Deploying Your First Azure Virtual Machine
Pluralsight Hands-On Lab — Azure Fundamentals
At a Glance
| Platform | Pluralsight |
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| Category | Azure Fundamentals |
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| Lab Type | Guided + Challenge Mode |
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| Environment | Azure Portal, Windows Server VM via RDP |
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| Completed | 2026 |
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Overview
Deploying and connecting to a virtual machine is one of the most fundamental Azure skills. In this introductory lab, I created a Windows Server 2025 Datacenter VM through the Azure portal, connected to it via RDP using the downloaded RDP file, then cleanly deprovisioned it by deleting the VM along with its associated OS disk, network interfaces, and public IP — completing the full VM lifecycle from creation through deletion.
What I Did
- Created a Windows Server 2025 Datacenter Gen2 VM named "vm-windows" in the lab resource group, setting a secure admin password and enabling deletion of the public IP and NIC when the VM is deleted
- Monitored the deployment via the Notifications panel and navigated to the resource once deployment completed
- Downloaded the RDP file from the Connect dropdown and connected to the VM using the Microsoft Remote Desktop client, logging in with the azureuser credentials
- Explored the Windows Server desktop, accepted startup prompts, then signed out of the VM session
- Returned to the Azure portal and deleted vm-windows, selecting the OS disk, Network Interfaces, and Public IP addresses for co-deletion, confirmed the acknowledgement, and verified the VM no longer appeared in the Virtual Machines list
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