Forem: chifum

Here's a step-by-step guide to create a Linux Virtual Machine on Azure, SSH into it, and install NGINX:

chifum — Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:31:01 +0000

This article will walk you through creating a Linux Virtual Machine, connecting to it via SSH, and installing NGINX on it.

Let’s Begin:

1. Login to Azure Website

Go to Azure Portal.
Log in using your Azure account credentials.

2. Search for Virtual Machines

In the Azure portal, type Virtual Machine in the search bar and select Virtual Machines from the results.

3. Click on + Create

On the Virtual Machines page, click on the + Create button to start creating a virtual machine.

4. Select Azure Virtual Machine

Choose the Azure Virtual Machine option to proceed with setting up your virtual machine.

5. Set Up Project Details

Under Project Details, go to the Resource Group field.
Click on Create New and provide a unique name for the resource group. You can use a special name or the name of your project to make it easily identifiable.
Click OK after entering the name to save it.

6. Set Up Instance Details

Under the Instance Details section, provide a name for your virtual machine.
Choose a name that reflects the purpose of the VM or your project. For example: MyLinuxVM or ProjectServer.

7. Choose a Region

In the Region dropdown menu, select the region where you want your virtual machine to be hosted.
Choose a location close to you or your target users to reduce latency and improve performance. For example: East US, West Europe, or Southeast Asia.

8. Select Availability Zones

In the Availability Options section, choose the Availability Zones based on how highly available you want your virtual machine to be:
- Zone 1 and Zone 2: Select these if you want your VM to be highly available.
- Zone 1, Zone 2, and Zone 3: Select these if you want your VM to be very highly available. (Keep in mind that higher availability increases the cost.)

Choose the option that best aligns with your budget and project requirements.

9. Choose the Image

Under the Image dropdown menu, select Ubuntu Server (e.g., Ubuntu Server 20.04 LTS) as the operating system for your Linux VM.
Ubuntu is a popular choice for Linux servers due to its stability and extensive community support.

10. Set Administrator Account

Under the Administrator Account section:
- For Authentication Type, select Password.
- Enter a Username and a Password of your choice. (Ensure the password is strong and meets Azure's security requirements.)

Using a password for authentication allows you to access your virtual machine directly without needing an SSH public key.

11. Create a Username and Password

In the Administrator Account section:
- Enter a Username of your choice (e.g., adminuser or linuxadmin).
- Create a strong Password (e.g., a mix of uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and special characters). Example: P@ssw0rd123!.

12. Select Inbound Ports

Under the Inbound Port Rules section:
- Select HTTP (80) to allow web traffic.
- Select SSH (22) to enable secure remote access to your virtual machine.

This configuration ensures that you can access your VM via SSH and view the web page hosted on it.

13. Disable Boot Diagnostics

Navigate to the Monitoring tab.
Locate the Boot Diagnostics option and set it to Disable.

14. Add Tags to Your VM

Click on the Tags tab.
In the Key field, enter a label like Owner or Project.
In the Value field, enter your name, company name, or project name. For example:
- Key: Environment
- Value: Production

15. Review and Create

Click on the Review + Create button.
Wait for Azure to validate your configurations. Once validation is successful and you see a green checkmark, proceed by clicking the Create button.

16. Create the Virtual Machine

After the validation process is complete and passes successfully, click on the Create button.

17. Go to the Resource

Once the deployment is complete, click on the Go to Resource button. This will take you to the management page of your newly created Linux virtual machine, where you can access its details and settings.

18. Increase Idle Timeout for the IP Address

On the VM's Overview page, click on the IP Address link (Public IP).
This will take you to the Public IP Address configuration page.
Under the Configuration tab, look for the Idle Timeout setting.
Increase the idle timeout to a higher value (e.g., 30 minutes) to ensure your connection remains stable during extended periods of inactivity.
Click Save to apply the changes.

19. Connect to the Linux Virtual Machine via SSH

Open the PowerShell application on your Windows laptop.
Type the following SSH command, replacing <VMName> and <IPAddress> with your VM's details:

  ssh <VMName>@<IPAddress>

Example:

  ssh mylinuxvm@123.45.67.89

Note: There should be no spaces between the VM name and the IP address.

Press Enter.

20. Confirm Connection

When prompted, type yes to confirm that you trust the remote host and want to continue.

