Rocky Linux from CIQ on Azure¶

This guide covers deploying Rocky Linux from CIQ (RLC) on Microsoft Azure.

Azure Marketplace¶

RLC is available through the Azure Marketplace, providing easy deployment and billing integration.

Finding RLC in Azure Marketplace¶

Navigate to Azure Marketplace
Search for "Rocky Linux from CIQ"
Select the appropriate RLC offering
Review pricing and terms
Click "Get It Now"

Launching from Marketplace¶

# Create RLC virtual machine from Azure CLI
az vm create \
  --resource-group myResourceGroup \
  --name rlc-vm \
  --image RLC-Marketplace-Image \
  --size Standard_D2s_v3 \
  --admin-username rlcuser \
  --ssh-key-values ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub \
  --tags Environment=Production Application=RLC

Virtual Machine Sizes¶

Recommended VM Sizes¶

Development/Testing: - Standard_B2s - 2 vCPU, 4GB RAM - Standard_B2ms - 2 vCPU, 8GB RAM - Standard_D2s_v3 - 2 vCPU, 8GB RAM

Production: - Standard_D4s_v3 - 4 vCPU, 16GB RAM - Standard_D8s_v3 - 8 vCPU, 32GB RAM - Standard_D16s_v3 - 16 vCPU, 64GB RAM

High Performance: - Standard_F8s_v2 - 8 vCPU, 16GB RAM (compute optimized) - Standard_E8s_v3 - 8 vCPU, 64GB RAM (memory optimized)

Storage Configuration¶

Managed Disk Types¶

# Create high-performance managed disk
az disk create \
  --resource-group myResourceGroup \
  --name rlc-data-disk \
  --size-gb 500 \
  --sku Premium_LRS \
  --encryption-type EncryptionAtRestWithPlatformKey

# Attach disk to VM
az vm disk attach \
  --resource-group myResourceGroup \
  --vm-name rlc-vm \
  --name rlc-data-disk

Recommended Storage Layout¶

OS Disk: 128GB Premium SSD (encrypted)
Data Disk: 500GB+ Premium SSD (encrypted)
Backup Storage: Azure Blob Storage for backups

Networking¶

Network Security Groups¶

# Create network security group
az network nsg create \
  --resource-group myResourceGroup \
  --name rlc-nsg

# Allow SSH access
az network nsg rule create \
  --resource-group myResourceGroup \
  --nsg-name rlc-nsg \
  --name SSH \
  --protocol Tcp \
  --direction Inbound \
  --source-address-prefix '*' \
  --source-port-range '*' \
  --destination-address-prefix '*' \
  --destination-port-range 22 \
  --access Allow \
  --priority 1000

# Allow HTTP/HTTPS
az network nsg rule create \
  --resource-group myResourceGroup \
  --nsg-name rlc-nsg \
  --name HTTP \
  --protocol Tcp \
  --direction Inbound \
  --source-address-prefix '*' \
  --source-port-range '*' \
  --destination-address-prefix '*' \
  --destination-port-range 80 \
  --access Allow \
  --priority 1001

az network nsg rule create \
  --resource-group myResourceGroup \
  --nsg-name rlc-nsg \
  --name HTTPS \
  --protocol Tcp \
  --direction Inbound \
  --source-address-prefix '*' \
  --source-port-range '*' \
  --destination-address-prefix '*' \
  --destination-port-range 443 \
  --access Allow \
  --priority 1002

Virtual Network Configuration¶

Public Subnet: For internet-facing VMs
Private Subnet: For internal services
Application Gateway: For load balancing and SSL termination
VPN Gateway: For hybrid connectivity

Scale Sets¶

VM Scale Set Configuration¶

{
  "name": "rlc-scale-set",
  "sku": {
    "name": "Standard_D2s_v3",
    "capacity": 3
  },
  "properties": {
    "upgradePolicy": {
      "mode": "Rolling"
    },
    "virtualMachineProfile": {
      "osProfile": {
        "computerNamePrefix": "rlc",
        "adminUsername": "rlcuser",
        "linuxConfiguration": {
          "ssh": {
            "publicKeys": [
              {
                "path": "/home/rlcuser/.ssh/authorized_keys",
                "keyData": "ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC1yc2E..."
              }
            ]
          }
        }
      },
      "storageProfile": {
        "imageReference": {
          "offer": "RLC",
          "publisher": "CIQ",
          "sku": "rlc-9",
          "version": "latest"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Auto Scaling¶

# Create autoscale settings
az monitor autoscale create \
  --resource-group myResourceGroup \
  --resource rlc-scale-set \
  --resource-type Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachineScaleSets \
  --name rlc-autoscale \
  --min-count 2 \
  --max-count 10 \
  --count 3

