In today’s cloud-centric environment, protecting data and configurations is of utmost importance. Many of us rely on BDRSuite to back up Azure VMs, and for a good reason—it’s reliable, efficient, and specifically designed for the job. But what about your complete Azure setup?

Delving into Azure Resource Manager and ARM Templates

Azure Resource Manager (ARM) is at the heart of Azure. It acts as the interface through which you communicate, manage, and, most notably, structure your Azure resources. The true magic, however, emerges with ARM templates. ARM isn’t just a deployment and management service from Microsoft Azure, but it also provides a consistent management layer that allows users to create, update, and delete Azure resources.

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Regarding ARM templates, they are JSON files that define the resources you want to deploy in Azure. By using these templates, you can deploy infrastructure in a decentralized way as code, which is crucial for automated, consistent, and reproducible deployments.

What Can You Safeguard with ARM?

Beyond the undeniable value of direct data backups, such as what BDRSuite offers for VMs, ARM templates are uniquely positioned to capture the essential configurations of a variety of Azure resources:

  • Azure Virtual Machines and their configurations
  • Azure SQL Database configurations
  • Azure Storage Accounts and their containers
  • Azure Web Apps and associated settings
  • Resource Groups and their structural layouts
  • Virtual Networks and their related settings

and numerous other services.

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While BDRSuite excels in ensuring direct data recovery, ARM templates expand this coverage, ensuring resource configurations are also captured. This dual approach gives businesses a comprehensive backup strategy.

Exporting and Importing a Resource Group inclusive of VNETs

Exporting a Resource Group’s configuration, including all its Virtual Networks (VNETs), can be easily achieved using Azure CLI or PowerShell.
Here’s a basic example:

Exporting via Azure CLI:

az resourcegroup export –name MyResourceGroup > backup.json

Importing via Azure CLI:

az group deployment create –resource-group MyResourceGroup –template-file backup.json

These commands capture the configuration of the specified Resource Group into a JSON file, which can then be re-deployed. Remember that this is an example; real-world scenarios may require handling dependencies, parameters, and other intricacies. (This can be done in several ways)

Automating with Azure Functions: Nightly Backups to FTP

Understanding the export of ARM templates is just a fragment of the larger picture. The logical progression is automating this process for consistency and reliability. This is where Azure Functions shine.

  1. Timer Trigger: Azure Functions allows for a timer trigger, meaning a function could execute every night at midnight using the CRON expression such as “0 0 * * *”
  2. ARM-template Export: Function code can employ the Azure SDK to procure the ARM template.
  3. FTP Upload: Subsequently, .NET FTP functionalities can be harnessed to store the ARM template on an external FTP account.

using System.IO;
using System.Net;
using Microsoft.Azure.WebJobs;
using Microsoft.Extensions.Logging;

public static class BackupToFTPFunction
{
[FunctionName(“BackupToFTP”)]
public static void Run([TimerTrigger(“0 0 * * *”)]TimerInfo myTimer, ILogger log)
{
log.LogInformation($”BackupToFTP function executed at: {DateTime.Now}”);

string armTemplate = ExportARMTemplate();

UploadToFTP(armTemplate, “backup.json”);
}

private static string ExportARMTemplate()
{
return “{ \”resources\”: [] }”;
}

private static void UploadToFTP(string content, string remoteFile)
{
string ftpServer = “ftp://example.com”;
string ftpUser = “yourFtpUsername”;
string ftpPassword = “yourFtpPassword”;

FtpWebRequest request = (FtpWebRequest)WebRequest.Create($”{ftpServer}/{remoteFile}”);
request.Method = WebRequestMethods.Ftp.UploadFile;
request.Credentials = new NetworkCredential(ftpUser, ftpPassword);

using (Stream requestStream = request.GetRequestStream())
using (StreamWriter writer = new StreamWriter(requestStream))
{
writer.Write(content);
}

using (FtpWebResponse response = (FtpWebResponse)request.GetResponse())
{
Console.WriteLine($”Upload completed with status: {response.StatusDescription}”);
}
}
}

The Bigger Picture and Closing Thoughts

In the dynamic realm of modern IT, having a robust backup strategy is undeniably crucial. With Azure at the forefront of cloud services, the platform provides ample tools to help IT professionals architect secure and reliable systems. However, even the best-designed systems are susceptible if not correctly backed up.

BDRSuite remains a cornerstone for Azure VM backups. But beyond this, ARM templates add another dimension, capturing and documenting Azure configurations. Integration with Azure Functions further simplifies the backup process. By automating and streamlining the export and import of essential Azure resources like Resource Groups and VNETs, IT professionals can piece together a resilient and adaptable backup strategy tailored to Azure’s unique environment.

As technology evolves, the foundational need for a solid backup remains constant. By utilizing Azure’s extensive toolkit, one can ensure that their systems are adaptable and recoverable.

Read More:

Microsoft Azure for Beginners: Best Practices for deploying your IaaS VM on Azure : Part 32

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