21. Enter the Password

You will be asked for the password you created for the VM during setup.
Type the password and press Enter. Note: The password will not be visible while typing—this is a standard Linux security feature. Just type it carefully and press Enter when finished.

22. Gain Root Access

After successfully connecting to the Linux VM, you will see a message instructing that administrative commands require Root privileges.
To switch to the root user, type the following command and press Enter:

  sudo su

Once executed, you will have root privileges, allowing you to run commands as the system administrator.

23. Install NGINX

Now that you are connected as a root user, you can install NGINX by typing the following command:

  apt install nginx

Press Enter to execute the command.

24. Follow Installation Prompts

During the installation process, you may be prompted to confirm the installation. If so, type Y and press Enter to proceed. NGINX will now be installed on your Linux VM.

25. Verify NGINX Installation

Go to your Azure portal and navigate to your virtual machine's Overview page.
Locate the Public IP Address of your virtual machine.
Copy the IP address.

26. Test in a Browser

Open a web browser on your local machine.
Paste the IP Address into the browser’s address bar and press Enter.

Expected Result:

If NGINX was successfully installed, you will see the Default NGINX Welcome Page, which confirms that the web server is running.

How to Create a Windows Server Virtual Machine and install and IIS Web server role on the VM

chifum — Sun, 16 Feb 2025 06:15:50 +0000

In this article, we will guide you through the process of creating a virtual machine and installing the IIS web server role on it.

Let’s get started!

To proceed, search for "Virtual Machine" in your cloud service provider's dashboard or management console and select it from the search results.

To create a new virtual machine, click the + Create button at the top-left or extreme-left corner of the page.

From the available options, select Azure Virtual Machine to proceed with setting up your virtual machine.

Under Project Details, click on ** Create New ** for the Resource Group option. Provide a name for the resource group—ideally, make it unique or reflective of your project name for easy identification.

Under Instance Details, provide a name for your virtual machine. Choose a meaningful name that reflects its purpose or role in your project.

In the Region field, select a region of your choice. Consider choosing a region that is closest to your location or the location of your target users for better performance and reduced latency.

Under Availability Options, select the Availability Zones based on your desired level of availability.

Zone 1 and Zone 2: Choose these if you want your virtual machine to be highly available.
Zone 1, Zone 2, and Zone 3: Opt for this if you need your virtual machine to be very highly available.

Keep in mind that higher availability typically comes with increased costs, so choose an option that aligns with your budget and project needs.

Then select a Windows Server

Leave all other settings at their default values. Then, under the Administrator Account section, create a Username and Password of your choice. Make sure to use a strong password for security purposes. Keep these credentials safe, as you will need them to log into your virtual machine.

Under the Select Inbound Ports section, choose HTTP. This will allow incoming HTTP traffic, enabling you to view your virtual machine as a web page once the IIS web server is installed and configured.

Select Licencing

Click on the Monitoring tab and locate the Boot Diagnostics option. Set it to Disable to turn off boot diagnostics for your virtual machine.

Next, click on the Tags tab. Here, you can tag your virtual machine by entering a key-value pair, such as your name or your company's name, to easily identify and manage the resource. For example:

Key: Environment
Value: Production

Click on the Review + Create button. The system will validate your configurations. Once the validation is successful and a green checkmark appears, proceed by clicking the Create button to deploy your virtual machine.

Once the validation process is complete and passes successfully, click on the Create button to finalize and deploy your virtual machine.

After the deployment is complete, click on the Go to Resource button. This will take you to the management page for your newly created virtual machine.

Click on the Connect button to establish a connection to your virtual machine. Select your preferred connection method, such as RDP depending on the operating system and your setup.

Click on Select under the Native RDP option for a local machine. This will allow you to connect to your virtual machine using the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) client installed on your computer.

A pop-up will appear on the right side of the screen. Wait for it to validate and show that the configuration is complete. Once it is configured, click on the option to Download the RDP File. This file will be used to connect to your virtual machine.

Once the RDP file has finished downloading, click on it to open it, then select Connect to establish a remote connection to your virtual machine.

Note: If you are using a MacBook, you will need to download and install the Microsoft Remote Desktop App from the App Store to use the RDP file.

When prompted, enter the password you created earlier during the Administrator Settings configuration. This will authenticate your connection to the virtual machine. Once entered, click OK or Connect to proceed.

