Exploring Azure
Objective
The first objective is for you to become familiar with connecting to and navigating the Azure portal. This will not be a difficult exercise, but will nonetheless demonstrate how to work within the Azure user interface.
Azure Portal Basics
Let's start by connecting to the Azure portal and becoming familiar with navigation.
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Open a browser and navigate to http://www.azure.com.
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In the top-right corner of your screen, you will see the menu option PORTAL. Click on it.
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If you have not already, you will be required to authenticate.
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After authentication is successful, you will be directed to your Dashboard. The dashboard is configurable by adding, removing and resizing tiles. Additionally, you can have multiple dashboards depending on your preferences. You could have different dashboards for resources dedicated to different functions, lines of business, or for operations.
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On the left will be your primary navigational menu. You should see a list of favorited services on the menu with descriptions. (NOTE: The number of options listed in your menu may differ from that of others depending on the number of services you have selected as a favorite.) If all you see are icons (no descriptions) on your menu, your menu is currently collapsed. Click the "hamburger"
to expand it. -
Pretty close to the top of your menu, you should see Resource Groups
. Click this option. -
Upon clicking the Resource Groups menu item, a blade will open revealing any created resource groups. In order to create resources in Azure, you must assign/place it in a resource group.
This is where we will get started creating our resources.
While this introduction wasn't too technical, it is sufficient for getting us to a point where we can begin the specifics in the workshop. If you'd like to look around a bit more, click a few of the other options in the main menu. Then, when you are ready, can you proceed to the next step.