Azure Virtual Network Traffic Analytics offers complete visibility into the networking activities in your Azure environment. It allows you to analyze your network traffic data and gain insights into bandwidth usage, protocol usage, traffic patterns, and potential security risks.

For example, with Traffic Analytics you can:

  • Understand network activities across different regions and subscriptions
  • Identify trends and patterns such as peak usage times
  • Assess the impact of your network configuration changes

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Azure Network Watcher

Azure Network Watcher is a regional service that enables you to monitor and diagnose conditions at a network scenario level. It works with the Azure Network Watcher Agent, installed on every virtual machine, to provide rich networking data.

Some key capabilities include:

  • Topology: Visualize the entire network topology of your Azure deployments
  • IP flow verify: Test connectivity to and from your virtual machine
  • Next hop: Identify the next hop type and IP address based on the specified parameters

Log Analytics Workspaces

Log Analytics workspaces collect data from different sources like Azure services and on-premises systems. For SAP workloads, you can use Log Analytics to monitor networking metrics like data inbound, data outbound, network error rates, etc.

For example, you can leverage Log Analytics to:

  • Collect and analyze data generated by resources in any Azure region
  • Consolidate data from different subscriptions
  • Retain data for up to two years

Monitoring Networking in Azure for SAP Workloads

In the context of SAP workloads, monitoring networking is essential for ensuring high performance and availability. To monitor SAP workload traffic, you can use the Azure Traffic Analytics service.

To start, go to the Azure portal and navigate to Azure Monitor. Under the Insights section, go to Traffic Analytics. Here, you can choose the time range for the traffic data and choose the scope, e.g., the whole subscription or particular resource groups.

To monitor the Azure network for issues affecting the connectivity of your SAP workloads, you can use Azure Network Watcher’s various tools like IP Flow Verify, Next Hop, Connection Monitor, and Network Performance Monitor.

Finally, for comprehensive data consolidation and analysis, use Log Analytics Workspaces. You can set up a workspace by creating a new one or using an existing one and directing the required network data to it. After setting up the workspace, use it to generate reports and queries for detailed insights into networking for SAP workloads.

In conclusion, Azure provides a vast array of tools to monitor networking in your Azure environment. Understanding these tools can be instrumental in successfully managing and optimizing SAP workloads in Azure.

Practice Test

True/False: Microsoft Azure Monitor can be used for collecting, analyzing, and acting on telemetry data from network infrastructure.

  • Answer: True

Explanation: Azure Monitor helps to maximize the performance and availability of the applications by performing tasks like tracking metrics and logs, analyzing the operational insights of applications and network infrastructure.

Which of the following Azure networking services can be used to manage inter-VNET connectivity?

  • A. Azure Application Gateway
  • B. Azure Virtual Network Peering
  • C. Azure ExpressRoute
  • D. Azure Traffic Manager

Answer: B. Azure Virtual Network Peering

Explanation: Azure Virtual Network Peering allows direct network connectivity between Virtual Networks, allowing them to communicate with each other as though they are part of the same network.

True/False: Azure Monitor only supports the monitoring of cloud resources.

  • Answer: False

Explanation: Azure Monitor supports the monitoring of both cloud and on-premises resources, allowing for a comprehensive view of an organization’s infrastructure.

When planning for SAP workload deployment, which among the following can be used for connectivity between your on-premises infrastructure and Azure?

  • A. Azure Load Balancer
  • B. Azure Virtual Network
  • C. Azure Content Delivery Network
  • D. Azure ExpressRoute

Answer: D. Azure ExpressRoute

Explanation: Azure ExpressRoute lets you extend your on-premises networks into the Microsoft cloud over a private connection facilitated by a connectivity provider.

Which Azure monitoring tool can be used for detailed troubleshooting and diagnostics of an Azure Virtual Network?

  • A. Network Watcher
  • B. Virtual Network Peering
  • C. Application Insights
  • D. Log Analytics

Answer: A. Network Watcher

Explanation: Azure Network Watcher is a service that provides tools to monitor, diagnose, view metrics, and enable or disable logs for resources in an Azure virtual network.

True/False: Azure ExpressRoute offers the capability to create private connections between Azure datacenters and infrastructure that’s on your premises.

  • Answer: True

Explanation: Azure ExpressRoute allows for the creation of secure, private connections between an organization’s on-premises infrastructure and Azure datacenters.

True/False: Azure Monitor is not capable of monitoring Azure ExpressRoute connections.

  • Answer: False

Explanation: Azure Monitor provides the ability to monitor Azure ExpressRoute connections, providing network administrators with insights into the performance of their network.

Which Azure service can be used for load balancing of SAP workloads?

