Azure VPS setup notes¶

Eligibility¶

• First you need to submit paperwork to be approved as a 501c3: https://nonprofit.microsoft.com/en-us/getting-started. Approval can take 1 day or 3-4 weeks - I've seen both multiple times.
• Once approved, go to https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/nonprofits/azure to claim credits (note: disable ad blockers)

VPS provisioning¶

• You need a Sponsorship->Subscription->Resource Group->Virtual Machine.
• Check that you have credits in your sponsored account: https://www.microsoftazuresponsorships.com/Balance
• Add a subscription of type "Microsoft Azure Sponsorship" from the Azure portal. You may have to select "Show other subscription types" to see it.
  • Note: Even sponsored subscriptions require a credit card, make sure you have one available.
• Create a resource group:
  • Select "Resource Group" from the main Azure portal. Select Add and give it a name, then Review and Create.

• Add a virtual machine:

  • Click on your new resource group.
  • Click Add
  • Search for the name of the image you want (e.g. Debian).
  • See the screenshots below for configuration of the "Basics" and "Disk" tabs. The other tabs I keep with the defaults.
  • I've attached a downloaded template for this VM, which as of now I haven't used yet, not sure how it works.

• [TODO] VM config allows adding endpoints for ports 22, 80, 443; need 5665 as well.

Swap¶

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4010058/how-to-add-a-swap-file-in-linux-azure-virtual-machines