How to Monitor Hybrid Infrastructure with Azure Arc for Effective Operations
You can monitor hybrid infrastructure in one spot with Azure Arc. Many companies use on-premises, edge, and cloud resources together. Studies show that 39% of companies follow a hybrid cloud plan, and 80% use more than one cloud. Azure Arc provides a single view and greater control, helping you reduce downtime and increase productivity. It also simplifies management. Companies like Husqvarna Group use Azure Arc to monitor hybrid infrastructure, enabling them to get data out faster and save money.
Key Takeaways
Azure Arc helps you control all your hybrid resources in one spot. This saves you time and makes things less confusing.
You can add on-premises, edge, and cloud machines to Azure Arc. The setup steps are simple and easy to follow.
Azure Monitor works with Azure Arc to help you check performance and health. You can see everything from one dashboard.
You can make alerts and use dashboards to find problems early. This helps your systems stay up and running.
Azure Arc also works with tools like Datadog and Splunk. These tools give you more ways to watch and protect your infrastructure.
Azure Arc Overview
Centralized Management
Azure Arc lets you manage all your IT resources in one place. You can control servers, databases, and Kubernetes clusters with it. These can be on-premises, at the edge, or in the cloud. You can use the same policies and security rules everywhere. You do not have to use different tools for each type.
Azure Resource Manager helps you set up rules and who can access resources.
Azure Arc uses templates. You can send settings to many places at once. You can also change settings for each site if you want.
The platform works with the Azure portal, command-line tools, and low-code options. This means people with different skills can use it easily.
Built-in configuration management keeps your deployments working well. It works even if some sites have weak internet.
Azure Arc lets you watch your hybrid infrastructure from one dashboard. This helps you find and fix problems fast.
Hybrid and Multicloud Support
Azure Arc helps you manage resources in many places. It works with on-premises servers, edge devices, and different cloud providers. This makes it easier to control everything, no matter where your workloads are.
Azure Arc lets you manage virtual machines, databases, and containers together.
You can set security and compliance rules for all your environments.
The platform gives you real-time updates, so you always know what is happening.
You can deploy and update apps the same way everywhere. This saves time and helps avoid mistakes.
Azure Arc grows with your needs. You can add more resources without making things harder.
Using Azure Arc means you do not need lots of management tools. You save time and money. Your systems stay safe and up to date.
Prerequisites and Setup
Requirements
Before you start, you need to get ready. You must have an Azure subscription. You also need to turn on Microsoft Defender for Cloud. This keeps your environment safe from the start.
Tip: Use the Azure Connected Machine Onboarding role with only the access you need. Only give access to the resource groups or subscriptions you want to manage.
Check your on-premises machines. Make sure they can connect with Azure Arc-enabled servers. For multicloud resources like AWS or Google Cloud, use Defender for Cloud connectors. These connectors help you onboard faster.
Security is very important when setting up. Here are some best ways to stay safe:
Use service principals with certificates, not secrets. Change credentials often.
Keep onboarding scripts and secrets safe. Use automation tools to protect or lock them.
Always update the Azure Connected Machine agent and extensions.
Use full disk encryption, like BitLocker or dm-crypt, to keep private keys safe.
Put resources in groups and use RBAC to control who can access them.
Resource Onboarding
You can add resources to Azure Arc by following simple steps. Here is an easy guide:
Make sure you have an Azure subscription and Defender for Cloud turned on.
Get your on-premises machines ready to connect to Azure Arc.
Use the Azure portal to make connection scripts for Windows or Linux servers. Add tenant details, like
--user-tenant-id.Put the Connected Machine agent on your target servers.
Turn on Microsoft Defender for Endpoint for better security.
Check that your machines show up in the Defender for Cloud inventory.
For multicloud resources, use Defender for Cloud connectors to help with onboarding.
Use Azure Monitor and Defender for Cloud to watch and manage all your connected resources.
Onboarding takes some time. Here is a table that shows how long each step might take:
If you follow these steps, you can set up a safe and well-managed hybrid environment with Azure Arc.
Monitor Hybrid Infrastructure
Azure Monitor Integration
You can link your hybrid resources to Azure Monitor with Azure Arc. This helps you watch your hybrid infrastructure in one place. First, make sure your servers or virtual machines are set up with Azure Arc. After that, do these steps:
Open the Azure portal and find your Azure Arc resource.
Pick the server or VM you want to watch.
Click "Insights" under Monitoring.
Choose "Enable" to turn on monitoring.
Azure Monitor will add the needed agents for you.
Azure Monitor gathers data about performance, health, and logs. You can see this data in the Azure portal. Use charts and dashboards to spot trends and problems early. This setup lets you watch hybrid infrastructure in on-premises, edge, and cloud places.
Tip: Make Log Analytics workspaces before you turn on monitoring. This helps you keep and study your data better.