  • A. Azure Traffic Manager
  • B. Azure Load Balancer
  • C. Azure Network Watcher
  • D. Azure Virtual Network

Answer: B. Azure Load Balancer

Explanation: Azure Load Balancer distributes inbound traffic according to defined rules and health probes. It’s a great service for ensuring high availability and reliability by distributing traffic among healthy instances.

Azure Monitor provides role-based access control (RBAC) for managing access to what?

  • A. Metrics and logs
  • B. On-premises resources
  • C. Virtual machines
  • D. Azure subscriptions

Answer: A. Metrics and logs

Explanation: Role-based access control in Azure Monitor is used for controlling access to its data like metrics and logs.

Which of the following network diagnostics tools is best suited for real-time network monitoring in Azure for SAP Workloads?

  • A. Azure Network Watcher
  • B. Azure VPN Gateway
  • C. Azure Traffic Manager
  • D. Azure Application Gateway

Answer: A. Azure Network Watcher

Explanation: Azure Network Watcher provides tools that help in diagnosing network issues, it captures data for an analysis that assists in real-time networking monitoring.

Interview Questions

What is the recommended minimum bandwidth for the site-to-site VPN connection for SAP on Azure?

The recommended minimum bandwidth for the site-to-site VPN connection for SAP on Azure is 200 Mbps.

What is Azure ExpressRoute and how does it benefit SAP Workloads on Azure?

Azure ExpressRoute is a service that enables establishing secure, private connections between Azure datacenters and infrastructure at your premises or in a colocation environment. It provides faster speeds, lower latitudes, and reliable networking, which are required for SAP Workloads on Azure.

How does Azure Monitor work with SAP Workloads?

Azure Monitor collects, analyzes, and acts on telemetry data from Azure resources. It can be used to monitor applications running SAP workloads, systems infrastructure, and network for signs of performance bottlenecks or other problems.

What is the use of Azure Network Watcher?

Azure Network Watcher is a native network performance monitoring service which can be used for checking connectivity, latency, and data loss, allowing to diagnose problems and understand performance of the network where SAP Workloads are running.

What is VNet in Azure and its role with SAP workloads?

A VNet or Virtual Network in Azure is the fundamental building block for your private network in Azure. It provides isolation, segmentation, and other network controls for your SAP workloads, ensuring secure communication between resources.

Can Azure Load Balancer be used for SAP Workload?

Yes, Azure Load Balancer can distribute incoming internet traffic across virtual machines. This optimized the availability and reliability of applications and services running on SAP workloads.

How can Azure Traffic Manager benefit SAP Workloads?

Azure Traffic Manager can direct traffic to different regions based on the health, performance and the policies defined. This ability is extremely useful in failover situations for SAP Workloads, providing higher availability and lower latency.

What is the benefit of using Azure Private Link for SAP Workloads?

Azure Private Link provides private connectivity from a VNet to Azure platform as a service (PaaS), customer-owned, or Microsoft partner services. It ensures secure and private communication with SAP services on Azure without exposure to the public internet.

How does Azure Peering Service work with SAP Workloads?

Azure Peering Service provides direct network connectivity to Microsoft cloud services such as Azure, Office 365, and Dynamics 365 through a peering service provider. This provides the low latency and reliable connectivity required for SAP workloads.

Can Azure Virtual WAN be used with SAP workloads?

Yes, Azure Virtual WAN can interconnect Azure Virtual Networks and on-premises networks, both within a region and across regions, providing a hub and spoke network model. This model can help consolidate networking, security, and routing which is beneficial for running SAP workloads efficiently.

What is the function of Azure Firewall in relation to SAP Workloads?

Azure Firewall is a managed, threat intelligence-based firewall service. It provides outbound, stateful, and inbound access controls that can be used to protect SAP Workloads in Azure.

How does Azure DDoS Protection help with SAP Workloads?

Azure DDoS Protection provides countermeasures against the most common and powerful Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. This helps in protecting and maintaining the performance of SAP-based applications during an attack.

How does Azure VPN Gateway connect to SAP Workloads?

Azure VPN Gateway connects your on-premises networks to Azure through Site-to-Site VPNs in a similar way a set up a remote branch office. This connection provides secure and seamless access to SAP workloads on Azure.

Which Azure Network service can be used to inspect inbound and outbound traffic at the application layer for SAP Workloads?

Azure Application Gateway, a dedicated virtual appliance that provides Application delivery controller (ADC) as a service, can be used to inspect inbound and outbound traffic at the application layer for SAP Workloads.

Which service can be used to ensure the availability of IP addresses for application endpoints in Azure such as SAP workloads?

Azure Public IP addresses service can be used to ensure the availability of IP addresses for application endpoints in Azure. It provides static or dynamic public IP addresses depending on your needs.

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