Load balance multiple websites

Article
07/07/2017

This script sample creates a virtual network with two virtual machines (VM) that are members of an availability set. A load balancer directs traffic for two separate IP addresses to the two VMs. After running the script, you could deploy web server software to the VMs and host multiple web sites, each with its own IP address.

To run this sample, install the latest version of the Azure CLI. To start, run az login to create a connection with Azure.

Samples for the Azure CLI are written for the bash shell. To run this sample in Windows PowerShell or Command Prompt, you may need to change elements of the script.

If you don't have an Azure subscription, create an Azure free account before you begin.

Sample script

#!/bin/bash
# Passed validation in Cloud Shell on 3/3/2022

# <FullScript>
# Load balance multiple websites

# Variable block
let "randomIdentifier=$RANDOM*$RANDOM"
location="East US"
resourceGroup="msdocs-load-balancer-rg-$randomIdentifier"
tag="load-balance-multiple-web-sites-vm"
availabilitySet="msdocs-availablity-set-lb-$randomIdentifier"
vNet="msdocs-vnet-lb-$randomIdentifier"
subnet="msdocs-subnet-lb-$randomIdentifier"
loadBalancerPublicIp="msdocs-public-ip-lb-$randomIdentifier"
loadBalancerFrontEndConfig1="msdocs-contoso-lb-$randomIdentifier"
loadBalancerFrontEndConfig2="msdocs-fabrikam-lb-$randomIdentifier"
loadBalancer="msdocs-load-balancer-$randomIdentifier"
frontEndIp="msdocs-front-end-ip-lb-$randomIdentifier"
frontEndIpConfig1="msdocs-front-end-ip-config-contoso-lb-$randomIdentifier"
frontEndIpConfig2="msdocs-front-end-ip-config-fabrikam-lb-$randomIdentifier"
backEndPool="msdocs-back-end-pool-lb-$randomIdentifier"
backEndAddressPool1="msdocs-back-end-address-pool-contoso-lb-$randomIdentifier"
backEndAddressPool2="msdocs-back-end-address-pool-fabrikam-lb-$randomIdentifier"
probe80="msdocs-port80-health-probe-lb-$randomIdentifier"
lbRuleConfig1="msdocs-contoso-load-balancer-rule-$randomIdentifier"
lbRuleConfig2="msdocs-fabrikam-load-balancer-rule-$randomIdentifier"
publicIpVm1="msdocs-public-ip-vm1-lb-$randomIdentifier"
nicVm1="msdocs-nic-vm1-$randomIdentifier"
ipConfig1="msdocs-ipconfig-config1-lb-$randomIdentifier"
ipConfig2="msdocs-ipconfig-config2-lb-$randomIdentifier"
vm1="msdocs-vm1-lb-$randomIdentifier"
publicIpVm2="msdocs-public-ip-vm2-lb-$randomIdentifier"
ipSku="Standard"
nicVm2="msdocs-nic-vm2-lb-$randomIdentifier"
ipConfig1="msdocs-ipconfig-config1-lb-$randomIdentifier"
ipConfig2="msdocs-ipconfig-config2-lb-$randomIdentifier"
vm2="msdocs-vm2-lb-$randomIdentifier"
image="Ubuntu2204"
login="azureuser"

# Create a resource group
echo "Creating $resourceGroup in "$location"..."
az group create --name $resourceGroup --location "$location" --tags $tag

# Create an availability set for the two VMs that host both websites.
echo "Creating $availabilitySet"
az vm availability-set create --resource-group $resourceGroup --location "$location" --name $availabilitySet --platform-fault-domain-count 2 --platform-update-domain-count 2

# Create a virtual network and a subnet.
echo "Creating $vNet and $subnet"
az network vnet create --resource-group $resourceGroup --name $vNet --address-prefix 10.0.0.0/16 --location "$location" --subnet-name $subnet --subnet-prefix 10.0.0.0/24

# Create three public IP addresses; one for the load balancer and two for the front-end IP configurations.
echo "Creating $loadBalancerPublicIp"
az network public-ip create --resource-group $resourceGroup --name $loadBalancerPublicIp --allocation-method Dynamic

echo "Creating $loadBalancerFrontEndConfig1"  
az network public-ip create --resource-group $resourceGroup --name $loadBalancerFrontEndConfig1 --allocation-method Dynamic

echo "Creating $loadBalancerFrontEndConfig2"
az network public-ip create --resource-group $resourceGroup --name $loadBalancerFrontEndConfig2 --allocation-method Dynamic

# Create an Azure Load Balancer.
echo "Creating $loadBalancer with $frontEndIP and $backEndPool"
az network lb create --resource-group $resourceGroup --location "$location" --name $loadBalancer --frontend-ip-name $frontEndIp --backend-pool-name $backEndPool --public-ip-address $loadBalancerPublicIp

# Create two front-end IP configurations for both web sites.
echo "Creating $frontEndIpConfig1 for $loadBalancerFrontEndConfig1"
az network lb frontend-ip create --resource-group $resourceGroup --lb-name $loadBalancer --public-ip-address $loadBalancerFrontEndConfig1 --name $frontEndIpConfig1

echo "Creating $frontEndIpConfig2 for $loadBalancerFrontEndConfig2"  
az network lb frontend-ip create --resource-group $resourceGroup --lb-name $loadBalancer --public-ip-address $loadBalancerFrontEndConfig2 --name $frontEndIpConfig2

# Create the back-end address pools.
echo "Creating $backEndAddressPool1"
az network lb address-pool create --resource-group $resourceGroup --lb-name $loadBalancer --name $backEndAddressPool1

echo "Creating $backEndAddressPool2"
az network lb address-pool create --resource-group $resourceGroup --lb-name $loadBalancer --name $backEndAddressPool2

