Terraform Azure VM Exercise - Infrastructure as Code (IaC)

Overview

This exercise teaches you how to build infrastructure in Azure using Terraform. You'll create a Linux virtual machine with proper networking, storage, and security configurations.

What You'll Build

• Virtual Network (VNet) with a subnet
• Linux Virtual Machine (Kali Linux 2024.1)
• Storage: 100 GB managed disk
• Compute: Minimum 2 vCPUs
• Security: Network Security Group with SSH access
• Public IP for remote access

Prerequisites

1. Install Required Tools

• Terraform (v1.0+)
• Azure CLI
• SSH client (for connecting to the VM)

2. Azure Authentication

# Login to Azure
az login

# Set your subscription (if you have multiple)
az account set --subscription "your-subscription-id"

# Verify your account
az account show

Project Structure

terraform-vm-exercise/
├── README.md           # This guide
├── main.tf            # Main Terraform configuration
├── variables.tf       # Input variables
├── outputs.tf         # Output values
├── terraform.tfvars   # Variable values (create this)
└── .gitignore         # Git ignore file

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Clone or Download This Repository

git clone <your-repo-url>
cd terraform-vm-exercise

Step 2: Configure Variables

Create a terraform.tfvars file with your specific values:

# Copy terraform.tfvars.example to terraform.tfvars and customize
resource_group_name = "rg-terraform-exercise"
location           = "West Europe"
admin_username     = "azureuser"
vm_name           = "vm-terraform-demo"

Step 3: Initialize Terraform

# Initialize Terraform (downloads Azure provider)
terraform init

Step 4: Plan Your Infrastructure

# See what Terraform will create
terraform plan

Step 5: Deploy Infrastructure

# Apply the configuration
terraform apply

Type yes when prompted to confirm the deployment.

Step 6: Connect to Your VM

After deployment, Terraform will output the public IP address:

# SSH to your Kali Linux VM (replace with actual IP)
ssh azureuser@<public-ip-address>

Note: Kali Linux is a specialized penetration testing distribution. Make sure you comply with your organization's security policies when using it.

Step 7: Verify Your Infrastructure

In the Azure Portal, navigate to your resource group to see:

• Virtual Machine
• Virtual Network and Subnet
• Network Security Group
• Public IP Address
• Managed Disks

Step 8: Clean Up Resources

# Destroy all created resources
terraform destroy

Type yes when prompted to confirm the destruction.

Network Configuration Details

IP Ranges Used

• VNet CIDR: 10.0.0.0/16 (65,536 addresses)
• Subnet CIDR: 10.0.1.0/24 (256 addresses)

Why this range is safe:

• 10.0.0.0/8 is a private IP range (RFC 1918)
• Unlikely to conflict with on-premises networks
• Provides plenty of room for expansion

Security Configuration

• SSH Access: Port 22 from any source (0.0.0.0/0)
• Note: In production, restrict SSH to specific IP ranges

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Authentication Errors

   # Re-login to Azure
   az login

2. Resource Already Exists

   # Import existing resource or change names in terraform.tfvars

3. Quota Limits

   • Check Azure quotas in the portal
   • Try a different VM size or region

Terraform Commands Reference

# Initialize working directory
terraform init

# Validate configuration files
terraform validate

# Format configuration files
terraform fmt

# Show current state
terraform show

# List resources in state
terraform state list

# Plan changes
terraform plan

# Apply changes
terraform apply

# Destroy infrastructure
terraform destroy

Learning Objectives

After completing this exercise, you will understand:

1. Terraform Basics

   • Provider configuration
   • Resource definitions
   • Variable usage
   • Output values

2. Azure Networking

   • Virtual Networks and Subnets
   • Network Security Groups
   • Public IP addresses

3. Azure Compute

   • Virtual Machine sizing
   • Managed disks
   • SSH key authentication
   • Kali Linux deployment

4. Infrastructure as Code

   • Declarative infrastructure
   • State management
   • Resource dependencies

Next Steps

1. Enhance Security

   • Add Key Vault for SSH keys
   • Implement Azure Bastion
   • Add monitoring and logging

2. Scale the Infrastructure

   • Add load balancer
   • Create multiple VMs
   • Implement auto-scaling

3. Add Application Components

   • Database services
   • Container services
   • Application Gateway

Resources

• Terraform Azure Documentation
• Azure Virtual Networks
• Azure Virtual Machines

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Happy Learning! 🚀

Remember: Always clean up your resources after the exercise to avoid unnecessary costs.