Last Updated on April 10, 2024 by Arnav Sharma
Azure Virtual Network Manager (In Preview), is a central management service for your virtual network resources, significantly reducing your operational overhead. Easily manage your virtual network infrastructure while scaling your cloud-based workloads. Use the centralized solution to create and manage complex network topologies and network security rules globally across subscriptions.
The brief tutorial explains how to deploy three networks and how Azure Virtual Network Manager can create a single mesh topology. Then we’ll look at the networking configuration got applied correctly (hub and spoke config)
More details here: What is Azure Virtual Network Manager (Preview)? | Microsoft Docs
Let’s get started.
- Go to resources and select Network Manager to create a new:
2. I already have 3 vNET and a Hub vNET created – I will use network manager to deploy the Hub and Spoke topology.
3. Next step is to create a group, and all spoke vNETs to it:
4. After creating a group, the next step is to add the configuration.
5. I will choose Hub and Spoke here and also select Hub vNET. Additionally, choose the vNET group that I created above.
6. Wait for a successful message.
7. The config would look like this:
8. The next step is to deploy the configuration – ie. create a hub and spoke topology.
So click on Deploy and push the configuration as shown:
9. Deploy the configuration, which should ideally take 1-2 minutes and Hub-Spoke topology will be created for the select vNETs
10. Checking at the Hub vNET – peering is created with all the vNET’s
What are common use cases for using Azure Virtual Network Manager?
- As an IT security manager, you can create different network groups to meet the requirements of your environment and its functions. For example, you can create network groups for Production and Test network environments, Dev teams, Finance departments, etc. to manage their connectivity and security rules at scale.
- You can apply connectivity configurations to create a mesh or a hub-and-spoke network topology for a large number of virtual networks across your organization’s subscriptions.
- You can deny high-risk traffic: As an administrator of an enterprise, you canāÆblock specific protocols orāÆsources that will override any NSG rules that would normally allow the traffic.āÆāÆ
- Always allow traffic: You want to permit a specific security scanner always to have inbound connectivity to all your resources, even if there are NSG rules configured to deny the traffic.
Q: What is Azure Virtual Network Manager?
A: Azure Virtual Network Manager (AVNM) is a service provided by Microsoft Azure that allows you to centrally manage and secure your virtual networks. It provides a comprehensive set of tools and capabilities to configure, deploy, and manage all aspects of your virtual networks.
Q: How does Azure Virtual Network Manager help with connectivity?
A: Azure Virtual Network Manager helps you establish and manage connectivity between your virtual networks and other network resources. It allows you to create connectivity configurations and apply them across subscriptions, ensuring consistent and reliable connectivity.
Q: Can I configure network security using Azure Virtual Network Manager?
A: Yes, Azure Virtual Network Manager provides extensive support for network security configuration. You can define security admin rules and policies, enforce security configurations across your virtual networks, and receive security updates and alerts.
Q: Can I manage virtual networks using PowerShell?
A: Yes, Azure Virtual Network Manager enables you to manage your virtual networks using PowerShell. It provides a set of cmdlets and modules that allow you to automate various tasks, such as deploying configurations, creating connectivity configurations, and managing network resources.
Q: How can I use Azure Portal to manage virtual networks (vNets) ?
A: Azure Virtual Network Manager integrates with the Azure Portal, allowing you to manage your virtual networks through a user-friendly web interface. You can deploy configurations, create connectivity configurations, manage network resources, and monitor the health and performance of your virtual networks.
Q: Can I centrally manage my virtual networks using Azure Virtual Network Manager?
A: Yes, Azure Virtual Network Manager enables you to centrally manage your virtual networks across multiple subscriptions. It provides a unified management interface that allows you to view and manage all your virtual networks, regardless of their subscription or location.
Q: How can I deploy a configuration using Azure Virtual Network Manager?
A: Azure Virtual Network Manager allows you to easily deploy configurations to your virtual networks. You can define the desired configuration, such as network topology and security settings, and apply it to one or more virtual networks with a single click.
Q: What is the role of security admin in Azure Virtual Network Manager?
A: The security admin in Azure Virtual Network Manager is responsible for configuring and enforcing security policies and rules within the network. They can define security admin rules, manage security configurations, and monitor the network for any security threats or vulnerabilities.
Q: Can I create a connectivity configuration using PowerShell?
