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When managing virtual machines (VMs) in Azure, one of the key tasks an Azure Administrator must be familiar with is the addition of data disks to existing VMs. This capability is crucial for scenarios where additional storage space or optimized disk performance is required.
In Azure, a data disk is a VHD (Virtual Hard Disk) that’s attached to a VM to store application data, or other data you need to keep. These disks are registered as SCSI drives and are labeled with a letter that you choose. Each data disk has a maximum capacity of 32,767 gibibytes.
Azure offers several types of data disks that vary in performance and pricing:
The type of disk you choose will depend on the performance and cost needs of your application.
To add a new data disk to an Azure VM, follow these general steps:
Once the disk is attached, you need to initialize and partition it:
For Linux VMs, you’d use the fdisk or parted utilities to partition the new disk and then format it using the appropriate filesystem type (e.g., ext4, xfs).
Azure CLI and PowerShell cmdlets enable the automation of data disk addition:
It’s crucial to consider the size of the VM when adding data disks, as the size affects the number of data disks you can attach and the performance:
VM Size | Max Data Disks | IOPS per Disk | Throughput per Disk |
---|---|---|---|
Standard D2s v3 | 4 | 500 | 60 MB/s |
Standard E32-8s v3 | 32 | 1200 | 150 MB/s |
Standard M128s | 64 | 5000 | 200 MB/s |
Adding data disks to Azure VMs expands their storage capacity and performance. Whether it’s for a standard workload or a high-demand application, Azure has the disk options to meet every need. Azure Administrators must be familiar with the process of adding, initializing, and configuring data disks to ensure efficient storage management in their Azure infrastructure.
You can attach a data disk to a VM that is running or stopped. Azure allows the hot addition of data disks without the need to stop the VM.
D
New blank data disks do not come pre-formatted. You need to initialize and format the disk with a file system of your choice once it’s attached to the VM.
Azure enables you to increase the size of an existing managed disk without detaching it, but you need to resize the partition within the operating system to use additional space.
D
The number of managed data disks you can attach to an Azure VM depends on the size and series of the VM. Each VM size has specific disk and storage throughput limits.
Azure managed disks are encrypted at rest by default using Azure Storage Service Encryption (SSE).
Deleting a VM does not delete the data disks. The disks persist in storage unless you explicitly delete them.
D
Ultra Disks offer the highest level of IOPS and throughput per disk in Azure, designed for data-intensive workloads.
To switch from a managed disk to an unmanaged disk, you need to create a snapshot, then create a VHD from that snapshot, which can then be used to create an unmanaged disk.
D
When attaching a managed disk, you must specify the Logical Unit Number (LUN). Region and subscription are pre-determined, and storage accounts are not required for managed disks.
Snapshots provide point-in-time backups and are a full, read-only copy of a data disk.
B
Azure Backup service can be used to automate the backup of data disks for both managed and unmanaged disks.
Azure managed data disks are blank storage volumes that do not contain any pre-installed applications or data; you must install apps or copy data to them after attaching them to a VM.
Data disks in Azure are virtual hard disks (VHDs) that can be attached to virtual machines to increase their storage capacity and performance.
To attach a managed disk to a virtual machine in the Azure portal, navigate to the virtual machine, click on the “Disks” option in the left-hand menu, click on the “+ Add data disk” button, enter a name for the new data disk, select the size and type of the disk, choose the storage account, and click on the “OK” button to add the data disk.
To attach a managed disk to a virtual machine using Azure PowerShell, use the New-AzDisk command to create a new managed disk, use the Add-AzVMDataDisk command to attach the new managed disk to the virtual machine, and use the Update-AzVM command to apply the changes to the virtual machine.
Managed disks are a type of storage option in Azure that provide simplified management, automatic backup, and higher availability for virtual machines. Unmanaged disks require manual management and backups, but provide more control over the storage account.
To attach an unmanaged disk to a virtual machine in the Azure portal, navigate to the virtual machine, click on the “Disks” option in the left-hand menu, click on the “+ Add data disk” button, enter a name for the new data disk, select the size and type of the disk, choose the storage account, and click on the “Create” button to create the new unmanaged disk.
To attach an unmanaged disk to a virtual machine using Azure PowerShell, use the New-AzDisk command to create a new unmanaged disk, use the Add-AzVMDataDisk command to attach the new unmanaged disk to the virtual machine, and use the Update-AzVM command to apply the changes to the virtual machine.
Yes, you can attach multiple data disks to a virtual machine in Azure.
To remove a data disk from a virtual machine in Azure, navigate to the virtual machine, click on the “Disks” option in the left-hand menu, select the data disk you want to remove, and click on the “Detach” button to remove the data disk.
Yes, you can change the size or type of a data disk after it has been attached to a virtual machine, but this may require some additional configuration or downtime for the virtual machine.
You can determine the available disk sizes and types for your virtual machine by reviewing the specifications for the virtual machine in the Azure portal or using Azure PowerShell to query the available disk sizes and types.
You can monitor the performance and usage of your data disks in Azure by reviewing the metrics and logs in the Azure portal, using Azure Monitor or Azure Log Analytics, or using third-party monitoring tools.
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