Establishing Site-to-Site Connectivity in Microsoft Azure

Learn how to connect your on-premises network to Microsoft Azure using site-to-site connectivity. This hybrid network solution allows organizations to maintain their existing infrastructure while leveraging the cloud's benefits. Understanding basic networking concepts like IP addresses, subnetting, and default gateways is essential for configuring this connectivity effectively.

Microsoft Azure - Site-to-Site Connectivity

Many organizations have existing on-premises networks and prefer connecting them to Azure rather than migrating everything to the cloud. This is known as hybrid network connectivity or site-to-site connectivity, which connects a virtual network in Azure to an on-premises network. Setting up site-to-site connectivity is straightforward for anyone familiar with basic networking concepts like IP addresses, subnetting, and default gateways.

Requirements for Configuring Site-to-Site Connectivity

  • A VPN device that can be configured.
  • An externally facing IP address for that VPN device.

Creating a Site-to-Site Connectivity Network

  1. Navigating to the Azure Management Portal: Click on ‘New’ → ‘Network Services’ → ‘Virtual Network’ → ‘Custom Create.’
  2. Network Name and Region: Enter a name for the network and select the region where you want to deploy the network.
  3. DNS Configuration: Optionally, enter a DNS name for name resolution. If you prefer Azure to handle DNS automatically, you can leave this field blank.
  4. Enable Site-to-Site VPN: Check the ‘Configure site-to-site VPN’ option to enable site-to-site connectivity.
  5. VPN Device Details: Enter the details of your VPN device in the address space section, specifying the IP address space for the VPN device.
  6. Virtual Network Address Space: Enter the address space details for your virtual network in Azure. Define the IP address ranges and subnets for the network.
  7. Gateway Subnet: After entering the subnets, specify the gateway subnet for your virtual network. This subnet will be used for routing traffic between Azure and your on-premises network.
  8. Review and Complete: Click ‘Next,’ review the configuration, and complete the network creation process.
  9. Create a Gateway: After the network is created, select it from the list and navigate to its ‘Dashboard.’ To enable connectivity, you need to create a gateway.
  10. Click on ‘Create Gateway’: At the bottom of the dashboard. Once the gateway is created, the ‘Gateway IP address’ will be displayed.

Configuring Your VPN Device

You can now configure your VPN device using the gateway information provided.

Advantages of Site-to-Site Connectivity

  • Faster Connectivity: Site-to-site connectivity is generally faster than point-to-site connectivity, making data transfer more efficient.
  • Simplified Access: You only need a shared key to access the network. Unlike point-to-site connectivity, there’s no need to install certificates on each machine you want to connect. The shared key works for all machines, simplifying the setup process.

Conclusion

By using site-to-site connectivity, organizations can easily extend their on-premises networks into Azure, creating a seamless and efficient hybrid network environment.