Understanding Ports and URLs Used by Rapid Recovery During Export to Azure (4376695)

When interacting with Azure, Rapid Recovery relies on the Azure SDK, which encapsulates and manages communication with Azure Cloud services. Specifically, for Azure Blob Storage, Rapid Recovery does not directly specify ports or URLs. Instead, it utilizes a connection string generated by the Azure SDK, which handles the creation of necessary CloudStorageAccount and CloudBlobClient objects. These objects automatically manage communication, including ports, endpoints, and URLs.

Key Points:

• Port 443: The primary port used for communication is port 443, which is standard for HTTPS traffic. This port is essential for secure communications over the internet.
• URLs: The URLs used for accessing Azure Blob Storage typically follow the format https://<storageAccountName>.blob.core.windows.net. The Azure SDK manages these URLs and other endpoints, such as those used for certificate validation (e.g., ocsp.msocsp.com). For more information, you can refer to the official Microsoft documentation on Azure Blob Storage URLs  and the Azure Storage REST API Reference .

• Azure Account Setup: A valid Azure account with the necessary permissions to create and manage storage accounts.
• Network Configuration: Ensure your network is configured to allow outbound traffic over port 443 to support secure HTTPS communication with Azure.
• Storage Account Configuration: Properly configure your Azure Storage account, including the creation of containers and access keys.
• Authentication: Implement appropriate authentication mechanisms, such as Shared Access Signatures (SAS tokens), to secure access to Azure Blob Storage.

• Azure Fees: Be advised that Microsoft Azure customers are responsible for their own fees. Some aspects of our integration with Azure are designed with this fee structure in mind. For example, Microsoft charges fees when you deploy a VM on Azure and when data is transmitted from Azure to another source.
• Note: Since Microsoft can change prerequisites, requirements, costs, and so on, always verify such information with Azure. For more information, see the Azure website or contact an Azure representative.
   

• The process of exporting extracts the necessary set of files from Rapid Recovery, validates them, and uploads them to the specified container in Azure. These files include:
  • One virtual hard disk (VHD) file for each volume in the recovery point.
  • One XML file containing metadata information about each disk (a list of files present on each disk and a flag indicating if a volume is a system disk).
  • One VHD file containing the backup snapshot.
• Other than costs for the required storage, exporting by itself does not incur any Azure fees.

• The deployment process combines these files into a bootable virtual machine. Deployment directly uses Azure cloud REST APIs. The original set of files placed on Azure during the export process is read-only in Azure, and consumes space but does not otherwise incur Azure charges. When you deploy these files, a duplicate copy of them is created, stored in a separate container you define, and combined into a working virtual machine. From an Azure account perspective, after you deploy, you are then charged fees for the VM on its servers. Since the deployed VM is a copy of the exported files, the deployment process also doubles the amount of storage space used in Azure for that virtual export.

• For a one-time virtual export, there is no mechanism for deploying as a separate process. Thus, for the export to be useful, you should deploy to Azure when you create the virtual machine on demand. As a result, one-time exports to Azure have an immediate cost associated with the VM you deploy.

• When establishing virtual standby for a protected machine on Azure, to avoid use of extra storage space and VM charges, you can simply define the export process. The result is an initial virtual export to Azure which is continually updated. Each time a snapshot is captured on the Core, the exported files are refreshed in your Azure account with updated information. Before the virtual export can be used as a bootable VM, you must deploy it, which triggers VM costs on Azure. If you do not need to convert the exported files for a protected machine to a bootable VM, no VM costs are incurred in your Azure account.

• Azure interface disclaimer
• Country codes used on the Azure website
• Before virtual export to Azure
• Creating an Azure storage account
• Creating a container in an Azure storage account
• Creating an Azure Active Directory web application
• Obtaining Azure subscription information
• Obtaining the directory ID for your Azure web application
• Obtaining a secret key for your Azure web application
• Microsoft Azure documentation
   

• Audience: Rapid Recovery users and administrators.
• Prerequisites: View course prerequisites here.

For more training resources, visit the Rapid Recovery Training Portal.