LEARNING AZURE / YOUR CLOUD LEARNING SPACE
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Build & deploy / Lesson 1
Compute / 35–50 min

Make informed virtual machine choices

Plan a VM deployment as an operator: choose a size, review network access, and understand the resources that remain after compute stops. Begin with a deployment review; creation is optional.

What you’ll be able to do

  • Identify the VM, disk, NIC, and network dependencies.
  • Review sizing and inbound access before deployment.
  • Distinguish stopped from deallocated and identify residual costs.
Before you beginLessons 1 and 3, an Azure subscription, and permission to create VM resources for the optional lab. Available sizes, quotas, and prices vary by subscription and region.

Get the idea

More than a server

A VM deployment includes dependencies such as an operating system disk and network interface. A public IP is an additional choice, not a requirement for every workload. Your cleanup plan must account for these related resources.

Size for the workload

CPU, memory, disk, availability, and licensing affect suitability and cost. For a learning workload, review a small supported size and the displayed price. A low-cost option is only useful if it is available and appropriate.

Stop is not a cleanup plan

A VM stopped inside the operating system can remain allocated. Deallocation releases compute allocation, but disks and some other resources can continue to incur charges. Deleting a VM does not always remove every dependency.

Try it yourself

  1. In the portal, start Create an Azure virtual machine in a separate practice group named rg-learningazure-vm. For a review-only exercise, do not create the group or submit the deployment.
  2. Choose a region, supported Windows image, and small available size. Note the estimate and any subscription restrictions.
  3. Review Networking. Set public inbound ports to None. Do not expose RDP to all internet addresses. No remote connection is needed for this lesson.
  4. Use Review + create to inspect the planned resources. For the default review exercise, stop here. If you explicitly choose to spend the displayed amount, create the dedicated group and deploy.
  5. For a deployed VM, inspect its disk and network resources. Stop it through the portal and verify the status is Stopped (deallocated). Record which resources still exist.
Check your resultYour deployment notes list compute, storage, network access, estimated cost, and the exact resources to remove. Optional deployment is successful when the VM reaches its expected state without public inbound management ports.

Finish the lab

Delete the dedicated rg-learningazure-vm group after inspecting its contents. Confirm all related lab resources are removed. Deallocation alone does not eliminate every charge.

Quick knowledge check

A VM is deallocated. Does that mean its disks are now free?

Reveal the explanation

No. Managed disks remain billable while they exist, even when VM compute is deallocated.

Take this with you

Treat compute, storage, network access, and cleanup as one deployment decision.

Go deeper

AI-assisted lesson · Reference links checked October 3, 2026. Exercises are teaching examples; they have not been executed against your Azure subscription.

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