When the security prompt appears, click on Yes to confirm the connection and proceed to access your virtual machine.

Your Windows Server 2019 Datacenter Edition is now successfully set up and ready to use. You can proceed with installing and configuring additional roles and features as needed, such as setting up the IIS web server.

To proceed:

Click on the Start Menu.
Type PowerShell in the search bar.
From the search results, right-click on Windows PowerShell (or Windows PowerShell ISE) and select Run as Administrator to open it with administrative privileges.

To install IIS, follow these steps:

In the Windows PowerShell window (running as Administrator), copy and paste the following command:

   Install-WindowsFeature -name Web-Server –IncludeManagementTools

Press Enter to execute the command.

This will install the IIS role along with its management tools on your Windows Server. Wait for the installation to complete. Once done, IIS will be ready to use.

When the command executes successfully, you will see a confirmation message in PowerShell that looks similar to this:

Success Restart Needed Exit Code      Feature Result
------- -------------- ---------      --------------
True    No             Success        {Web-Server, Web-Mgmt-Tools, Web-Mgmt-Console}

This output confirms that the IIS role and management tools have been successfully installed on your Windows Server. You can now access and configure IIS.

To verify the installation of IIS:

Open a web browser on your local machine or the virtual machine.
Navigate to http://localhost. If IIS is installed correctly, you will see the default IIS welcome page.

Alternatively:

In the Azure Portal, go to your virtual machine's overview page.
Click on the IP Address (Public IP) displayed under the Networking or Overview section.
Copy and paste the IP Address into your browser's address bar.

If IIS is installed and running, the default IIS welcome page will appear, confirming that the web server is functioning correctly.

To confirm that the IIS Web Server is installed:

Copy the IP address of your virtual machine from the Azure portal.
Open a web browser on your local machine.
Paste the IP address into the browser's address bar and press Enter.

If the IIS Web Server was installed successfully, you will see the default IIS Welcome Page, which confirms that the web server is up and running. If not, double-check the installation process or ensure that the necessary inbound ports (e.g., HTTP) are open in your VM's network settings.

As evident from the browser, seeing the IIS Welcome Page confirms that the web server has been successfully installed and is operational. Congratulations on setting up your IIS Web Server on the virtual machine! 🎉

How to Create a Windows 11 Virtual Machine on Azure

chifum — Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:51:27 +0000

Steps to Create a Windows 11 VM

Log in to Azure Portal
Navigate to Virtual Machines
Click ‘Create’ and Choose ‘Azure Virtual Machine’

4 Fill in the Basics

Subscription: Choose the subscription you want to use. If you see warnings about spending limits, revisit your payment method or subscription type.
Resource Group: Select an existing resource group or create a new one.
Virtual Machine Name: This is the star of the show! Name your VM something relating to the use of the vm. Pick the region closest to you and select Windows 11 from the available options
Size: Choose a VM size that suits your needs. Remember, bigger VMs cost more, so don’t go too crazy unless you’re feeling flush.

Set Up the Administrator Account:

Create a username and password for your virtual machine (VM). Pro tip: Avoid using "admin" as the username—Azure doesn't allow it. Make sure to store the password securely. And no, a sticky note on your monitor doesn't count as secure!

Networking: Azure automatically creates a virtual network for your VM. Simply review the settings and proceed unless you have specific networking requirements. No need to complicate things—unless you're a networking expert!

Review and Create: Click on Review + Create to review your configuration. Azure will provide a summary of your selected settings.

Connect to Your VM Using RDP

Connecting to Your Windows 11 VM Using Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) It's easy! Just follow these steps:

Download the RDP file provided.
Find the downloaded .rdp file and double-click it to open the Remote Desktop Connection application.

Enter Credentials: Use the username and password you set during the VM creation process.
Click Continue to connect

Accept the Certificate Warning: You may see a certificate warning. This is normal; just click continue to proceed.
Enjoy Windows 11. You should now be logged into your Windows 11 VM. Start exploring, installing apps, or doing whatever you need!

How to Create a Resource Group on Azure

chifum — Wed, 12 Feb 2025 01:24:44 +0000

Sign in to the Azure portal (portal.azure.com) if you already have an account. If not, sign up for one
Select Resource Groups

OR type in the resource group in the search bar.

Select Create

Enter the values

Click on drop-down to select region

Select Review + Create

Select Create

Select Refresh from the top menu to refresh the resource group list.
Select the newly created resource group to open it.

