Uploading an Azure-compliant VHD to Azure and creating an Azure Image

To deploy a virtual machine in Microsoft Azure, an Azure-compliant VHD file that contains the ISAM firmware must be uploaded to a storage account and then used to create an image. The created image artifact acts as a template and can be deployed multiple times.

These instructions demonstrate how to perform the steps using the Azure Portal (portal.azure.com). But we can also use the Azure CLI tools or any other Azure capable API to complete these steps.

Steps

  1. Upload the VHD file using the Azure Portal.
    1. In the Azure Portal, select Storage Accounts.
    2. Select the storage account where the ISAM VHD file will be uploaded to.
      • If we do not have a storage account, click Add to create one.
      • Note the selected location will dictate where the image can be created and subsequently deployed to.
    3. Under BLOB SERVICE, select Containers.
    4. Select a container to upload the ISAM VHD file to.
      • If we do not have a storage container, click Add Container to create one.

    5. Click Upload and select the Azure-compliant Security Verify Access VHD file to upload.
      • Ensure the Blob type is set to Page Blob.

    This process might take a long time depending on the network connection and the location of your Azure storage account.

  2. Create an image using the Azure Portal.
    1. In the Azure Portal, select Images.

    2. Click Add to create a new image.
      1. Give the image a name. Remember that this image is a template that will later be deployed to a virtual machine with a different name.
      2. Ensure the location is the same as the location of your storage account.
      3. In the OS disk section:

        1. Select Linux and the OS type.

        2. Click Browse on the Storage Blob field. A new panel will list your storage accounts. Using this panel, navigate through the storage account and container to locate the ISAM VHD that was uploaded.

      4. Click Create to begin the image creation process. This process typically takes minutes to complete.
    3. When the process has completed, return to the Images panel and verify the new image was created.

    This image now be used to deploy new Security Verify Access virtual machines in Azure.

Parent topic: Microsoft Azure support