Do you think IIT Guwahati certified course can help you in your career?
Introduction
You must all have heard about Azure by Microsoft. In this article, we are going to discuss all about knife Azure. We will discuss knife azure installation, configurations in knife azure, commands and syntax in knife azure, etc. We will see the complete Overview of Knife Azure.
You can read the full article to know the overview of knife Azure.
Overview of Knife Azure
Microsoft provides a cloud hosting platform that is Microsoft Azure that provides virtual machines for Windows and Linux Server, database and cloud services, and more. Install Knife Azure. You can use the “knife azure” subcommand that can manage API-driven servers based on the cloud hosted by Microsoft Azure.
Install Knife Azure
If the Chef Client is installed using RubyGems, you can install the knife azure with the help of the below command:
$ gem install knife-azure
If Chef Client is installed from the Chef Client downloads page or any of the other methods, you can run the below command:
$ /opt/chef/embedded/bin/gem install knife-azure
where /opt/chef/embedded/bin/ is a path to the location where the chef client expects the knife plugins to be located.
Configuration
A management certificate is used by the “knife azure” subcommand for secure communication with Microsoft Azure. This management certificate is required for secure communication with the Microsoft Azure platform through the REST APIs. You can follow the below steps to make a management certificate. The file format for the management certificate is .pem.
1. First, you need to download the setting file. You can download it from here.
2. Then, you need to extract the data from the “ManagementCertificate” field into a separate file and name it cert.pfx.
3. Then, you need to decode the certificate file with the help of the following command:
$ base64 -d cert.pfx > cert_decoded.pfx
4. Now, convert the PFX file that we decoded to a PEM file with the help of the following command:
The name of the file contains the SSH public key that can be used when we are authenticating to Microsoft Azure.
-S ID, --azure-subscription-id ID
This is the subscription identifier for the portal of Microsoft Azure.
--verify-ssl-cert
This is the SSL certificate that is used to verify communications over HTTPS.
image list
Use the “image list” command to get a list of images that exist in the Microsoft Azure environment. Any image in the list can be used for provisioning.
Syntax
$ knife azure image list (options)
Options
This command has the below options:
--azure-publish-settings-file NAME_OF_THE_FILE
This is the name of the Azure Publish Settings file, which includes the path. For example /filepath/to/your.publishsettings".
The name of the file contains the SSH public key that can be used when we are authenticating to Microsoft Azure.
-S ID, --azure-subscription-id ID
This is the subscription identifier for the portal of Microsoft Azure.
--verify-ssl-cert
This is the SSL certificate that is used to verify communications over HTTPS.
internal lb create
You can use the “internal lb create” command to make a new internal load balancer in a cloud service.
Syntax
This command has the below syntax:
$ knife azure internal lb create (options)
Options
This command has the below options:
--azure-dns-name NAME_OF_DNS
This DNS prefix name can be used to add this load balancer. This should be an existing service or deployment.
--azure-lb-static-vip VIP
This is Virtual IP that can be used for the load balancer.
--azure-publish-settings-file FILENAME
This is your Azure Publish Settings File
--azure-subnet-name NAME_OF_SUBNET
It is required if a static VIP is set. It specifies the subnet name of the load balancer in which it is located.
-c, --config CONFIG
This is the configuration file to use.
--chef-zero-host HOST
This is the host for starting the chef-zero.
--chef-zero-port PORT
Port (or port range) to start the chef-zero. Port ranges like 1000,1020 or 8888-9999 will try all the given ports until any of them works.
--config-option OPTION=VALUE
This overrides the single configuration option.
--[no-]color
Use colored output.
-d, --disable-editing
Do not open EDITOR, accept the data as it is.
--defaults
It accepts all the default values for all the questions
-e, --editor EDITOR
This sets the editor to use for the interactive commands
-E, --environment ENVIRONMENT
This sets the Chef environment
-F, --format FORMAT
Provides the format to use for output.
--[no-]fips
It enables the fips mode.
--[no-]listen
Whether a local mode (-z) server binds to a port.
-h, --help
It shows the help message.
-H HOSTNAME, --azure-api-host-name
This provides the Azure host name
-k, --key KEY
API Client Key
-n, --azure-load-balancer NAME
Required. Specifies new load balancer name.
-p, --azure-mgmt-cert FILENAME
This shows the Azure PEM file name.
-s, --server-url URL
It provides the Chef Server URL.
-S, --azure-subscription-id ID
Your Azure subscription ID
--print-after
It shows the data after an operation that is destructive
--profile PROFILE
The credentials profile to select
-u, --user USER API
Client Username.
-v, --version
It shows the Chef version.
-V, --verbose
More verbose output. You can use it twice for maximum verbosity.
--verify-ssl-cert
Verify SSL Certificates for communications over HTTPS.
-y, --yes
It says yes to all the prompts for confirmation.
