Azure Labs VM Shutting Down While Presenting

Corner Bowl Software 21

I have a paid Azure subscription. I have an Azure Lab which I pay for. First, I am unable to create any type of ticket in Azure. This is a real issue because I pay for services yet I am unable to create a ticket. Next, while I was presenting to IT professionals in the USAF for my compliance software I sell, my VM shutdown. Then, 2 of my customer's VMs shutdown. Before the class it took one of my customer's 30 minutes to start their VM. Finally, mid-through the meeting my VM started back up and I connected, however in the portal my machine appears as stopped still. This was a total breakdown of lab. I would like to get this fixed and I want a credit to my account since my entire meeting was disrupted and all of our time wasted. I have a class tomorrow and need this resolve. I have been waiting over 30 minutes since the meeting ended and still my machines do not show shutdown even after sending the command to shut them all down.

kobulloc-MSFT 26,351 Reputation points Microsoft Employee

2024-05-07T18:33:29.3633333+00:00
Hello, @Corner Bowl Software !

I'm sorry you ran into issues with your Azure Lab and it sounds like there are a lot of issues that need to be addressed:

Unable to create a support ticket: You should be able to create a support ticket (all Azure accounts can create a billing support ticket). What is the error you receive when you try to create a support ticket?

Slow VM starts/VM shutdowns during use: There are a variety of reasons why a VM might shut down including auto shutdown or even maintenance in rare instances, but the slow VM start and multiple shutdowns sounds like it may be a sizing/workload issue. What size VMs are you using in the lab, and what type of workload are you running on the VMs (if you can share that)? Addressing this will be the first step in making sure you are ready for your meeting tomorrow.

Billing dispute for unavailable services: Azure services have an SLA and if we do not achieve and maintain the Service Levels for each Service as described in this SLA, then you may be eligible for a credit towards a portion of your monthly service fees. Creating a billing support ticket would the next step so we need to figure out why you aren't able to create a support ticket.
Corner Bowl Software 21 Reputation points

2024-05-07T20:09:36.0533333+00:00

The problem is that I don't want to create a billing ticket. I want to create a support ticket. Billing is separate and not so important. I need the system to work. Please re-read my message, I said my VM shutdown while I was presenting. That's the major issue which needs to be addressed. All the other issues are lower priority issues. The server should never shutdown while I am presenting. Please address that issue.
kobulloc-MSFT 26,351 Reputation points Microsoft Employee

2024-05-07T21:23:39.2733333+00:00
Hello, @Corner Bowl Software !

I suspect that the VMs shutting down and the performance have something to do with the size of the VMs and the workload on the VMs. I would be happy to try to set up a support 1 on 1 with you to address this, but I also want to make sure that you are set up to avoid this scenario tomorrow.

To address the support issue, please email the following to AzCommunity@microsoft.com and we'll get back to you promptly:

Subject: "Attn: kobulloc - Azure Labs shutting down mid session"

Email body: Your Subscription ID

Email body: A link to this thread so we can validate and expedite the request

If you don't receive a response within 24 hours, please reply to the thread so we can investigate.
kobulloc-MSFT 26,351 Reputation points Microsoft Employee

2024-05-07T21:28:28.31+00:00
Hello, @Corner Bowl Software !

To make sure that we aren't missing something with your lab environment while we get the 1:1 session started, let's rule out some common issues with Labs:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/lab-services/troubleshoot-access-lab-vm

Check to make sure the OS disk is not full (with more than 1GB of space on the primary disk)

Try reimaging the lab if the VM is in a bad state (use caution here as reimaging will delete user data on the VM so you'll want to store that outside the lab VM)

Some issues may be related to the network setup
Corner Bowl Software 21 Reputation points

2024-05-07T22:35:17.9366667+00:00

My customers are using the VMs for a 5 day class. I can't re-image them. There is plenty of disk space. We have barely even used the machines.
kobulloc-MSFT 26,351 Reputation points Microsoft Employee

2024-05-07T22:37:29.53+00:00

Thank you for confirming that, @Corner Bowl Software ! I'm keeping an eye out for your email.

1 answer

kobulloc-MSFT 26,351 Reputation points Microsoft Employee

2024-05-08T00:42:15.0333333+00:00
Hello, @Corner Bowl Software !

Why are my lab VMs shutting down in the middle of class?

I reached out to the Azure Lab Services team and there are a variety of possible causes, but in this case a lot of the symptoms that you mention point to Azure Lab's idle shutdown setting.

Disconnect idle virtual machines is a setting under Shutdown and disconnect under Lab Configuration > Lab settings. If a VM is idle, or if software or other network settings are blocking the heartbeat that Lab Services Idle Agent sends back to Lab Services, then Lab Services may think the VM is idle and initiate a shutdown.

Try disabling Disconnect idle virtual machines to see if that resolves your issue. If not, let us know in the comments so we can continue troubleshooting.

"Disconnect idle virtual machines" under lab settings will shut down a VM if activity isn't detected:

Other things to help with troubleshooting:

Is this a lab with lab accounts or lab plans?

What are the automatic shutdown settings for the lab?

Is the VM turning off randomly or at a specific time (like 5 minutes after start)?

Is the lab using advanced networking?

I hope this has been helpful! Your feedback is important so please take a moment to accept answers.

If you still have questions, please let us know what is needed in the comments so the question can be answered. Thank you for helping to improve Microsoft Q&A!
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Corner Bowl Software 21 Reputation points

2024-05-08T11:26:45.18+00:00

I disabled the auto shut down after the incident. We'll see what happens today.

Corner Bowl Software 21 Reputation points

2024-05-08T12:58:50.77+00:00

My meeting is starting. It took one of my customers 45 minutes to start the VM. I have been waiting for 10 minutes and my VM that I must present on is not coming up.

Corner Bowl Software 21 Reputation points

2024-05-08T16:42:23.29+00:00

Eventually after 45 minutes some of the machines started. I shut down all machines 1 hour and 30 minutes ago. The Virtual machine pool shows two machines starting, which is incorrect and have said that now for quite a while. The front end is totally busted.

Corner Bowl Software 21 Reputation points

2024-05-08T17:22:24.8366667+00:00

I just checked again, and the same machines show they are starting. Please check my Azure subscription to see what the issue is.

kobulloc-MSFT 26,351 Reputation points Microsoft Employee

2024-05-08T21:09:55.77+00:00

Hello, @Corner Bowl Software ! It sounds like we'll need to take a look at your resources. I'll reach out directly.

Corner Bowl Software 21 Reputation points

2024-05-08T22:09:19.6133333+00:00

Thank you.

kobulloc-MSFT 26,351 Reputation points Microsoft Employee

2024-05-10T18:53:44.9133333+00:00

Hello, @Corner Bowl Software ! We received your feedback. Please take a moment to accept answers to let us know that your issue is being addressed.

If you still have questions, please let us know what is needed in the comments so the question can be answered. Thank you for helping to improve Microsoft Q&A!
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Azure Labs VM Shutting Down While Presenting

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