How to Connect Virtual Machines in a Cloud Service

When you create a virtual machine, a cloud service is automatically created to contain the machine. You can create multiple virtual machines under the same cloud service to enable the virtual machines to communicate with each other, to load-balance between virtual machines, and to maintain high availability of the machines.

For more information about load-balancing virtual machines, see Load balancing virtual machines. For more information about managing the availability of your application, see Manage the availability of virtual machines.

First, you'll need to create a virtual machine with a new cloud service, and then you can connect additional virtual machines to the first virtual machine under the same cloud service.

1. Create a virtual machine using the steps in How to create a custom virtual machine.

2. After you create the first custom virtual machine, on the Management Portal command bar, click New.

   

3. Click Virtual Machine, and then click From Gallery.

   

   The Select the virtual machine operating system dialog box appears.

4. From Platform Images, select an image, and then click the arrow to continue.

   The Virtual machine configuration dialog box appears.

5. In Virtual Machine Name, type the name that you want to use for the virtual machine.

6. In New User Name, type a name for the administrative account that you want to use to manage the server.

7. In New Password, type a strong password for the administrative account. In Confirm Password, retype the password.

8. In Size, select the size that you want to use for the virtual machine. The size that you select depends on the number of cores that are needed for your application.

9. For a virtual machine running the Linux operating system, you can select to secure the machine with an SSH Key.

10. Click the arrow to continue.

    The The Virtual machine mode dialog box appears.

11. Select Connect to existing virtual machine to create a new virtual machine under an existing cloud service. Select the cloud service that will contain the new virtual machine.

12. In Storage Account, select a storage account where the VHD file is stored or you can have a storage account automatically created. Only one storage account is automatically created. All other virtual machines that you create with this setting are located in this storage account. You are limited to 20 storage accounts.

13. In Region/Affinity Group/Virtual Network, select region that you want to contain the virtual machine.

14. Click the arrow to continue.

    The The Virtual machine options dialog box appears.

15. Select the availability set that was created when you created the first virtual machine.

16. Click the check mark to create the connected virtual machine.