An Intro to Azure Compute
Azure compute is an on-demand computing service for running cloud-based applications. It provides computing resources such as disks, processors, memory, networking, and operating systems. The resources are available on-demand and can typically be made available in minutes or even seconds.
In this lecture, you will be introduced to Azure Compute, which is a pivotal component of Microsoft Azure’s cloud services. Azure Compute offers on-demand compute resources essential for hosting and running applications in the cloud. You’ll learn about various resources such as disks, processors, memory, networking resources, and operating systems that Azure provides. These resources are not only readily available, often within seconds to minutes, but also follow a pay-as-you-go model, ensuring you only pay for what you use and for the duration you use it.
Throughout the lecture, you’ll explore the breadth of compute solutions supported by Azure, which range from development and testing environments to application hosting and data center extensions. This includes support for various operating systems and software like Linux, Windows Server, SQL Server, Oracle, IBM, and SAP.
The lecture delves into specific Azure compute services, including Azure Virtual Machines (VMs), VM Scale Sets, Azure Container Instances, Azure Kubernetes Service, Azure App Service, and Azure Functions. You’ll understand that virtual machines in Azure are emulated environments with virtual CPUs, memory, storage, and networking that can run operating systems and software like a physical server. The use of remote desktop clients to manage VMs will also be covered.
You will also be educated on the scalability and management of VMs through Azure Virtual Machine Scale Sets, which allow for automatic scaling based on service demand. The discussion then shifts to container services provided by Azure, explaining how containers offer lightweight, virtualized application environments for rapid deployment and scaling.
The lecture further discusses Azure App Service, a platform-as-a-service (PaaS) offering that enables the building, deployment, and scaling of enterprise-grade web, mobile, and API apps. Lastly, Azure Functions are presented as a solution for running code in response to events without worrying about the underlying infrastructure, ideal for quick tasks that can be completed in seconds or less.
In summary, this lecture aims to provide you with a foundational understanding of Azure Compute services and how they can be leveraged for a wide array of cloud-based application scenarios.