# Create a probe on port 80.
echo "Creating $probe80 in $loadBalancer"
az network lb probe create --resource-group $resourceGroup --lb-name $loadBalancer --name $probe80 --protocol Http --port 80 --path /

# Create the load balancing rules forport 80.
echo "Creating $lbRuleConfig1 for $loadBalancer"
az network lb rule create --resource-group $resourceGroup --lb-name $loadBalancer --name $lbRuleConfig1 --protocol Tcp --probe-name $probe80 --frontend-port 5000 --backend-port 5000 --frontend-ip-name $frontEndIpConfig1 --backend-pool-name $backEndAddressPool1

echo "Creating $lbRuleConfig2 for $loadBalancer"
az network lb rule create --resource-group $resourceGroup --lb-name $loadBalancer --name $lbRuleConfig2 --protocol Tcp --probe-name $probe80 --frontend-port 5000 --backend-port 5000 --frontend-ip-name $frontEndIpConfig2 --backend-pool-name $backEndAddressPool2

# ############## VM1 ###############

# Create an Public IP for the first VM.
echo "Creating $publicIpVm1"
az network public-ip create --resource-group $resourceGroup --name $publicIpVm1 --allocation-method Dynamic

# Create a network interface for VM1.
echo "Creating $nicVm1 in $vNet and $subnet"
az network nic create --resource-group $resourceGroup --vnet-name $vNet --subnet $subnet --name $nicVm1 --public-ip-address $publicIpVm1

# Create IP configurations for Contoso and Fabrikam.
echo "Creating $ipConfig1 for $nicVm1"
az network nic ip-config create --resource-group $resourceGroup --name $ipConfig1 --nic-name $nicVm1 --lb-name $loadBalancer --lb-address-pools $backEndAddressPool1

echo "Creating $ipConfig2 for $nicVm1"
az network nic ip-config create --resource-group $resourceGroup --name $ipConfig2 --nic-name $nicVm1 --lb-name $loadBalancer --lb-address-pools $backEndAddressPool2

# Create Vm1.
echo "Creating $vm1"
az vm create --resource-group $resourceGroup --name $vm1 --nics $nicVm1 --image $image --availability-set $availabilitySet --public-ip-sku $ipSku --admin-username $login --generate-ssh-keys

############### VM2 ###############

# Create an Public IP for the second VM.
echo "Creating $publicIpVm2"
az network public-ip create --resource-group $resourceGroup --name $publicIpVm2 --allocation-method Dynamic

# Create a network interface for VM2.
echo "Creating $nicVm2 in $vNet and $subnet"
az network nic create --resource-group $resourceGroup --vnet-name $vNet --subnet $subnet --name $nicVm2 --public-ip-address $publicIpVm2

# Create IP-Configs for Contoso and Fabrikam.
echo "Creating $ipConfig1 for $nicVm2"
az network nic ip-config create --resource-group $resourceGroup --name $ipConfig1 --nic-name $nicVm2 --lb-name $loadBalancer --lb-address-pools $backEndAddressPool1

echo "Creating $ipConfig2 for $nicVm2"
az network nic ip-config create --resource-group $resourceGroup --name $ipConfig2 --nic-name $nicVm2 --lb-name $loadBalancer --lb-address-pools $backEndAddressPool2

# Create Vm2.
echo "Creating $vm2"
az vm create --resource-group $resourceGroup --name $vm2 --nics $nicVm2 --image Ubuntu2204 --availability-set $availabilitySet --public-ip-sku $ipSku --admin-username $login --generate-ssh-keys

# List the virtual machines
az vm list --resource-group $resourceGroup
# </FullScript>

# echo "Deleting all resources"
# az group delete --name $resourceGroup -y

Clean up deployment

Run the following command to remove the resource group, VM, and all related resources.

az group delete --name myResourceGroup --yes

Script explanation

This script uses the following commands to create a resource group, virtual network, load balancer, and all related resources. Each command in the table links to command specific documentation.

Command	Notes
az group create	Creates a resource group in which all resources are stored.
az network vnet create	Creates an Azure virtual network and subnet.
az network public-ip create	Creates a public IP address with a static IP address and an associated DNS name.
az network lb create	Creates an Azure Load Balancer.
az network lb probe create	Creates a load balancer probe. A load balancer probe is used to monitor each VM in the load balancer set. If any VM becomes inaccessible, traffic is not routed to the VM.
az network lb rule create	Creates a load balancer rule. In this sample, a rule is created for port 80. As HTTP traffic arrives at the load balancer, it is routed to port 80 one of the VMs in the load balancer set.
az network lb frontend-ip create	Create a frontend IP address for the Load Balancer.
az network lb address-pool create	Creates a backend address pool.
az network nic create	Creates a virtual network card and attaches it to the virtual network, and subnet.
az vm availability-set create	Creates an availability set. Availability sets ensure application uptime by spreading the virtual machines across physical resources such that if failure occurs, the entire set is not effected.
az network nic ip-config create	Creates an IP configuration. You must have the Microsoft.Network/AllowMultipleIpConfigurationsPerNic feature enabled for your subscription. Only one configuration may be designated as the primary IP configuration per NIC, using the --make-primary flag.
az vm create	Creates the virtual machine and connects it to the network card, virtual network, subnet, and NSG. This command also specifies the virtual machine image to be used and administrative credentials.
az group delete	Deletes a resource group including all nested resources.

Next steps

For more information on the Azure CLI, see Azure CLI documentation.

Additional networking CLI script samples can be found in the Azure Networking Overview documentation.

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Load balance multiple websites

Sample script

Clean up deployment

Script explanation

Next steps

Additional resources