Create and configure a storage account for Azure Files. Part 2

chifum — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 09:08:46 +0000

Create a storage account for the finance department’s shared files.

Create and configure a storage account for Azure Files.

chifum — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 09:03:57 +0000

Create a storage account for the finance department’s shared files.

Create a storage account and configure high availability. Part 2

chifum — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 08:53:45 +0000

Create a storage account for the internal private company documents.

In the portal, search for and select Storage accounts.

Select + Create.

Select the Resource group created in the previous lab.
Set the Storage account name to private. Add an identifier to the name to ensure the name is unique.
Select Review, and then Create the storage account.
Wait for the storage account to deploy, and then select Go to resource.

This storage requires high availability if there’s a regional outage. Read access in the secondary region is not required. Configure the appropriate level of redundancy.

In the storage account, in the Data management section, select the Redundancy blade.

Ensure Geo-redundant storage (GRS) is selected.

Review the primary and secondary location information. Save your changes.

Create a storage container, upload a file, and restrict access to the file.

In the storage account, in the Data storage section, select the Containers blade.
Select + Container.

Ensure the Name of the container is private. As you have time, review the Advanced settings, but take the defaults.
Select Create.

How to create a storage account with high availability.

chifum — Mon, 16 Sep 2024 11:44:26 +0000

Create a storage account to support the public website.

In the portal, search for and select Storage accounts.

Select + Create.

For resource group select new. Give your resource group a name and select OK.

Set the Storage account name to publicwebsite. Make sure the storage account name is unique by adding an identifier.
Take the defaults for other settings.
Select Review and then Create.

Wait for the storage account to deploy, and then select Go to resource.

This storage requires high availability if there’s a regional outage. Additionally, enable read access to the secondary region,

In the storage account, in the Data management section, select the Redundancy blade.
Ensure Read-access Geo-redundant storage is selected.
Review the primary and secondary location information.

Information on the public website should be accessible without requiring customers to login.

In the storage account, in the Settings section, select the Configuration blade.

Ensure the Allow blob anonymous access setting is Enabled.

Be sure to Save your changes.

Create a blob storage container with anonymous read access

In your storage account, in the Data storage section, select the Containers blade.
Select + Container.

Ensure the Name of the container is public.

Select Create.

Customers should be able to view the images without being authenticated. Configure anonymous read access for the public container blobs.

Select your public container.

On the Overview blade, select Change access level.

Ensure the Public access level is Blob (anonymous read access for blobs only). Select OK.

Practice uploading files and testing access.

Ensure you are viewing your container. Select Upload.

Browse to files and select a file. Browse to a file of your choice.

Select Upload.

Close the upload window, Refresh the page and ensure your file was uploaded.

Determine the URL for your uploaded file. Open a browser and test the URL.

Select your uploaded file.

On the Overview tab, copy the URL.

Paste the URL into a new browser tab.
If you have uploaded an image file it will display in the browser. Other file types should be downloaded.

Configure soft delete

Go to the Overview blade of the storage account.
On the Properties page, locate the Blob service section.

Select the Blob soft delete setting.
Ensure the Enable soft delete for blobs is checked.

Change the Keep deleted blobs for (in days setting is 21.

Notice you can also Enable soft delete for containers.

Don’t forget to Save your changes.

If something gets deleted, you need to practice using soft delete to restore the files.

Navigate to your container where you uploaded a file.

Select the file you uploaded and then select Delete.

Select OK to confirm deleting the file.
On the container Overview page, toggle the slider Show deleted blobs. This toggle is to the right of the search box.
Select your deleted file, and use the ellipses on the far right, to Undelete the file.
Refresh the container and confirm the file has been restored.

Configure blob versioning

Go to the Overview blade of the storage account.
In the Properties section, locate the Blob service section.

Select the Versioning setting.

Ensure the Enable versioning for blobs checkbox is checked.
Notice your options to keep all versions or delete versions after.
Don’t forget to Save your changes.

As you have time experiment with restoring previous blob versions.

Upload another version of your container file. This overwrites your existing file. Your previous file version is listed on Show deleted blobs page.

How to create a azure storage account.

chifum — Mon, 16 Sep 2024 10:13:34 +0000

Create a resource group and a storage account.

Create and deploy a resource group to hold all your project resources.

