I'm lost, can someone help? :)

IT student 66 Reputation points
2022-01-26T13:21:47.447+00:00

I'm new to this forum, and generally Microsoft resources/documentation.

I am trying to use Azure for students for my projects, but I am having trouble figuring out how to start planning out the use of Azure, as I have limited resources including time (since we get at most 1 month of resources to use).

I want/need to make a Linux cluster where each OS can/communicates using SSH with each other.

One problem I am seeing at the start is that I can at most rent out 1 "cloud PC" to use which is no different then trying to do the same on my local PC.
I was thinking that maybe Microsoft Kubernetes could be a good replacement, though I have no knowledge of them, nor can I be sure they would be the solution to my problem.

I would greatly appreciate it if you could point me to resources/documentation, that are related to starting up something similar on azure or some other kind of guides.

To summarize:

  • I haven't managed to find documentation that can help me setup an SSH Linux cluster on Azure
  • I have trouble deciding what resource is the most appropriate for my project
  • I would like to know if there is a place where I can consult on what is the best way to manage the limited resources I have
  • All tips are welcome
Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
An Azure service that provides serverless Kubernetes, an integrated continuous integration and continuous delivery experience, and enterprise-grade security and governance.
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  1. kobulloc-MSFT 23,341 Reputation points Microsoft Employee
    2022-01-26T20:13:52.217+00:00

    Hello, @IT student !

    There are a couple questions here so I'm going to give some generalized advice that I think will help as you start out and then answer your questions directly.

    Where to start?
    There is an ever increasing list of Azure services so I tend to recommend taking a quick look through the full list of Azure offerings. Categories make it easier to find what you are looking for and sometimes you'll discover a new service that is perfect for your needs:

    https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/services/

    From that list, my gut feeling is that Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) is where you'll end up but you can also look at other services like Azure Container Instances, Service Fabric, or Web Apps for Containers.

    What can I do with a free Azure for Students account?
    There are a lot of advantages that come with an Azure for Students account which you can see on the Azure for Students page, as well as answers to commonly asked questions:

    There are a lot of perks to extend the life of your free account after you use your $100 Azure credit, including 750 hours of B1 VMs, database instances, blob storage, Azure App Service, Azure Functions, and more. Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) is listed as a free service and I would start there.

    Answers to questions

    • Where can I find documentation on setting up an SSH Linux cluster on Azure? Azure Kubernetes will have that, and there's documentation dedicated to SSH node access but I would start with the Overview and Quickstarts if you aren't familiar with AKS.
    • What service should I pick? Given that you are on an Azure for Students account, I would take advantage of the benefit for Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS). Cluster related services can use up credits faster than exploring other services like stand alone VMs, IoT, networking, identity, functions, and databases.
    • How do I best plan to use my Azure credits? There are two resources that are very valuable when planning costs. The Azure Pricing Calculator will give you an idea of what things will cost before you deploy them and Cost Management is a great way to keep track of what you've spent so far.
    • Do you have any tips? The Azure documentation in the Microsoft Learn is a really good way to learn about services. The overview and quickstarts in particular will get you grounded before you branch out into whatever area you may be interested in. Azure Learn is another good resource, and they have a Kubernetes module.

    I hope that helps! Keep coming back to the forums if you run into more questions along the way.

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  1. Vidya Narasimhan 2,201 Reputation points Microsoft Employee
    2022-01-26T19:36:51.41+00:00

    @IT student , if you are looking to run HPC, parallel compute workloads then please evaluate Azure Batch with Linux nodes as this can get you started very quickly. Here is a link on how to provision a Azure Batch https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/batch/batch-linux-nodes . The same link also talks about how to ssh into the linux nodes of Azuer Batch cluster using SSH. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/batch/batch-linux-nodes#connect-to-linux-nodes-using-ssh

    Please go through the Azure Batch documentation to understand it better https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/batch/

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