Azure Virtual Network Skill

This skill provides expert guidance for Azure Virtual Network. Covers troubleshooting, best practices, decision making, architecture & design patterns, limits & quotas, security, and configuration. It combines local quick-reference content with remote documentation fetching capabilities.

How to Use This Skill

IMPORTANT for Agent: This file may be large. Use the Category Index below to locate relevant sections, then use read_file with specific line ranges (e.g., L136-L144) to read the sections needed for the user's question This skill requires network access to fetch documentation content. Use mcp_microsoftdocs:microsoft_docs_fetch to retrieve full articles.

Fallback: Use the built-in WebFetch tool if the Microsoft Learn MCP server is not available.

Category Index

Category	Lines	Description
Troubleshooting	L35-L43	Diagnosing and fixing Azure VM/VNet connectivity issues: routing and NSG problems, NVAs and routing appliances, SMTP blocking, VNet peering, encryption, and VNet deletion errors.
Best Practices	L44-L55	Network performance and connectivity guidance: VNet design, NSGs, service endpoints, outbound access, MTU/TCP tuning, and tools to test throughput and latency on Azure VMs.
Decision Making	L56-L65	Guidance on design choices: when to use accelerated networking, routing preferences, VNets vs appliances, IP upgrade paths, VNet integration options, and cost/performance trade-offs.
Architecture & Design Patterns	L66-L75	Designing VNet architectures: subnet extension for migrations, VNet peering, hybrid two-tier apps, traffic mirroring with TAP, topology planning, and custom routing options.
Limits & Quotas	L76-L82	VM networking limits: MANA support per VM size, static public IP assignment and quotas, and VM network throughput caps and how they affect performance.
Security	L83-L91	Securing virtual networks with policies and encryption, including Kubernetes network policies, Azure Policy for VNets, VNet encryption, and restricting storage egress via service endpoint policies.
Configuration	L92-L120	Configuring Azure Virtual Network components: DNS, IPs (public/private, prefixes, IPv4/IPv6), NAT/load balancer/firewall/VPN, subnet delegation, monitoring, NSG logs, and DHCP-related setups.

Troubleshooting

Topic	URL
Diagnose Azure VM routing and effective routes	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/diagnose-network-routing-problem
Diagnose Azure VM NSG traffic filtering issues	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/diagnose-network-traffic-filter-problem
Register and create Azure Virtual Network routing appliances	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/how-to-create-virtual-network-routing-appliance
Troubleshoot Azure Virtual Network encryption scenarios	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/virtual-network-encryption-faq
Troubleshoot Azure network virtual appliance connectivity	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/virtual-network-troubleshoot-nva

Best Practices

Topic	URL
Understand Azure Accelerated Networking internals on Linux	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/accelerated-networking-how-it-works
Apply Azure Virtual Network design best practices	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/concepts-and-best-practices
Tune MTU settings for Azure virtual machines	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/how-to-virtual-machine-mtu
Understand and control default outbound access for Azure VMs	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/ip-services/default-outbound-access
Configure Azure NSG rules and traffic processing	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/network-security-group-how-it-works
Optimize Azure VM network throughput settings	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/virtual-network-optimize-network-bandwidth
Configure and use Azure VNet service endpoints	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/virtual-network-service-endpoints-overview
Apply TCP/IP performance tuning on Azure VMs	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/virtual-network-tcpip-performance-tuning

Decision Making

Topic	URL
Decide when to use Azure Accelerated Networking	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/accelerated-networking-overview
Plan and execute upgrade from Basic to Standard public IPs	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/ip-services/public-ip-basic-upgrade-guidance
Choose Azure routing preference via Microsoft or ISP network	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/ip-services/routing-preference-overview
Use routing preference unmetered for Azure-to-CDN traffic	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/ip-services/routing-preference-unmetered
Optimize Azure Virtual Network costs and trade-offs	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/virtual-network-cost-optimization
Choose Azure VNet integration options for service isolation	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/vnet-integration-for-azure-services

