Azure Networking Services - Episode 10 Notes

Introduction

• Instructor: Adam
• Focus: Basics of Azure Networking Services
• Core Services Covered:
  • Azure Virtual Networks
  • Load Balancers
  • VPN Gateways
  • Application Gateways
  • Content Delivery Networks (CDN)

Overview of Networking Services

• Definition: Services that connect on-premise and cloud resources.
• Purpose: Protection, monitoring, application delivery.

Azure Virtual Network

• Represents physical network infrastructure in the cloud.
• Allows management, monitoring, and security of connectivity between Azure resources and on-premise environments.
• Subnets:
  • Purpose:
    • Efficient IP address allocation
    • Group related resources for security filtering
  • Example: Grouping web application resources in a subnet and applying web traffic rules.
• Technical Limitations:
  • Virtual networks are scoped to a single region.
  • Multi-region applications require multiple virtual networks.
• Connecting Virtual Networks:
  • Options:
    • V-net Peering: Combines virtual networks to act as one.
    • VPN Gateway: Connects on-premise environments or virtual networks.

Azure Load Balancer

• Function: Distributes traffic across multiple resources (e.g., virtual machines).
• Benefits:
  • Scalability: Adding instances to handle larger workloads.
  • High Availability: Load balancer checks health of resources and redirects traffic automatically.
• Types:
  • Public Load Balancer: For public internet traffic.
  • Internal Load Balancer: For private connectivity between internal resources.

Application Gateway

• Designed for web traffic (HTTP) distribution.
• Key Features:
  • Web Application Firewall
  • Traffic redirection
  • Session affinity
  • URL routing
  • SSL termination
• Use Case: Replace public load balancer for web applications.

Content Delivery Network (CDN)

• Purpose: Distributes and caches content globally to reduce latency.
• How It Works:
  • Static content (e.g., images, stylesheets) is stored in multiple locations (Points of Presence).
  • Users connect to the closest location for faster delivery.
• Benefits:
  • Reduces latency for global users
  • Offloads front-end services
  • Enhances scalability and user experience

Summary of Services Covered

• Azure Virtual Networks: For network isolation, segmentation, and management.
• VPN Gateway: Connects on-premise networks to Azure and facilitates inter-VNET communication.
• Azure Load Balancer: Distributes non-web traffic across resources.
• Application Gateway: Web traffic load balancer with additional web-focused features.
• Content Delivery Network: Caches and distributes content globally to improve performance.

Additional Resources

• Materials available on the instructor's website, including cheat sheets and practice tests.
• Call to action: Like, comment, and subscribe for future episodes.