I really like the new D_v3 VM sizes, I think they are a great value when you compare their cost vs. performance. If you aren't familiar with Azure VM types, check out this Microsoft Azure VM Types Comparison blog to learn about the different types. Whenever I work with a customer and see that they are still using the D_v2 or D_v2_Promo SKUs, I try to point out that they can move their deployment to the new D_v3 series VMs and receive better performance for a lower cost.
Let me show you a couple examples:
A D2_v2 VM provides 2 vCPUs and 7 GB of RAM and costs a retail cost of $0.252 / hour or $183.96 / month (730 hours).
vs.
A D2_v3 VM provides 2 vCPUs and 8 GB of RAM with a retail cost of $0.188 / hour or $137.24 / month (730 hours).
So there is a financial incentive to move to the D_v3 versions of the VMs.
The problem is, when you go to the MyCloudIT portal, or even the Azure portal, you may not be able to choose any D_v3 sizes.
Why is that?
This is due to the way Azure allocates resources, but it is correctable. With a few easy steps I listed below, you’ll be able to switch to the new D_v3 sizes.
- Turn off your whole deployment.
- Once your whole deployment is in a deallocated state, you can then resize the VMs to the new D_v3 sizes.
The reason the deallocate is required is that Azure allocates hardware when a deployment is started, and if none of the new D_v3 sizes are requested, your deployment is usually deployed to the older hardware within Azure that does not support the new D_v3 sizes. By deallocating the VMs and resizing them, when you start your deployment again, Azure will allocate your deployment to the newer D_v3 capable hardware.
While I agree it would be nice if you could resize to the D_v3 sizes VMs on the fly, we can at least understand why we cannot resize to the D_v3 and how to overcome the obstacle. The good news is that you only need to follow this process once. Once your deployment is resized to the D_v3 size, your deployments will continue to leverage the newer hardware every time your deployment is started.
If you have any additional questions, feel free to email us at sales@mycloudit.com or fill out our Contact Us form and a member of our team would be happy to help.
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