Account creation

1. Go to https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/students/
2. Login using MSE credentials
3. Fill information (email and phone number)
4. Accept contract

Create an instance using Azure Web Portal

The following tutorial will guide you through the creation of your first instance.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-machines/windows/quick-create-portal

Note: This tutorial aims to start a Windows instance. To start a Linux instance (ubuntu, debian,...) choose a linux image in step 5

Setting up a local dev environment

1. Install Required components:

   https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/developer/python/configure-local-development-environment?tabs=cmd#install-components

2. Follow the steps to set up your local dev environment described in the following web page:

   Note: Although we recommend you to use source control, Source control section is not mandatory

   https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/developer/python/configure-local-development-environment?tabs=cmd#sign-in-to-azure-from-the-cli

Resources and code examples

CREATION OF AN INSTANCE

# Obtain the management object for virtual machines
compute_client = ComputeManagementClient(credential, subscription_id)

poller = compute_client.virtual_machines.begin_create_or_update(RESOURCE_GROUP_NAME, VM_NAME,
    {
        "location": LOCATION,
        "storage_profile": {
            "image_reference": {
                "publisher": 'Canonical',
                "offer": "UbuntuServer",
                "sku": "16.04.0-LTS",
                "version": "latest"
            }
        },
        "hardware_profile": {
            "vm_size": "Standard_DS1_v2"
        },
        "os_profile": {
            "computer_name": VM_NAME,
            "admin_username": USERNAME,
            "admin_password": PASSWORD,
            "linuxConfiguration": {
                "ssh": {
                "publicKeys": [
                    {
                    "path": "/home/{}/.ssh/authorized_keys".format(USERNAME),
                    "keyData": "ssh-rsa AAAK7obXXXXXXXXXXX"
                    }
                ]
                },
                "disablePasswordAuthentication": True
            }
        },
        "network_profile": {
            "network_interfaces": [{
                "id": nic_result.id,
                "properties": {
                    "primary": True
                }
            }]
        }        
    }
)

vm_result = poller.result()

print(f"Provisioned virtual machine {vm_result.name}")

GET THE STATUS OF AN INSTANCE

        # List VMs in subscription
        print('\nList VMs in subscription')
        for vm in compute_client.virtual_machines.list_all():
            print("\tVM: {}".format(vm.name))

        # List VM in resource group
        print('\nList VMs in resource group')
        for vm in compute_client.virtual_machines.list(GROUP_NAME):
            print("\tVM: {}".format(vm.name))

DELETION OF AN INSTANCE

        # Delete VM
        print('\nDelete VM')
        async_vm_delete = compute_client.virtual_machines.delete(
            GROUP_NAME, VM_NAME)
        async_vm_delete.wait()

Storage

upload blobs

# Create a blob client using the local file name as the name for the blob
blob_client = blob_service_client.get_blob_client(container=container_name, blob=local_file_name)

print("\nUploading to Azure Storage as blob:\n\t" + local_file_name)

# Upload the created file
with open(upload_file_path, "rb") as data:
    blob_client.upload_blob(data)

More information in this link

Download blobs

# Download the blob to a local file
# Add 'DOWNLOAD' before the .txt extension so you can see both files in the data directory
download_file_path = os.path.join(local_path, str.replace(local_file_name ,'.txt', 'DOWNLOAD.txt'))
blob_client = blob_service_client.get_container_client(container= container_name) 
print("\nDownloading blob to \n\t" + download_file_path)

with open(download_file_path, "wb") as download_file:
 download_file.write(blob_client.download_blob(blob.name).readall())

More information in this link

MORE INFORMATION

Azure Compute API documentation:

In this documentation you will find useful information about how to customise the instance you deploy using the Azure python SDK.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/rest/api/compute/

Provision instance

The following tutorial explains how to deploy an instance using the Azure python SDK.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/developer/python/azure-sdk-example-virtual-machines?tabs=cmd

If you have any questions, please send an Email to Raoul(dot)Dupuis(at)hesge(dot)ch