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Adding Windows Server 20H2 Core to Azure Arc Services with #WindowsAdminCenter #Winserv #Azure

Azure Arc Services

Azure Arc enabled servers allows you to manage your Windows and Linux machines hosted outside of Azure, on your On-premises network, or other cloud provider consistent with how you manage native Azure virtual machines. When a hybrid machine is connected to Azure, it becomes a connected machine and is treated as a resource in Azure. Each connected machine has a Resource ID, is included in a resource group, and benefits from standard Azure constructs such as Azure Policy and applying tags. Service providers who manage a customer’s on-premises infrastructure can manage their hybrid machines, just like they do today with native Azure resources, across multiple customer environments, using Azure Lighthouse with Azure Arc.

To deliver this experience with your hybrid machines hosted outside of Azure, the Azure Connected Machine agent needs to be installed on each machine that you plan on connecting to Azure. This agent does not deliver any other functionality, and it doesn’t replace the Azure Log Analytics agent. The Log Analytics agent for Windows and Linux is required when you want to proactively monitor the OS and workloads running on the machine, manage it using Automation runbooks or solutions like Update Management, or use other Azure services like Azure Security Center.

In earlier blogpost I wrote about Windows Admin Center and the Installation of Windows Server 20H2 Core version.

Now we have my Dark20H2.MVPLAB.LOCAL Windows Server Core managed by Windows Admin Center, I like to connect the Windows Server 20H2 Core to Azure Arc Services for Hybrid IT Management to get the benefits of the Cloud.

In the next step-by step guide we will enable Azure Arc Services by installing the agent on the Windows Server 20H2 Core.

Prerequisites

• If you don’t have an Azure subscription, create a free account before you begin.
• Deploying the Arc enabled servers Hybrid Connected Machine agent requires that you have administrator permissions on the machine to install and configure the agent. On Linux, by using the root account, and on Windows, with an account that is a member of the Local Administrators group.
• Before you get started, be sure to review the agent prerequisites and verify the following:
  • Your target machine is running a supported operating system.
  • Your account is granted assignment to the required Azure roles.
  • If the machine connects through a firewall or proxy server to communicate over the Internet, make sure the URLs listed are not blocked.
  • Azure Arc enabled servers supports only the regions specified here.

Open Azure Arc in the Portal.

Because I have already Azure Arc Active for my Azure Stack HCI Cluster in my MVPLAB.LOCAL, I will click on Servers on the left.

Click on Add

We will Generate a Script for the Single Windows Server 20H2 Core.
You can Add also Servers at Scale.

HTTPS Access to Azure Services is Needed
and
Local Administrator permissions, Click Next

Select the right Azure Subscription and the Resource Group.
Select the Azure Region and Operating System.
and the URL when you are behind a Proxy Server.
Click Next.

You can add Tags for Administrative tasks like Costs.
Click Next.

Here you can Copy and Paste the Script or Download it.
I downloaded the PowerShell Script.
Click on Close.

Windows Admin Center in action on Windows Server 20H2 Core

The Windows Server Dark20H2.mvplab.local is a basic installation and managed by Windows Admin Center

Now we have to do the following steps :

1. Copy the Azure Arc PowerShell Script to the Server with WAC.
2. Install Azure PowerShell on the Server
3. Run the Azure Arc PowerShell Script.

1. Copy the Azure Arc PowerShell Script to the Server with WAC

First we use Windows Admin Center to make a directory on the Server for uploading the Azure Arc PowerShell Script.

I have made a Azure Arc directory with Windows Admin Center.
Click on Upload.

Browse to your Azure Arc PowerShell Script.

Click on Submit.

The Azure Arc PowerShell Script is now on the Server.

2. Install Azure PowerShell on the Server

In the following steps we will install Microsoft Azure PowerShell on the Server via Windows Admin Center.

Type: $PSVersionTable.PSVersion
You need at least PowerShell 5.1

1. Install .NET Framework 4.7.2 or later.
2. Make sure you have the latest version of PowerShellGet. Run Install-Module -Name PowerShellGet -Force

Run the following script :

———————————————————————-

if ($PSVersionTable.PSEdition -eq ‘Desktop’ -and (Get-Module -Name AzureRM -ListAvailable)) {
Write-Warning -Message (‘Az module not installed. Having both the AzureRM and ‘ +
‘Az modules installed at the same time is not supported.’)
} else {
Install-Module -Name Az -AllowClobber -Scope CurrentUser
}

———————————————————————–

Type Y or A ( Yes or Yes to All)

Installing the Azure PowerShell Modules.

Now we are ready for the Azure Arc PowerShell Script.

3. Run Azure Arc PowerShell Script on the Server.

From here we are going to install the Microsoft Azure Arc PowerShell Script to join this server to Azure Arc Services with an Agent.

Run   .\OnboardingScript (1).ps1
It will ask for a Device login to Azure with a Code.
I did that on the Windows Admin Center Server.

When you Login to Azure with your Account you will see this Screen.

The Next screen is the completion in Windows Admin Center PowerShell of the Windows Server 20H2 Core.

This Dark20H2.mvplab.local Server is now connected with Azure Arc Services.
Azure Arc Enabled Server.

Here we see the Windows Server 202H2 Core in Azure Arc.

