Types of Scaling

Virtual Machine Scale Sets(VMSS)

VMSS is a service provided by Microsoft Azure that allows us to create, manage and monitor multiple Virtual Machines of similar properties. We can also scale up or scale down the number of VMs in a VMSS based on our requirements....

Types of Scaling

Manual Scaling: Manual Scaling requires human intervention for scaling up or down instances in a Virtual Machine Scale Set. You can scale horizontally or vertically based on your requirement. Auto Scaling: Scaling of Virtual Machines in a VMSS is done automatically where you can set rules to trigger the scaling feature. You can set a threshold on the number of instances that can be created by providing conditions....

Horizontal Scaling

Horizontal Scaling alias Scaling Out refers to increasing or decreasing the virtual machines in a Virtual Machine Scale Set. This type of scaling can be performed manually or automatically at any moment to extend or reduce the instance count. While increasing the instance count, a similar kind of Azure Virtual Machines i.e. with the same properties such as SKU, size, etc. is added to the VMSS. Horizontal Scaling is beneficial when there is a workload demand or there is a need to reduce the cost. Ultimately, it helps in improving performance by dividing the workload amongst instances....

Vertical Scaling

Vertical Scaling is also known as Scaling In, where you can alter the size of instances in a Virtual Machine Scale Set. This type of scaling is useful when you don’t want to add extra instances but instead want to increase the capacity, performance, and other features of existing instances in a VMSS. Microsoft Azure provides the ability to not only increase the size but also decrease the size of VMs when there is low workload demand....

Autoscale Settings

Autoscale Settings enables us to set conditions for scaling up or down of instances dynamically. Scale out feature allows to increase the number of instances when there is a demand and Scale In feature allows us to reduce or cut down the running instances from the VMSS when there is low demand. These scale-in and scale-out settings are set based upon metrics such as utilization of resource/CPU, disk usage or based on time schedule. We can also set a maximum limit and a minimum limit up to which the instances can scale up or scale down....

A Beginner’s Guide to Creating a VMSS with 3 Windows VMs in Azure

Step 1: Sign in to Azure Portal using your user credentials. Ensure that you have a Microsoft Azure subscription and a resource group in your subscription....

Advantages of VMSS

Enables the ability to scale up or down the instances. Helps in optimizing the cost. Allows to define autoscale rules to automate the process of scaling. Provides secure communication between machines. Less human intervention is required for scaling. Provides an option to add disks to the instances. Allows to monitor the performance of the instances....

FAQs On Azure Virtual Machine Scale Sets (VMSS)

1. How many VMs in a scale set?...