In the Azure portal, login into your Azure account and search for and select Resource groups, the click on Resource groups button.
Select + Create.
Give your resource group a name. For example, storagerg.
Select a region. Use this region throughout the project.
Select Review and create to validate the resource group.
Select Create to deploy the resource group.

Create and deploy a storage account to support testing and training.

In the Azure portal, search for and select Storage accounts. Select + Create.

On the Basics tab, select your Resource group.
Provide a Storage account name. The storage account name must be unique in Azure.
Set the Performance to Standard.
Select Review, and then Create.

Wait for the storage account to deploy and then Go to resource.

Configure simple settings in the storage account.

In your storage account, in the Data management section, select the Redundancy blade.
Select Locally-redundant storage (LRS) in the Redundancy drop-down.

Be sure to Save your changes.

Refresh the page and notice the content only exists in the primary location.

The storage account should only accept requests from secure connections.

In the Settings section, select the Configuration blade.

Ensure Secure transfer required is Enabled.

Developers would like the storage account to use at least TLS version 1.2.

In the Settings section, select the Configuration blade.

Ensure the Minimal TLS version is set to Version 1.2.

Until the storage is needed again, disable requests to the storage account.

In the Settings section, select the Configuration blade.
Ensure Allow storage account key access is Disabled.
Be sure to Save your changes.

Ensure the storage account allows public access from all networks.

In the Security + networking section, select the Networking blade.
Ensure Public network access is set to Enabled from all networks.
Be sure to Save your changes.

Steps to Create a Resource Group in Azure

chifum — Tue, 28 May 2024 07:40:18 +0000

Log in to the Azure portal at https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/get-started/azure-portal.
Enter your login credentials username, password and hit the submit button.
It will take you to the Azure Portal Home https://portal.azure.com/#home
Select "Resource groups" from the left navigation pane or search for "Resource groups" using the search.

Create a New Resource Group

To enter to "Create a Resource Group" click the "+ Create" button.

Project details.

Choose the Azure subscription you wish to use for the resource group.
Enter a distinctive name for your resource group.
Choose an area for your resource group; the resources inside it do not have to be all from that region.

Add Tags (optional)
1.Tags are key-value pairs used to categorise resources for easy management and billing.

Review and Create

Click "Review + Create" to go over the details of your resource group.
Once satisfied, click "Create" to set up the resource group.
Resource Group Created

Explain these key concepts (Beginner Cloud DevOps Program )

chifum — Fri, 10 May 2024 22:38:55 +0000

What is Virtualization?
Virtualization in computing is the process of simulating hardware and software in a virtual (software) environment such as computers, operating systems, storage, and network. And it does it in a virtual or software environment.
Scalability
Scalability is a major advantage of cloud computing. The term "cloud scalability" describes a cloud computing infrastructure's capacity to dynamically modify resources in response to changing demand. This implies that you won't need to spend a lot of money on expensive hardware upgrades or infrastructure modifications as your company expands because your cloud environment can easily adjust to give more processing power, storage, or bandwidth.
Agility
This refers to a cloud customer’s ability to develop, test and launch an application speedily using cloud resources. Agility makes it possible to respond to critical business situations and goals quickly.
High Availability
In cloud computing, high availability (HA) refers to designing a system that remains operational and accessible for extended periods, even during hardware or software failures. It's about ensuring minimal downtime for your applications and services.
Fault Tolerant
Fault tolerance in cloud computing is all about building systems that can withstand unexpected glitches and outages, ensuring your applications keep running with minimal disruption. It's like having a backup plan for your virtual infrastructure.
Global Reach
Azure has more data centers regions than any other cloud provider. This means that businesses can start from anywhere in the world, and if they want customers in any other part, they need to save the data for that business in an Azure Region closest to the customers.
What is the difference between Elasticity and Scalability
Both elasticity and scalability are important concepts in cloud computing that deal with handling changes in demand, but they approach it in different ways:

Elasticity: Elasticity in cloud computing is the system’s
capacity to automatically adjust resources like processing
power, storage, and network capacity in response to changing
workloads, enabling dynamic scaling based on demand.

Scalability: The term scalability refers to a system’s
capacity to meet an ever-increasing demand on an expected or
unforeseen workload by adding resources manually or
automatically to fulfill the added task. In Azure, we can
scale out to ensure capacity when there is a peak period and
return to normal when the peak drops.