Connect Azure Virtual Networks with VNet Peering
Azure virtual network (VNet) peering is established between pairs of virtual networks. Once a peering connection is established, they appear as one network for connectivity purposes. Devices in each network can communicate with devices in the other network using private IP addresses. The two networks can be in different regions. This is referred to as global peering. Global peering traffic also stays in Microsoft's private backbone network, and does not traverse the public internet, meaning it provides superior security and performance.
This lab describes a scenario where peering can be used and also explains when peering cannot be used. You will create a virtual network, including resources in the network, and then create a peering connection with a pre-created virtual network. You will verify that the peering connection allows you to communicate between virtual networks using private addresses.
Lab Objectives
Upon completion of this lab, you will be able to:
- Configure Azure virtual networks and peering connections between networks
- Explain the situations when Azure virtual network peering applies
- Understand alternative Azure networking options when peering does not apply
- Use Azure VM serial console to test peering connectivity
Lab Prerequisites
You should be familiar with:
- Basic Azure concepts including the Azure Portal, VMs, and virtual networks
Updates
January 5th, 2024 - Updated instructions and screenshots to reflect the latest UI
August 31st, 2023 - Updated instructions and screenshots to reflect the latest UI
September 26th, 2022 - Updated instructions and screenshots to reflect the latest UI
March 28th, 2022 - Updated the instructions and screenshots to reflect the latest UI
February 3rd, 2022 - Updated the instructions and screenshots to reflect the latest UI
October 25th, 2021 - Updated instructions and screenshots to reflect the latest user experience
April 16th, 2021 - Moved validation checks to the most relevant lab step for more immediate validation feedback
November 6, 2019 - Updated instructions to specifically target creating a CentOS 7.5 VM to avoid phone number and email validation for later releases of CentOS
August 30th, 2019 - Resolved an issue that caused some validation checks to incorrectly report their result status in the case of failure
August 16th, 2019 - Updated the instructions to reflect the ability to create peerings in a single step compared to the two-step approach previously required
Environment before
Environment after
Logan has been involved in software development and research since 2007 and has been in the cloud since 2012. He is an AWS Certified DevOps Engineer - Professional, AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional, Microsoft Certified Azure Solutions Architect Expert, MCSE: Cloud Platform and Infrastructure, Google Cloud Certified Associate Cloud Engineer, Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist (CKS), Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA), Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD), and Certified OpenStack Administrator (COA). He earned his Ph.D. studying design automation and enjoys all things tech.