VM Insights and Alerts
VM Insights shows you details about your virtual machines. You can see CPU, memory, disk, and network use. To turn on VM Insights:
Go to your Azure Arc server in the Azure portal.
Click "Insights."
Click "Enable" if it is off.
Pick the Log Analytics workspace you want.
After you turn on VM Insights, you can make alerts. Alerts tell you when something is wrong. For example, you get a message if CPU use is too high. To make an alert:
In the Azure portal, go to "Monitor."
Click "Alerts" and then "New alert rule."
Pick your Azure Arc resource.
Set the condition, like "CPU usage > 80%."
Choose how you want to get messages, like email or SMS.
You can also use dashboards to see host status. These dashboards show which machines are healthy or need help. If a host disconnects, Azure Arc marks it as "disconnected." You can filter your view to find these hosts fast and fix them.
Third-Party Tools
Azure Arc works with other monitoring tools. You can use Datadog, Splunk, or New Relic to watch hybrid infrastructure. To connect Datadog, do these steps:
Go to the Azure Marketplace and find Datadog.
Click "Create" and enter your Datadog account info.
Pick the Azure Arc resources you want to watch.
Finish the setup and check your Datadog dashboard for new data.
These tools give you more ways to get alerts, dashboards, and reports. You can use Azure Monitor and other tools together for a full view. This helps you keep your systems working well everywhere.
Note: Always check that your agents and connections are up to date. This keeps your monitoring right and trustworthy.
By doing these steps, you can watch hybrid infrastructure easily. You get clear views, quick alerts, and strong control over your environment.
Maintenance and Scaling
Agent Health
It is important to keep your agents healthy. This helps you monitor hybrid infrastructure better. The Azure Monitor Agent uses data collection rules. These rules tell the agent what data to collect and where to send it. You can set these rules for many agents at once. This helps keep your monitoring the same everywhere.
To check agent health, use Azure Monitor with VM insights. You can see how your servers are working. You can find problems before they get big. Make dashboards and workbooks to watch important numbers. Set alerts to know if a server stops sending data. Azure Advisor will warn you if your agents need updates.
Tip: Use Azure Update Manager to plan updates and patches for your agents. This tool helps keep all your machines safe and up to date.
If you see agent health problems, try these steps: 1. Make sure the agent is installed and sending a heartbeat. 2. Check network connections and event logs for errors. 3. Watch for job limits and add more workers if needed. 4. Fix deployment problems by checking network and identity settings. 5. Use troubleshooting tools for Windows and Linux to find and fix errors.
Automation and Fleet Management
You can use automation to manage lots of machines. Azure Automation runbooks let you run scripts in PowerShell or Python. The Hybrid Runbook Worker runs these scripts on your on-premises or cloud machines. Use automation for jobs like starting or stopping VMs, tagging resources, or running maintenance tasks.
Azure Lighthouse helps you manage many environments at once. With Lighthouse, you can control resources for different customers or teams. You can set rules, watch machines, and keep everything safe from one place. This makes it easier to monitor hybrid infrastructure as your needs grow.
Note: Use Azure Automation State Configuration to keep your machines in the right state. Plan updates and use dynamic groups to patch machines at the best time.
Automation and good management tools help you save time and avoid mistakes. You can keep your hybrid environment healthy and ready for anything.
You can use Azure Arc to watch your hybrid infrastructure by doing a few easy things. First, connect your resources and link them to Azure Monitor. Then, make alerts and dashboards to help you watch your systems. You can also use other tools for more details. Azure Arc lets you manage everything in one spot. This means you get better security, fix problems faster, and make fewer mistakes.
Some special features help you do even better:
You can connect non-Azure resources with Azure Resource Manager.
You can watch, list, and check rules for everything in one place.
You can use rules to keep your systems safe and follow the rules.
You can use Azure data services anywhere you need.
You get the same security and rules everywhere.
You can use DevOps to set up things the same way each time.
You save money by managing everything together.
You can use the same steps for all your work to keep things running well.
Start adding your resources now. Try these features to make your hybrid setup stronger and easier to handle.
FAQ
How do you know if your Azure Arc agent is working?
You can check agent status in the Azure portal. Go to your Arc resource and look for the "Connected" status. If you see "Disconnected," check your network and agent logs.
Can you monitor non-Windows servers with Azure Arc?
Yes, you can. Azure Arc supports both Windows and Linux servers. You need to install the Connected Machine agent for your server type. Follow the setup steps in the Azure portal.
What happens if a server loses connection to Azure Arc?
Azure Arc marks the server as "Disconnected." You will see this in your dashboards. You should check the network, agent health, and firewall settings to restore the connection.
Can you use Azure Arc with other monitoring tools?
Yes, you can. Azure Arc works with tools like Datadog, Splunk, and New Relic. You can connect these tools through the Azure Marketplace. This gives you more ways to view and analyze your data.