Use Longhorn to deploy persistent storage for Kubernetes workloads on Arm-based Azure virtual machines
Introduction
Understand Longhorn on Azure Cobalt 100
Create an Arm64 Azure virtual machine powered by Azure Cobalt 100
Allow network access to the Longhorn Web UI on Azure
Install and run Longhorn on a single-node Kubernetes cluster
Validate persistent Kubernetes storage and benchmark Longhorn with fio
Next Steps

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Set up an Azure virtual machine

In this section, you’ll use the Azure portal to create a virtual machine (VM) with the Arm-based Azure Cobalt 100 processor.

The steps in this Learning Path focus on general-purpose virtual machines in the Dpsv6 series. For more information, see the Microsoft Azure guide for the Dpsv6 size series .

For more detailed steps to create an instance, see the Deploy an Arm-based virtual machine on Azure with Cobalt 100 Learning Path .

Use the Azure portal to create an Arm-based virtual machine

To create a virtual machine using the Azure portal:

  1. Launch the Azure portal and navigate to Virtual Machines.
  2. Select Create, and select Virtual Machine from the drop-down list.
  3. In the Basic tab, provide instance details such as Virtual machine name and Region. Choose a region that supports D4ps_v6 VMs.
  4. Select Ubuntu Pro 24.04 LTS as the image for your virtual machine, and select Arm64 as the VM architecture.
  5. In the Size field, select See all sizes and select the D-Series v6 family of VMs.
  6. Select D4ps_v6 from the list as shown in the following screenshot:

Image Alt Text:Azure Portal showing D-Series v6 VM size selection with D4ps_v6 highlightedSelect D4ps_v6 from the D-Series v6 family

  1. For Authentication type, select SSH public key.
Note

Azure generates an SSH key pair for you and lets you save it for future use. This method is fast, secure, and easy for connecting to your virtual machine.

  1. Fill in the Administrator username for your VM.
  2. Select Generate new key pair, and select RSA SSH Format as the SSH Key Type.
Note

RSA offers better security with keys longer than 3072 bits.

  1. Give your SSH key a key pair name.
  2. In the Inbound port rules, select HTTP (80) and SSH (22) as the inbound ports, as shown in the following image:

Image Alt Text:Azure Portal inbound port configuration showing SSH and HTTP selected. Check that the required access settings are in place before creating the virtual machine.Configure inbound port rules for HTTP and SSH access

  1. Select the Review + Create tab and review the configuration for your virtual machine. It should look like the following:

Image Alt Text:Azure Portal Review + Create tab showing VM configuration summary ready for deploymentReview VM configuration before creation

  1. When you’re happy with your selection, select the Create button and then Download Private key and Create Resource.

Image Alt Text:Azure Portal showing Create button and SSH key download dialogDownload SSH key and create the virtual machine

Your virtual machine should be ready and running in a few minutes. You can SSH into the virtual machine using the private key, along with the public IP details.

Image Alt Text:Azure Portal deployment result showing that the virtual machine was created successfully. Look for the successful deployment status and the connection details you will use to access the virtual machine in the next step.Successful VM deployment confirmation

Note

To learn more about Arm-based virtual machines in Azure, see “Getting Started with Microsoft Azure” in Get started with Arm-based cloud instances .

What you’ve accomplished and what’s next

You’ve now created an Arm64 Azure VM powered by Azure Cobalt 100 running Ubuntu 24.04 LTS with SSH and HTTP access configured. You’ll use this VM to install Longhorn and manage persistent volumes on Kubernetes.

Next, you’ll open the additional ports required for Kubernetes and Longhorn access in the Azure Network Security Group.

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