Azure Backup Made Easy: Protecting Your Linux VMs

Introduction

In the current digital environment, protecting important data is paramount to businesses. Business continuity may be impacted by major data loss brought on by accidental deletions, hostile assaults, or unplanned interruptions. Azure Backup provides a complete solution to safeguard virtual machines (VMs) and guarantee speedy recovery if necessary. Organizations may optimize their backup procedures for both on-premises data and virtual machines hosted on Azure by utilizing solutions like Recovery Services Vault and Azure Backup Center. This guide examines the best practices for backing up Azure virtual machines to reduce risks and improve data resilience.

Architecture diagram

Procedure

Create a virtual machine

Deploy a template to create a Linux virtual machine. If you already have a virtual machine to use for this exercise, then skip this step

1. Sign in to the Azure portal - https://portal.azure.com.
2. Cancel the Welcome to Microsoft Azure splash screen.
3. Search for and select Deploy a custom template.
4. Notice your choices and select Create a Linux virtual machine.
5. Take the defaults, except for these required settings.
6. Click Review + Create. Ensure that the validation passes and then click Create.
7. You can continue to the next task while the virtual machine deploys.

Create and configure a Recovery Services vault

1. In the Azure portal, search for and select Recovery Services vaults.
2. On the Recovery Services vaults blade, click + Create.
3. On the Create Recovery Services vault blade, specify the following settings:
4. Click Review + Create, ensure that the validation passes and then click Create.
5. When the deployment is completed, click Go to Resource.
6. In the Protected items section select Backup items. Notice the vault does not yet contain any backups.

Configure Azure virtual machine-level backup

Implement Azure virtual machine-level backup. As part of a VM backup, you will define a backup and retention policy.

1. Continue working on the Recovery Services vault, click Overview, then click + Backup.
2. On the Backup Goal blade, specify the following settings:
3. Select Backup.
4. Notice there a two Policy sub types: Enhanced and Standard. Review the choices and select Enhanced.
5. In Backup policy, select Create a new policy.
6. Define a new backup policy with the following settings (leave others with their default values)
7. Click OK to create the policy and then, in the Virtual Machines section, select Add.
8. On the Select virtual machines blade, select VM4, click OK.
9. On the Backup blade, click Enable backup.
10. In the Protected items section, click Backup items, and then click the Azure virtual machine entry.
11. Select the View details link for VM4 and review the values of the Backup Pre-Check and Last Backup Status entries.
12. Select Backup now, accept the default value in the Retain Backup Till drop-down list, and click OK. Do not wait for the backup to finish.

Connect to a Linux virtual machine using a user and password (optional)

This exercise doesn’t require you to connect to the virtual machine. However, it is important to be able to connect using a user and password. So, in this task let’s practice this skill.

1. In the portal, locate your virtual machine.
2. On the Overview blade, make note of the public IP address.
3. Open a Command Prompt window.
4. At the prompt, use SSH and your public IP address to connect to the virtual machine.

ssh adminuser@public_IP_address

5.If prompted to continue, type yes.

6.Provide the virtual machine password. Note the password will not display in the command window.
7.Ensure the prompt changes, to adminuser@public_IP_address.