Introduction
In this blog post, I will walk you through my experience with Lab 11 - Implement Monitoring for the Azure Administrator certification. This lab helped me understand the capabilities of Azure Monitor, including the creation of alerts, configuring action groups, and leveraging log queries to monitor Azure resources.
Lab Overview
This lab focused on creating monitoring solutions in Azure. I learned how to set up Azure Monitor, create and configure alerts to monitor Azure resources, and log queries to analyze data. Azure Monitor is a key service that provides comprehensive monitoring and diagnostic capabilities for all Azure resources.
Skills Practiced:
✅ Creating alerts for resource monitoring
✅ Configuring action groups for notification
✅ Testing alerts and monitoring the system’s response
✅ Using Azure Monitor logs to query data
✅ Implementing alert processing rules for maintenance windows
Task 1: Use a Template to Provision Infrastructure
In this task, I used a custom template to deploy a virtual machine (VM) that would be used for testing monitoring scenarios. Here's what I did:
1️⃣ Downloaded the provided template and parameters file.
2️⃣ Used the Deploy a custom template feature to upload the files and provision resources in the Azure portal.
3️⃣ Configured the virtual machine and virtual network based on the template.
4️⃣ Waited for the deployment to complete, which took approximately 5 minutes.
📌 Insight:
Using templates for provisioning ensures that the infrastructure is deployed consistently across environments. This is especially useful when testing configurations like monitoring and alerts.
Task 2: Create an Alert
Next, I created an alert to monitor for a specific event—when a virtual machine is deleted. Here’s what I did:
1️⃣ In Azure Monitor, I navigated to Alerts and clicked Create Alert Rule.
2️⃣ Set the Condition to trigger the alert whenever a Virtual Machine is deleted.
3️⃣ Applied the alert rule to any virtual machine in the resource group.
4️⃣ Left the default event level settings for All and configured the alert.
📌 Insight:
Azure Monitor allows you to create alerts based on event logs or metrics that meet specific criteria. This is a powerful tool for administrators to get real-time notifications about critical changes in infrastructure.
Task 3: Configure Action Group Notifications
In this task, I configured an action group to send notifications when the alert is triggered. Here's how I did it:
1️⃣ I selected Create Action Group and added a Notification type of Email.
2️⃣ Configured the action group to notify the operations team via email when the VM is deleted.
3️⃣ Completed the configuration by giving the action group a unique name and entering the required email details.
📌 Insight:
An action group in Azure Monitor is a collection of notification preferences that can be triggered by an alert. You can use action groups to send emails, SMS, or push notifications to ensure the right people are notified.
Task 4: Trigger an Alert and Confirm It Is Working
I then proceeded to trigger the alert to test if everything was working as expected. Here’s what I did:
1️⃣ I deleted the az104-vm0 virtual machine from the portal.
2️⃣ The deletion triggered the alert, and I received an email notification confirming that the VM was deleted.
3️⃣ I then checked the Alerts section in the Azure portal to verify that the alert was listed as active and working.
📌 Insight:
Testing alerts ensures they are properly configured and ready to trigger when real issues occur. This is an essential step to ensure the monitoring system works correctly.
Task 5: Configure an Alert Processing Rule
In this task, I configured an alert processing rule to suppress notifications during a maintenance period. Here’s how I configured it:
1️⃣ I created a new Alert processing rule called Planned Maintenance.
2️⃣ I scheduled the rule to suppress notifications from 10 PM to 7 AM to avoid unnecessary alerts during the maintenance window.
3️⃣ The rule was created successfully, and I ensured that it only applies during the specified time range.
📌 Insight:
Alert processing rules can be useful for suppressing alerts during known maintenance periods or non-critical hours. This prevents unnecessary notifications from interrupting administrative work.
Task 6: Use Azure Monitor Log Queries
In the final task, I used Azure Monitor to query the logs generated by the virtual machine. Here's what I did:
1️⃣ I used the Logs section in Azure Monitor to run a log query for heartbeat data from the virtual machine.
2️⃣ I replaced the default query with a custom query to track the CPU utilization over the past hour.
3️⃣ I reviewed the resulting chart that visualized the CPU usage in 5-minute intervals.
📌 Insight:
Log queries in Azure Monitor provide deep visibility into the performance and health of your resources. These queries allow administrators to analyze specific metrics and logs for trends, issues, or troubleshooting.
Key Learnings
1️⃣ Azure Monitor
Azure Monitor provides comprehensive monitoring and diagnostic capabilities across all Azure resources.
You can monitor metrics, logs, and activity data to gain insights into the health and performance of your infrastructure.
2️⃣ Alerts and Action Groups
Alerts can be created based on specific event conditions, such as the deletion of a VM.
Action groups help notify the appropriate team members through various channels like email, SMS, or push notifications.
3️⃣ Log Queries
Log queries allow you to analyze performance metrics and events from your Azure resources, enabling better decision-making and quicker troubleshooting.
Conclusion
Completing this lab helped me understand the depth of monitoring capabilities available in Azure. With Azure Monitor, I can easily create alerts, configure action groups, and query logs to monitor resources effectively. Implementing alert processing rules also ensures that notifications only occur when they are truly needed, such as during maintenance windows.
🚀 Stay tuned for more as I continue my learning journey with Azure Administrator certification!
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