web apps.
API apps.
WebJobs for background tasks.
Mobile apps.
What programming languages are supported by Azure App Service?
.NET, Java, Ruby, Node.js, PHP, and Python, on Windows and Linux platforms.
What is an Azure Application Gateway?
A Layer 7 load balancer with features like SSL termination and Web Application Firewall (WAF).
What is the Azure Gateway Load Balancer?
A service for advanced traffic management integrated with third-party network virtual appliances.
When should you use containers instead of VMs?
Use containers for lightweight, portable, and scalable application workloads; use VMs when full control of the OS is needed.
When is ExpressRoute preferred over a VPN gateway?
When higher bandwidth, lower latency, and better security are required for private connectivity.
How do Azure Functions differ from App Service?
Azure Functions focus on serverless, event-driven execution, while App Service is for hosting web apps and APIs.
