Azure VM standards

  Azure Virtual Machines (VMs) come in various series and sizes to cater to different workloads and performance requirements. Each VM series has its own set of standards and characteristics. Here are some of the common Azure VM series and their characteristics:

1. General Purpose (Dv3, Dsv3, Ev3, and more):
• Suitable for a wide range of workloads.
• Balanced CPU-to-memory ratio.
• Ideal for development, testing, and production workloads.
• Options for both HDD and SSD-based storage.
2. Compute Optimized (Fv2):
• Designed for CPU-intensive workloads.
• High CPU-to-memory ratio.
• Great for batch processing, gaming servers, and analytics.
3. Memory Optimized (Esv3, M, and more):
• Designed for memory-intensive workloads.
• High memory-to-CPU ratio.
• Suitable for databases, in-memory analytics, and other memory-intensive applications.
4. Storage Optimized (Ls, H, and more):
• Designed for disk-intensive workloads.
• High disk throughput and IOPS.
• Ideal for databases, data warehousing, and big data workloads.
5. GPU Instances (NC, NCv2, NV, and more):
• Equipped with NVIDIA GPUs for GPU-intensive workloads.
• Suitable for machine learning, AI, and graphics-intensive applications.
6. High-Performance Computing (HPC) (HB, HC, and more):
• Designed for high-performance computing and parallel processing.
• High CPU and memory resources.
• Ideal for scientific simulations, modeling, and rendering.
7. Low-Priority VMs:
• Cost-effective VMs that run on surplus Azure capacity.
• Suitable for batch processing, fault-tolerant applications, and scenarios where downtime is acceptable.
8. Burstable VMs (B-series):
• Suitable for workloads with varying CPU demands.
• Provide baseline CPU performance with bursts of higher CPU performance when needed.
• Cost-effective for development and test environments.
9. Spot VMs:
• Offer significant cost savings compared to on-demand pricing.
• Ideal for workloads that can tolerate interruptions and can be easily checkpointed and restarted.
10. Confidential Computing VMs (DC-Series):
• Provide hardware-based security features using Intel SGX technology.
• Ideal for scenarios where data needs to be processed in a secure enclave.
11. Azure Dedicated Hosts:
• Allows you to run your VMs on dedicated physical servers.
• Ideal for scenarios with compliance or licensing requirements.
12. Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) Nodes:
• Specialized VMs designed for hosting containers in Azure Kubernetes Service clusters.
• Comes in various series and sizes to match your containerized application requirements.

Each VM series comes with different performance characteristics, pricing, and availability in various Azure regions. It's essential to choose the right VM series and size based on your specific workload requirements to optimize performance and cost. Additionally, Azure provides features like auto-scaling, managed disks, and availability sets to help you further tailor your VM configurations to your needs.