Introduction: Link to heading

In this blog post, we will explore the process of creating Azure virtual machines (VMs) using PowerShell. Azure provides a powerful command-line interface that allows you to automate the deployment and management of your VMs. By leveraging PowerShell, you can streamline the process and easily replicate it for future deployments. Let’s dive in!

Prerequisites: Link to heading

Before we begin, make sure you have the following prerequisites in place:

  1. An Azure subscription
  2. PowerShell installed on your machine
  3. Azure PowerShell module installed

Step 1: Connect to Azure: Link to heading

To get started, open PowerShell and connect to your Azure account using the following command:

Connect-AzAccount

This will prompt you to enter your Azure credentials. Once authenticated, you will be connected to your Azure subscription.

Step 2: Create a Resource Group: Link to heading

Next, let’s create a resource group to hold our VM and related resources. Use the following command to create a new resource group:

New-AzResourceGroup -Name "MyResourceGroup" -Location "East US"

Replace “MyResourceGroup” with your desired name and “East US” with your preferred Azure region.

Step 3: Define VM Configuration: Link to heading

Now, let’s define the configuration for our VM. We need to specify details such as the VM name, size, operating system, and credentials. Use the following code as a template and modify it according to your requirements:

$vmConfig = New-AzVMConfig -VMName "MyVM" -VMSize "Standard_DS2_v2"
$vmConfig = Set-AzVMOperatingSystem -VM $vmConfig -Windows -ComputerName "MyVM" -Credential (Get-Credential)

Replace “MyVM” with your desired VM name, “Standard_DS2_v2” with your preferred VM size, and adjust the operating system and computer name accordingly.

Step 4: Create a Virtual Network: Link to heading

To connect our VM to a network, we need to create a virtual network. Use the following command to create a new virtual network:

$vnet = New-AzVirtualNetwork -ResourceGroupName "MyResourceGroup" -Name "MyVNet" -AddressPrefix "10.0.0.0/16" -Location "East US"

Replace “MyResourceGroup” with your resource group name, “MyVNet” with your desired virtual network name, and adjust the address prefix and location as needed.

Step 5: Create a Subnet: Link to heading

Within the virtual network, we need to create a subnet for our VM. Use the following command to create a new subnet:

$subnet = Add-AzVirtualNetworkSubnetConfig -Name "MySubnet" -AddressPrefix "10.0.0.0/24" -VirtualNetwork $vnet

Replace “MySubnet” with your desired subnet name and adjust the address prefix accordingly.

Step 6: Attach Subnet to Virtual Network: Link to heading

Now, let’s attach the subnet to the virtual network using the following command:

$vnet = Set-AzVirtualNetwork -VirtualNetwork $vnet -Subnet $subnet

Step 7: Create the Virtual Machine: Link to heading

Finally, we are ready to create our VM. Use the following command to create the VM:

New-AzVM -ResourceGroupName "MyResourceGroup" -Location "East US" -VM $vmConfig -VnetName "MyVNet" -SubnetName "MySubnet"

Replace “MyResourceGroup” with your resource group name, “East US” with your preferred Azure region, and adjust the virtual network and subnet names as needed.

Conclusion: Link to heading

Congratulations! You have successfully created an Azure virtual machine using PowerShell. By automating the process, you can easily replicate and scale your VM deployments. PowerShell provides a flexible and efficient way to manage your Azure resources, saving you time and effort.

Remember to clean up any unused resources to avoid unnecessary costs. You can do this by removing the resource group or specific resources using the appropriate PowerShell commands.

Happy scripting!