Azure Load Balancer

 

Type of Load Balancer

1. Azure Load Balancer

Azure Load Balancer operates at the transport layer (Layer 4 of the OSI model) and is used to distribute incoming traffic across multiple VMs or instances within the same Azure region. It provides high availability by automatically scaling to handle increasing traffic load and ensuring that resources are used efficiently.

Features of Azure Load Balancer:

  • Supports TCP and UDP protocols: Load balances traffic at the network level, making it suitable for a wide range of services.
  • Health Probes: Monitors the health of VM instances and automatically stops sending traffic to unhealthy instances.
  • Internal and External Load Balancing: Can be used for both internal (inside Azure VNets) and external (internet-facing) applications.
  • Session Persistence: Supports session affinity to direct all requests from a client to the same backend instance.

Steps to Configure Azure Load Balancer:

  1. Create a Load Balancer:

    • Sign in to the Azure portal (portal.azure.com).
    • Go to "Create a resource" > "Networking" > "Load balancer."
    • Enter details like name, region, and SKU (Standard or Basic).

  2. Configure Frontend IP Configuration:

    • Define the frontend IP configuration:
      • Public IP: For internet-facing load balancers.
      • Private IP: For internal load balancers within a VNet.

  3. Define Backend Pool:

    • Specify the backend pool consisting of VMs or instances that will receive traffic.
    • Configure health probes to monitor the health of backend instances.

  4. Create Load Balancing Rules:

    • Define load balancing rules to specify how traffic is distributed:
      • Protocol (TCP/UDP)
      • Port (e.g., HTTP on port 80)
      • Backend port (port on which VMs are listening)

  5. Configure NAT Rules (Optional for Standard SKU):

    • For Standard SKU, configure inbound Network Address Translation (NAT) rules if needed.

  6. Add Network Security Group (NSG) Rules (if necessary):

    • Optionally, configure NSG rules to allow traffic to the frontend IP of the load balancer.

  7. Review and Create:

    • Review all settings and create the load balancer.

2. Azure Application Gateway

Azure Application Gateway operates at the application layer (Layer 7 of the OSI model) and provides advanced application delivery controller (ADC) features, such as SSL termination, URL-based routing, cookie-based session affinity, and Web Application Firewall (WAF) capabilities. It is designed to optimize and secure web traffic to your applications.

Features of Azure Application Gateway:

  • HTTP/HTTPS Load Balancing: Supports URL-based routing and SSL offloading for web applications.
  • Session Affinity: Maintains client session persistence using cookies or IP-based affinity.
  • Web Application Firewall (WAF): Provides protection against common web vulnerabilities.
  • Auto-scaling: Scales instances based on traffic demands to ensure optimal performance.

Steps to Configure Azure Application Gateway:

  1. Create an Application Gateway:

    • Sign in to the Azure portal (portal.azure.com).
    • Go to "Create a resource" > "Networking" > "Application Gateway."
    • Enter details like name, region, SKU (Standard or WAF), and backend pool configuration.

  2. Configure Frontend IP Configuration:

    • Define the frontend IP configuration with public or private IP addresses.

  3. Define Backend Pool and HTTP Settings:

    • Specify backend pool consisting of VMs or instances and configure HTTP settings:
      • Backend HTTP settings (port, protocol, cookie-based affinity).

  4. Create Routing Rules:

    • Define routing rules to map incoming requests to backend servers:
      • Define frontend listener, backend targets, and routing rules based on URL paths or host headers.

  5. Configure SSL Offloading and Certificates (if needed):

    • Configure SSL termination and upload SSL certificates if your application requires HTTPS traffic.

  6. Enable Web Application Firewall (WAF) (if using WAF SKU):

    • Enable WAF and configure rules to protect against common web vulnerabilities.

  7. Review and Create:

    • Review all settings and create the application gateway.

zure Traffic Manager is a DNS-based traffic load balancer that enables you to distribute incoming traffic across multiple endpoints hosted in different Azure regions or globally. It helps improve application responsiveness and availability by directing users to the nearest or most suitable endpoint based on configured routing methods and health checks.


Azure Traffic Manager

Features of Azure Traffic Manager:

  • Global Load Balancing: Distributes traffic across multiple Azure regions or globally to improve application responsiveness and availability.

  • DNS-Based Routing: Uses DNS to direct client requests to the most appropriate endpoint based on configured routing methods.

  • Health Monitoring: Monitors the health of endpoints and directs traffic away from unhealthy endpoints.

  • Traffic Routing Methods: Supports several routing methods:

    • Priority: Directs all traffic to a primary endpoint unless it fails, then redirects to a secondary endpoint.
    • Weighted: Distributes traffic across multiple endpoints based on assigned weights.
    • Performance: Routes traffic based on the lowest latency between the client and the endpoint.
    • Geographic: Routes traffic based on the geographic location of the client.
    • Multivalue: Returns multiple healthy endpoints in response to DNS queries.

Steps to Configure Azure Traffic Manager:

  1. Create a Traffic Manager Profile:

    • Sign in to the Azure portal (portal.azure.com).
    • Go to "Create a resource" > "Networking" > "Traffic Manager profile."
    • Enter details like name, subscription, resource group, and traffic routing method (e.g., Priority, Weighted, Performance).

  2. Configure Endpoints:

    • Within the Traffic Manager profile settings, navigate to "Endpoints."
    • Add endpoints based on your application's deployment scenarios:
      • Azure Endpoint: Select Azure as the endpoint type and choose the Azure resource (e.g., Web App, API Management) and its Azure region.
      • External Endpoint: Specify an external endpoint using its fully qualified domain name (FQDN) or IP address.

  3. Configure Traffic Routing Method:

    • Select the appropriate traffic routing method based on your application's requirements (e.g., Priority, Weighted, Performance).
    • Configure settings such as endpoint priority, weights, or geographic regions depending on the selected routing method.

  4. Configure Health Probes:

    • Define health probes to monitor the health of endpoints:
      • Specify endpoint monitoring settings (e.g., protocol, port, path).
      • Define health check intervals and thresholds to determine endpoint health.

  5. DNS Configuration:

    • Azure Traffic Manager assigns a DNS name (e.g., contoso.trafficmanager.net) that clients use to access your application.
    • Optionally, configure custom DNS settings, such as adding a custom domain name or setting Time-To-Live (TTL) for DNS responses.

  6. Monitoring and Alerts:

    • Enable monitoring and configure alerts to receive notifications about Traffic Manager health and performance.
    • Use Azure Monitor to view traffic analytics, endpoint health status, and performance metrics.

  7. Review and Create:

    • Review all configured settings for the Traffic Manager profile.
    • Click "Create" to deploy the Traffic Manager profile.

Comments

Post a Comment