Azure Virtual Networking is a cloud-based networking service provided by Microsoft Azure, which allows customers to create and manage virtual networks, subnets, and network resources in the cloud. Here are some key components of Azure Virtual Networking:
Azure Virtual Networks: Azure Virtual Networks (VNet) provides a way to create isolated network environments in the cloud. It allows customers to create private IP address spaces and subnets, and then connect them to on-premises networks or other virtual networks in Azure. This provides the foundation for building complex network architectures in the cloud.
Azure Virtual Network Example:
Suppose a customer wants to create a virtual network for their web application, which consists of a web server, application server, and database server. The customer can create an Azure Virtual Network and configure it with a private IP address space, such as 10.0.0.0/16. They can then create three subnets within the VNet – one for each of the servers – and assign them IP address ranges within the VNet.
Azure Virtual Subnets: Azure Virtual Networks can be divided into smaller subnets, each with its own IP address range. Subnets can be used to isolate different parts of a network, such as web servers, application servers, and databases. Each subnet can also have its own security settings, routing tables, and network security groups.
Azure Virtual Subnets Examples:
Continuing with the previous example, the customer can create three subnets within the Azure Virtual Network – one for the web server, one for the application server, and one for the database server. Each subnet can have its own security settings, routing tables, and network security groups. For example, the web server subnet can be configured to allow inbound traffic on port 80 (HTTP) and port 443 (HTTPS), while the database server subnet can be configured to only allow traffic from the application server subnet.
VNet Peering: Azure Virtual Networks can be peered to allow communication between them. This allows different VNets to share resources and communicate with each other, as if they were on the same network. This is useful for creating complex network architectures, such as multi-tier applications or hybrid cloud environments.
VNet Peering Example:
Suppose the customer has another Azure Virtual Network in a different region, which hosts a backup database server for the web application. The customer can peer the two VNets to allow communication between them. This enables the web application to failover to the backup database server in case the primary database server goes down.
Azure DNS: Azure DNS is a domain name system (DNS) service provided by Azure. It allows customers to host their DNS domains in Azure, and provides name resolution for virtual machines, Azure services, and other resources in Azure. Azure DNS can also be used to create custom domain names for Azure services, such as web apps and virtual machines.
Azure DNS Example:
Suppose the customer has a web application hosted in Azure, which is accessible at the IP address 10.0.1.100. The customer can create a custom domain name for the application using Azure DNS, such as www.myapp.com. They can then configure the DNS records to point to the IP address of the web application. This makes it easier for users to access the application using a memorable domain name, rather than an IP address.
VPN Gateway: Azure VPN Gateway provides secure access to Azure Virtual Networks over the public Internet. It allows customers to create site-to-site VPN connections between on-premises networks and Azure Virtual Networks, or to create remote access VPN connections for individual users. VPN Gateway supports a variety of VPN protocols, including Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP), Layer Two Tunneling Protocol (L2TP), and Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol (SSTP).
VPN Gateway Example :
Suppose the customer has an on-premises network with a web server that needs to communicate with the web application hosted in Azure. The customer can create a site-to-site VPN connection between the on-premises network and the Azure Virtual Network using VPN Gateway. This allows the web server to communicate with the web application securely over the VPN connection.
ExpressRoute: Azure ExpressRoute provides a dedicated, private connection between on-premises networks and Azure Virtual Networks. It provides a more reliable and secure connection than VPN Gateway, and can be used to transfer large amounts of data between on-premises and Azure resources. ExpressRoute is often used for mission-critical workloads, such as disaster recovery, backup, and high-performance computing.
ExpressRoute Example:
Suppose the customer needs to transfer large amounts of data between their on-premises network and the web application hosted in Azure. They can use ExpressRoute to create a dedicated, private connection between the two networks, rather than sending the data over the public Internet. This provides a more reliable and secure connection, with faster data transfer speeds.
Azure Virtual Networking provides customers with a powerful set of tools for creating and managing virtual networks, subnets, and network resources in the cloud. These tools enable customers to build complex network architectures that span multiple cloud environments and on-premises networks.