Azure Arc Services

Installing Azure Arc Insights

Here we start with one of the Azure Arc Services on the On-Premises Windows Server 20H2 Core called Azure Arc Insights.

Click on Insights on the Left of the Azure Arc Server.
Click on Enable.

Select your Azure Subscription and Log Analytics Workspace.
Click on Enable.

Installation of Azure Arc Insights in progress……

It’s Ready and waiting for data in Azure.

Performance View of On-Prem Servers.

Azure Arc Service Map will come available

Conclusion

With Microsoft Azure Arc Services you get the Azure Cloud Management services connected with On-Premises Servers. You get Azure Security Center, Log Analytics, Azure Monitoring and Alerting, Update Management, Change tracking and Automation tasks. This is the power of Hybrid IT Management and get the best of Tools there is like Windows Admin Center supporting me with Windows Server 20H2 Core. Azure Arc Services with Kubernetes and Azure Stack HCI Management is powerful and with a Single pain of Glass in IT Management. Hope this helpful for you, and Go for it yourself. 😉

 

 

Running #Dapr in WSL2 Ubuntu 20-04 distro in #WindowsInsider Build 21277 RS and #VSCode

Working with Dapr in WSL2 Remote VSCode and Ubuntu 20.04 distro

Dapr is a portable, event-driven runtime that makes it easy for any developer to build resilient, stateless and stateful applications that run on the cloud and edge and embraces the diversity of languages and developer frameworks.

 

Developer language SDKs and frameworks 

To make using Dapr more natural for different languages, it also includes language specific SDKs for Go, Java, JavaScript, .NET and Python. These SDKs expose the functionality in the Dapr building blocks, such as saving state, publishing an event or creating an actor, through a typed, language API rather than calling the http/gRPC API. This enables you to write a combination of stateless and stateful functions and actors all in the language of their choice. And because these SDKs share the Dapr runtime, you get cross-language actor and functions support.

SDKs

• C++ SDK
• Go SDK
• Java SDK
• Javascript SDK
• Python SDK
• RUST SDK
• .NET SDK

Dapr in Standalone version.

I’m using Windows Insider Build version 21277-RS with Docker for Windows Edge and Visual Studio Code.

Docker for Windows Edge Version Running.

Because Docker for Windows Edge support WSL2 Engine and Visual Studio Code too, brought me to an idea to build dapr into Ubuntu 20.04 WSL Distro on my Windows Insiders 21277 RS version on my Surface Book 3. There for you must activate the WSL2 integration with my default WSL distro Ubuntu-20.04.

Docker for Windows WSL 2 Integration.

In your Ubuntu-20.04 WSL2 version, you can install Dapr into your linux distro, more information you find here on dapr.io

Microsoft Windows Subsystem for Linux Installation Guide for Windows 10 with all kind of Linux distro’s 

Dapr init ( in the Ubuntu-20.04 WSL2 Linux distro )

Here you find the Dapr dev environment installation types for Dapr init, I did the standalone version. Dapr makes then the following containers :

Dapr Containers.

Then we have the following running :

• Dapr Dashboard
• Zipkin

Zipkin is a distributed tracing system. It helps gather timing data needed to troubleshoot latency problems in service architectures. Features include both the collection and lookup of this data.

Zipkin Traces

Dapr Dashboard

Now we have Dapr running in the WSL2 Ubuntu-20.04 distro, you can use Visual Studio Code on Windows Insiders using Remote WSL and work with your favourite dapr SDK like the list above 😉

Dapr Extension in VSCode

From here you can work with your dapr application.

In this guide dapr is running with Docker containers, but you can also install it on Kubernetes or K8s, AKS, Azure any where, see this overview :

Dapr with Kubenetes Containers.

Dapr Overview.

Important Note : Dapr is now production ready with version 1.0 ! Developers, DevOps, AzOps, you can start with it and Build and Test your own microservices and Container apps !  Hope you are having fun with it too 😉

 

 

Happy Holidays and I wish you a Healthy 2021 #Azure #Cloud #MVPBuzz #Winserv #Security #Healthcare

It’s a year full of misery with the Covid-19 virus around the world. People who lose their loved one, It’s a very sad time for all of us! Microsoft technologies are still going on strong with new features in Azure Cloud Services but also supporting the people who are working in the healthcare, data analytics, Microsoft Teams for Collaboration and much more. But what I want to say to all HealthCare people over the world : THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE WORK YOU DO 👍
I have deep respect for you all !
Community, Microsoft Product Teams, MVP Lead, WIndows Insiders, I wish you and your family happy holidays and a Healthy 2021 with lot of Success! 🎄😍

 

JOIN #Microsoft Inspire 2020 Global Event July 21-22 #MSInspire #Azure #AzureStack #Cloud #MVPBuzz #Innovation

Microsoft Inspire 2020 Global Event 🚀

Innovation. Leadership. Partnership.

Now is the time. Join your global partner community for the Microsoft Inspire digital event experience. Register today and get ready to extend your partner network as we explore what’s coming in the year ahead and work together to find shared solutions for our customers. Join Microsoft Inspire 2020 Global Event on July 21-22 Now at no Cost!

You will be Inspired by Microsoft New Technologies and Innovations !