A: Yes, you can create a connectivity configuration for your virtual networks using PowerShell in Azure Virtual Network Manager. The cmdlets and modules provided by AVNM allow you to define the desired connectivity settings and apply them to your virtual networks.
Q: How can I manage network resources across subscriptions using Azure Virtual Network Manager?
A: Azure Virtual Network Manager enables you to manage network resources, such as virtual networks, subnets, and network security groups, across multiple subscriptions. You can use the unified management interface to view and manage all your network resources in one place.
Q: What is an Azure Virtual Network?
A: An Azure Virtual Network is a representation of your own network in the cloud. It is a logical isolation of the Azure cloud dedicated to your subscription. It allows you to securely connect Azure resources, such as virtual machines, to each other and to on-premises networks.
Q: How can I learn more about Azure Virtual Network?
A: You can learn more about Azure Virtual Network by visiting the official Azure blog or by referring to the documentation on the Azure website. Additionally, you can explore online resources and tutorials for in-depth learning.
Q: What is network peering in Azure?
A: Network peering in Azure enables you to connect virtual networks across Azure regions. It allows you to establish a direct, private, and low-latency connection between two virtual networks, which can be in the same region or different regions.
Q: How do I create a virtual network peering?
A: To create a virtual network peering, you need to have the required permissions as a network administrator or a user with the necessary network group membership. Then, you can use the Azure portal or the Azure CLI to configure the peering between the virtual networks.
Q: What are security admin rules in Azure Virtual Network?
A: Security admin rules in Azure Virtual Network are a set of rules that define the network connectivity and security between resources. They are used to manage and control the traffic flow within the virtual network, ensuring secure communication between resources.
Q: How can I use security admin rules?
A: You can use security admin rules to define inbound and outbound traffic rules for resources within a virtual network. By creating security admin rules, you can control access to and from the resources, allowing or blocking specific protocols, ports, or IP addresses.
Q: What is the role of a security admin in Azure Virtual Network?
A: A security admin in Azure Virtual Network is responsible for managing the connectivity and security of the virtual network. They create and manage security admin rules, monitor network traffic, and ensure compliance with security policies and governance.
Q: How can I manage Azure Virtual Network connectivity and security?
A: You can manage Azure Virtual Network connectivity and security by using Azure network watcher, which provides tools for monitoring and troubleshooting network connections. Additionally, you can use Network Security Groups, Azure Firewall, and Azure Policy to implement and enforce network security policies.
Q: What is a hub and spoke architecture in Azure Virtual Network?
A: A hub and spoke architecture in Azure Virtual Network is a networking model where a central hub virtual network acts as a central point of connectivity and security. Spoke virtual networks are connected to the hub network, allowing them to securely communicate with each other and with on-premises networks.
Q: How does Azure Virtual WAN relate to Azure Virtual Network?
A: Azure Virtual WAN is a networking service that provides optimized and automated branch connectivity to Azure and other branches. It utilizes Azure Virtual Network to establish private, secure connections between branch offices and Azure resources, enabling seamless and efficient network connectivity.
Q: How can you manage virtual networks across different regions?
A: Using the new azure virtual network manager, organizations can manage virtual networks at scale across multiple regions and subscriptions. This helps central governance teams have a consistent view and management over all virtual networks.
Q: What is the purpose of a single virtual network in Azure?
A: A single virtual network in Azure allows organizations to define a private, isolated, and highly-secure environment to run their services. Since a virtual network provides dedicated, non-overlapping IP address space, resources can communicate with each other securely and efficiently.
Q: How can you effectively handle traffic from multiple network sources?
A: Administrators can use security admin rules to manage and control traffic. These rules aim to handle traffic differently as needed, allowing teams to flexibly pinpoint security as needed through NSG (Network Security Group) rules. Security admin rules can be set to allow certain traffic, block specific traffic, or protect network resources.
Q: How does one set up a security admin configuration in Azure?
A: To set up a security admin configuration, one would first define a network group using the Azure VNET (Virtual Network) management tools. Once the network group is defined, you can create a security admin rule specific to that group. These security admin rules are evaluated based on their priority, and they dictate the connectivity and security admin policies for the VNets in the network group. The benefits of security admin rules include the ability to protect VNets at scale with security admin configurations and to flexibly adjust security as needed through NSG rules.