Architecture & Design Patterns

Topic	URL
Design subnet extension strategies for Azure migrations	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/subnet-extension
Design and configure Azure Virtual Network peering	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/virtual-network-peering-overview
Implement hybrid two-tier application with Azure VNets	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/virtual-network-scenario-udr-gw-nva
Use Azure virtual network TAP for traffic mirroring	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/virtual-network-tap-overview
Plan Azure virtual network topology and connectivity	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/virtual-network-vnet-plan-design-arm
Design and customize Azure virtual network routing	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/virtual-networks-udr-overview

Limits & Quotas

Topic	URL
Check MANA support for existing Azure VM sizes	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/accelerated-networking-mana-existing-sizes
Create Azure VM with static public IP and understand IP limits	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/ip-services/virtual-network-static-public-ip
Understand Azure VM network throughput limits	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/virtual-machine-network-throughput

Security

Topic	URL
Configure Kubernetes network policies on Azure	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/kubernetes-network-policies
Secure Azure Virtual Network deployments with layered controls	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/secure-virtual-network
Apply Azure Policy compliance controls to Virtual Network	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/security-controls-policy
Understand and use Azure Virtual Network encryption	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/virtual-network-encryption-overview
Secure Azure Storage egress with service endpoint policies	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/virtual-network-service-endpoint-policies-overview

Configuration

Topic	URL
Configure Azure DNS reverse lookup for SMTP checks	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/create-ptr-for-smtp-service
Create and configure an encrypted Azure virtual network	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/how-to-create-encryption
Deploy a DHCP server VM for on-premises clients	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/how-to-dhcp-azure
Configure public IP addresses for Azure Application Gateway frontends	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/ip-services/configure-public-ip-application-gateway
Configure public IP addresses for Azure Firewall deployments	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/ip-services/configure-public-ip-firewall
Configure public IP usage with Azure Load Balancer	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/ip-services/configure-public-ip-load-balancer
Configure public IPs with Azure NAT Gateway for outbound SNAT	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/ip-services/configure-public-ip-nat-gateway
Manage public IP addresses for Azure Virtual Machines	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/ip-services/configure-public-ip-vm
Configure public IP addresses for Azure VPN gateways	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/ip-services/configure-public-ip-vpn-gateway
Onboard and configure custom IPv6 address prefixes in Azure	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/ip-services/create-custom-ip-address-prefix-ipv6-portal
Onboard and configure custom IPv4 address prefixes in Azure	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/ip-services/create-custom-ip-address-prefix-portal
Manage Azure custom IP address prefixes and migrations	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/ip-services/manage-custom-ip-address-prefix
Create and manage Azure public IP address prefixes	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/ip-services/manage-public-ip-address-prefix
Configure monitoring and alerts for Azure Public IP addresses	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/ip-services/monitor-public-ip
Reference metrics and logs for monitoring Azure Public IPs	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/ip-services/monitor-public-ip-reference
Configure Azure public IP address prefixes and zones	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/ip-services/public-ip-address-prefix
Configure private and public IPs on Azure network interfaces	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/ip-services/virtual-network-network-interface-addresses
Create and manage Azure public IP address resources	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/ip-services/virtual-network-public-ip-address
Configure monitoring for Azure Virtual Network with Azure Monitor	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/monitor-virtual-network
Reference monitoring metrics and logs for Azure VNets	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/monitor-virtual-network-reference
Use built-in Azure Policy definitions for Virtual Network	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/policy-reference
Configure subnet delegation for Azure PaaS services	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/subnet-delegation-overview
Enable and interpret NSG diagnostic resource logs	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/virtual-network-nsg-manage-log
Set up dynamic DNS registration for Azure VMs	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/virtual-networks-name-resolution-ddns
Configure DNS name resolution for Azure virtual networks	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/virtual-networks-name-resolution-for-vms-and-role-instances
Understand and configure Azure IP 168.63.129.16 usage	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-network/what-is-ip-address-168-63-129-16

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