In today's digital age, the ability to set up and manage virtual machines is a critical skill for IT professionals. In this guide, we'll walk you through the process of creating a virtual machine and installing the Web Server role on Microsoft Windows Server.
Step 1: Log in to the Azure portal
1.1. Open a web browser and navigate to the Azure portal https://portal.azure.com.
1.2. Sign in using your Azure account credentials. If you don't have an Azure account, you can create one by following the on-screen instructions.
Step 2: Create a virtual machine
2.1. After logging in, click the "+ Create Resource" button in the left menu.
2.2. In the Azure Marketplace search bar, type "Windows Server" and press Enter.
2.3. Select the Windows Server version from the search results. Generally, Windows Server 2019 is a good choice.
2.4. Click the "Create" button to start configuring your virtual machine.
Step 3: Configure virtual machine settings
3.1. Fill in the basic settings of the virtual machine:
Project details: Select your subscription, resource group, and region.
Instance details: Give your virtual machine a unique name and select an availability option. For testing purposes, you can select "No infrastructure redundancy required".
Image: Select the Windows Server image you selected earlier.
Size: Choose the right size for your VM based on your performance and cost requirements.
3.2. In the Administrator Account section, set a username and a strong password. This will be your virtual machine login information.
3.3. Leave other settings as default for now, or customize as needed.
3.4. Click the "View + Create" button to view your settings, then click "Create" to create the virtual machine.
Step 4: Connect to the virtual machine
4.1. After deploying the VM, go to the VM's overview page.
4.2. Under Settings, click Connect.
4.3. Download the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) file to connect to your VM.
4.4. Open the RDP file and enter the username and password you set during VM configuration.
Step 5: Install the web server role
5.1. After connecting to the VM, click the Windows icon in the taskbar and select "Server Manager" to open the "Server Manager".
5.2. In Server Manager, click Add Roles and Features.
5.3. Follow the wizard to add the "Web Server (IIS)" role.
5.4. Complete the installation by accepting the default role services or customizing them as needed.
5.5. After installation, you can access the default IIS web page by opening a web browser and entering the VM's IP address or DNS name.
Congratulations! You have successfully created a virtual machine in Azure and installed the Web Server role on Windows Server. You can now start hosting and managing web applications on the virtual machine.