# Add scale-out rule
az monitor autoscale rule create \
  --resource-group myResourceGroup \
  --autoscale-name rlc-autoscale \
  --condition "Percentage CPU > 70 avg 5m" \
  --scale out 1

Load Balancing¶

Application Gateway¶

# Create application gateway
az network application-gateway create \
  --resource-group myResourceGroup \
  --name rlc-appgw \
  --location eastus \
  --capacity 2 \
  --sku Standard_v2 \
  --public-ip-address rlc-pip \
  --vnet-name rlc-vnet \
  --subnet appgw-subnet \
  --servers 10.0.1.4 10.0.1.5

Azure Load Balancer¶

# Create load balancer
az network lb create \
  --resource-group myResourceGroup \
  --name rlc-lb \
  --sku Standard \
  --public-ip-address rlc-lb-pip \
  --frontend-ip-name rlc-frontend \
  --backend-pool-name rlc-backend

Monitoring¶

Azure Monitor Integration¶

# Install Azure monitoring agent
sudo dnf install azure-cli
az extension add --name monitor-control-service

# Configure Log Analytics workspace
az monitor log-analytics workspace create \
  --resource-group myResourceGroup \
  --workspace-name rlc-logs \
  --location eastus

Custom Metrics¶

# Send custom metric
az monitor metrics submit \
  --resource /subscriptions/{subscription-id}/resourceGroups/myResourceGroup/providers/Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/rlc-vm \
  --metric-namespace "RLC/Application" \
  --metric-name "CustomMetric" \
  --metric-value 123

Backup and Recovery¶

Azure Backup¶

# Create Recovery Services vault
az backup vault create \
  --resource-group myResourceGroup \
  --name rlc-vault \
  --location eastus

# Enable backup for VM
az backup protection enable-for-vm \
  --resource-group myResourceGroup \
  --vault-name rlc-vault \
  --vm rlc-vm \
  --policy-name DefaultPolicy

Snapshot Management¶

# Create disk snapshot
az snapshot create \
  --resource-group myResourceGroup \
  --name rlc-snapshot-$(date +%Y%m%d) \
  --source rlc-vm_OsDisk_1

# Create automated snapshot policy
az disk-encryption-set create \
  --resource-group myResourceGroup \
  --name rlc-snapshot-policy \
  --location eastus

Cost Optimization¶

Reserved Instances¶

Purchase Azure Reserved VM Instances for predictable workloads
Use Azure Hybrid Benefit for cost savings
Consider Spot VMs for non-critical workloads

Storage Optimization¶

Use Premium SSD only where needed
Implement lifecycle management for blob storage
Regular cleanup of unused disks and snapshots

Security¶

Azure Security Center¶

# Enable Security Center
az security auto-provisioning-setting update \
  --name default \
  --auto-provision on

# Configure security policies
az policy assignment create \
  --name "RLC Security Policy" \
  --policy-set-definition "Azure Security Benchmark" \
  --scope /subscriptions/{subscription-id}/resourceGroups/myResourceGroup

Key Vault Integration¶

# Create Key Vault
az keyvault create \
  --resource-group myResourceGroup \
  --name rlc-keyvault \
  --location eastus \
  --enable-disk-encryption

# Store secrets
az keyvault secret set \
  --vault-name rlc-keyvault \
  --name "database-password" \
  --value "SecurePassword123"

Troubleshooting¶

Common Issues¶

VM Deployment Failures:

# Check deployment status
az deployment group show \
  --resource-group myResourceGroup \
  --name vm-deployment

# View activity log
az monitor activity-log list \
  --resource-group myResourceGroup \
  --max-events 50

Connectivity Issues:

# Check network security group rules
az network nsg show \
  --resource-group myResourceGroup \
  --name rlc-nsg

# Test network connectivity
az network watcher test-connectivity \
  --source-resource rlc-vm \
  --dest-address 8.8.8.8 \
  --dest-port 80

Performance Issues:

# Check VM metrics
az monitor metrics list \
  --resource /subscriptions/{subscription-id}/resourceGroups/myResourceGroup/providers/Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/rlc-vm \
  --metric "Percentage CPU" \
  --start-time 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z \
  --end-time 2024-01-01T23:59:59Z

Best Practices¶

Security¶

Use Azure Active Directory for authentication
Enable disk encryption for all storage
Implement network security groups and application security groups
Use Azure Security Center recommendations

Performance¶

Use Premium SSD for production workloads
Enable accelerated networking for high-throughput scenarios
Use proximity placement groups for latency-sensitive applications

Cost Management¶

Tag all resources for cost allocation
Use Azure Cost Management for usage analysis
Implement auto-shutdown for development environments
Regular review of unused resources

High Availability¶

Deploy across multiple availability zones
Use managed disks with zone redundancy
Implement application-level health checks
Configure automated backup policies

For additional Azure-specific configurations and troubleshooting, see the main RLC documentation