Azure Applied Skills: Creating a VM Image and Azure Compute Gallery

Introduction In this guide, we will walk through the process of creating a VM image and publishing it to the Azure Compute Gallery. This allows for efficient management and deployment of standardized VM images across multiple Azure regions. Prerequisites Before starting, ensure you have: An active Azure subscription Access to the Azure Portal A Virtual Machine (VM) to capture an image from What is Azure compute gallery Azure Compute Gallery is a centralized service for managing and sharing VM images across multiple regions. It enables versioning, replication, and controlled access to ensure fast, consistent, and scalable VM deployments. Key Benefits: Versioning & Replication – Maintain multiple image versions and distribute them globally. Faster Deployments – Pre-configured images speed up provisioning. Consistency & Scalability – Ensure uniform VM configurations across deployments. Cost Efficiency – Reduce storage costs with shared image replicas. Step 1: Prepare the VM for Image Capture Before capturing a VM image, ensure the VM is in a generalized state Deprovision the VM (Windows/Linux): Windows: Open PowerShell and run: sysprep.exe /generalize /shutdown Linux: Open a terminal and run: sudo waagent -deprovision+user sudo shutdown -h now Ensure the VM status is stopped (deallocated) in the Azure Portal. Step 2: Create the new image Select Capture. Select image Select Resource group Select Yes, share it to a gallery as a VM image version Select Create New under Target Azure compute gallery, enter a name and click OK For Operating system state, we will select Specialized Click create new under Target VM image definition Name the Image definition Click ok in the side pannel Click Review + create Click create Wait for the deployment Click go to resource Step 3: Confirm Image Notice that you can create both a new VM and VMSS based on this image Following these steps, you have now created and stored a VM Image that you can now use to create more VMs or a VMSS!

Mar 14, 2025 - 00:37

Azure Applied Skills: Creating a VM Image and Azure Compute Gallery

Introduction

In this guide, we will walk through the process of creating a VM image and publishing it to the Azure Compute Gallery. This allows for efficient management and deployment of standardized VM images across multiple Azure regions.

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have:

An active Azure subscription
Access to the Azure Portal
A Virtual Machine (VM) to capture an image from

What is Azure compute gallery

Azure Compute Gallery is a centralized service for managing and sharing VM images across multiple regions. It enables versioning, replication, and controlled access to ensure fast, consistent, and scalable VM deployments.

Key Benefits:
Versioning & Replication – Maintain multiple image versions and distribute them globally.
Faster Deployments – Pre-configured images speed up provisioning.
Consistency & Scalability – Ensure uniform VM configurations across deployments.
Cost Efficiency – Reduce storage costs with shared image replicas.

Step 1: Prepare the VM for Image Capture

Before capturing a VM image, ensure the VM is in a generalized state
Deprovision the VM (Windows/Linux):

Windows: Open PowerShell and run:

sysprep.exe /generalize /shutdown

Linux: Open a terminal and run:

sudo waagent -deprovision+user
sudo shutdown -h now

Ensure the VM status is stopped (deallocated) in the Azure Portal.

Step 2: Create the new image

Select Capture. Select image
Select Resource group
Select Yes, share it to a gallery as a VM image version
Select Create New under Target Azure compute gallery, enter a name and click OK
For Operating system state, we will select Specialized
Click create new under Target VM image definition
Name the Image definition
Click ok in the side pannel
Click Review + create
Click create
Wait for the deployment
Click go to resource

Step 3: Confirm Image

Notice that you can create both a new VM and VMSS based on this image

Following these steps, you have now created and stored a VM Image that you can now use to create more VMs or a VMSS!