Azure Lab: Leveraging Snapshots for Disaster Recovery

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In this lab, we explore the power of Azure Snapshots to ensure data resilience and disaster recovery. Snapshots are a critical tool for backup, testing, and quick recovery in cloud environments. Below, we’ll walk through the steps to create and use snapshots in Azure, along with practical commands and tips to enhance your disaster recovery strategy.

Part 1: Creating a VM from a Snapshot

  1. Take a Snapshot of a Disk in Azure

– Navigate to the Azure Portal.
– Go to Disks under your resource group, select the disk, and click Create Snapshot.
– Provide a name and configure the snapshot settings.

Azure CLI Command:

az snapshot create --resource-group MyResourceGroup --name MySnapshot --source /subscriptions/{subscriptionId}/resourceGroups/{resourceGroup}/providers/Microsoft.Compute/disks/{diskName}

2. Create a New VM from the Snapshot

  • Use the snapshot to create a new disk.
  • Attach the new disk to a VM.

Azure CLI Command:

az disk create --resource-group MyResourceGroup --name MyNewDisk --source MySnapshot 
az vm create --resource-group MyResourceGroup --name MyNewVM --attach-os-disk MyNewDisk

Part 2: Simulating a Disk Failure

1. Assume Primary Disk Failure

  • Identify the failed disk in the Azure Portal or using CLI.

2. Restore Disk from Snapshot

  • Create a new disk from the snapshot.

Azure CLI Command:

az disk create --resource-group MyResourceGroup --name MyRestoredDisk --source MySnapshot
  1. Swap the Failed Disk with the Healthy One

– Detach the failed disk and attach the restored disk to the VM.

Azure CLI Command:

az vm disk detach --resource-group MyResourceGroup --vm-name MyVM --name FailedDisk 
az vm disk attach --resource-group MyResourceGroup --vm-name MyVM --disk MyRestoredDisk

You Should Know:

  • Automate Snapshots: Use Azure Automation or PowerShell scripts to schedule regular snapshots.
    $snapshotConfig = New-AzSnapshotConfig -SourceUri /subscriptions/{subscriptionId}/resourceGroups/{resourceGroup}/providers/Microsoft.Compute/disks/{diskName} -CreateOption Copy 
New-AzSnapshot -Snapshot $snapshotConfig -SnapshotName MySnapshot -ResourceGroupName MyResourceGroup

  • Cross-Region Snapshots: Replicate snapshots to another region for added redundancy.

    az snapshot create --resource-group MyResourceGroup --name MySnapshot --source /subscriptions/{subscriptionId}/resourceGroups/{resourceGroup}/providers/Microsoft.Compute/disks/{diskName} --location EastUS2

  • Cost Management: Snapshots incur storage costs. Use lifecycle management policies to delete old snapshots automatically.

What Undercode Say:

Azure Snapshots are a powerful tool for disaster recovery, offering a simple and efficient way to back up and restore data. By automating snapshots and replicating them across regions, you can ensure business continuity even in the face of unexpected failures. Regularly test your disaster recovery plan to validate its effectiveness.

Expected Output:

  • A new VM created from a snapshot.
  • A restored disk attached to a VM after simulating a failure.
  • Automated snapshot schedules and cross-region replication for enhanced resilience.

For more details, refer to the Azure Snapshot Documentation.

References:

Reported By: Mohamed Eldamaty – Hackers Feeds
Extra Hub: Undercode MoN
Basic Verification: Pass ✅

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