Use OpenEBS for Kubernetes-native persistent storage on Azure Cobalt 100-based Arm64 virtual machines
Introduction
Understand how OpenEBS provides Kubernetes-native persistent storage on Azure
Create an Arm64 virtual machine powered by Azure Cobalt 100
Deploy OpenEBS on an Arm-based virtual machine
Validate persistent storage with OpenEBS on an Arm-based virtual machine
Allow access to the OpenEBS application on Azure
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) powered by the Arm-based Azure Cobalt 100 processor.

You’ll create a general-purpose virtual machine in the Dpsv6 series. For more information, see the Microsoft Azure guide for the Dpsv6 size series .

While the steps to create this instance are included here for convenience, for more detailed steps, you can also see Deploy a Cobalt 100 virtual machine on Azure Learning Path .

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

To create an Azure 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.
  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 virtual machines.
  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 that you can save for future use. This method is fast, secure, and easy for connecting to your VM.

  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 screenshot:

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 VM should be ready and running in a few minutes. You can SSH into the VM 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 the “Getting Started with Microsoft Azure” section in the Get started with Arm-based cloud instances Learning Path .

What you’ve accomplished and what’s next

You’ve created an Arm64 VM powered by Azure Cobalt 100 running Ubuntu 24.04 LTS with SSH authentication configured. The VM is now ready for deploying Kubernetes and OpenEBS LocalPV workloads.

Next, you’ll install K3s Kubernetes on the VM and deploy OpenEBS LocalPV to build a lightweight Kubernetes-native persistent storage platform.

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