-z, --local-mode
It points knife commands at the local repository instead of the server.
internal lb list
You can use the “internal lb list” command to list defined load balancers for all cloud services. It does not show the public-facing load balancers.
Syntax
This command has the below syntax:
$ knife azure internal lb create (options)
Options
This command has the below options:
--azure-publish-settings-file FILENAME
This is the name of the Azure Publish Settings file.
-c, --config CONFIG
This is the configuration file to use.
--chef-zero-host HOST
This is the host for starting the chef-zero.
--chef-zero-port PORT
Port (or port range) to start the chef-zero. Port ranges like 1000,1020 or 8888-9999 will try all the given ports until any of them works.
--config-option OPTION=VALUE
This overrides the single configuration option.
--[no-]color
Use colored output.
-d, --disable-editing
Do not open EDITOR, accept the data as it is.
--defaults
It accepts all the default values for all the questions
-e, --editor EDITOR
This sets the editor to use for the interactive commands
-E, --environment ENVIRONMENT
This sets the Chef environment
-F, --format FORMAT
Provides the format to use for output.
--[no-]fips
It enables the fips mode.
--[no-]listen
Whether a local mode (-z) server binds to a port.
-h, --help
It shows the help message.
-H HOSTNAME, --azure-api-host-name
This provides the Azure host name
-k, --key KEY
API Client Key
-p, --azure-mgmt-cert FILENAME
This shows the Azure PEM file name.
-s, --server-url URL
It provides the Chef Server URL.
-S, --azure-subscription-id ID
Your Azure subscription ID
--print-after
It shows the data after an operation that is destructive
--profile PROFILE
The credentials profile to select
-u, --user USER API
Client Username.
-v, --version
It shows the Chef version.
-V, --verbose
More verbose output. You can use it twice for maximum verbosity.
--verify-ssl-cert
Verify SSL Certificates for communications over HTTPS.
-y, --yes
It says yes to all the prompts for confirmation.
-z, --local-mode
It points knife commands at the local repository instead of the server.
server create
You can use the “server create” command to make a new Microsoft Azure cloud instance. It will provide a new image in Microsoft Azure, a bootstrap will be performed, and then installing the chef-client on the targeted system will be used to configure the node and communicate with the Chef server.
Syntax
This command has the below syntax:
$ knife azure server create (options)
Options
This command has the below options:
-a, --azure-affinity-group GROUP
Virtual machines belong to this affinity group. It is required when you are not using a service location (--azure-service-location).
--auto-update-client
It enables automatic updates for the chef-client in Microsoft Azure. This option can only be used when --bootstrap-protocol is set up to the cloud-api. The default value for this is false.
--azure-availability-set NAME
Name of the availability set for a virtual machine.
--azure-dns-name NAME_OF_DNS
This DNS prefix name can be used to add this load balancer. This should be an existing service or deployment.
--azure-network-name NAME_NETWORK
Network for a virtual machine.
--azure-publish-settings-file NAME_OF_THE_FILE
The name of the Azure Publish Settings file, including the path. For example /filepath/to/your.publishsettings".
--azure-subnet-name NAME_SUBNET
Subnet for a virtual machine.
--azure-vm-name NAME
Name of the virtual machine. It should be unique within Microsoft Azure.
--azure-vm-ready-timeout TIMEOUT
The number to wait for a virtual machine when it reaches the provisioning state (in minutes). The default value for this is 10.
--azure-vm-startup-timeout TIMEOUT
The number to wait for a virtual machine to transition from a provisioning state and get to the ready state (in minutes). The default value for this is 15
--bootstrap-version VERSION
The version of the chef client that is to be installed.
-c, --azure-connect-to-existing-dns
It adds a new virtual machine to the existing deployment and the service.
You can use the “server delete” command to delete the instances that are running in the Microsoft Azure cloud. To get a specific cloud instance, you can use a knife azure server list. --purge option can be used to delete all associated nodes and the client objects from the Chef server or you can use the “knife node delete” and “knife client delete” commands to delete specific nodes or the client objects.
Syntax
This command has the below syntax:
$ knife azure server delete [SERVER...] (options)
Options
This command has the below options:
--azure-dns-name NAME
This is the name of the DNS server.
--azure-publish-settings-file NAME_OF_THE_FILE
The name of the Azure Publish Settings file, including the path. For example /filepath/to/your.publishsettings".
The name of the file contains the SSH public key that can be used when we are authenticating to Microsoft Azure.
--preserve-azure-dns-name
It preserves the DNS entries of the corresponding cloud services. If the option is false, the services should not be used by any virtual machine or they will be deleted.
--preserve-azure-os-disk
It preserves the corresponding OS disk.
--preserve-azure-vhd
It preserves the virtual hard disk.
-S ID, --azure-subscription-id ID
This is the subscription identifier for the portal of Microsoft Azure.
--verify-ssl-cert
This is the SSL certificate that is used to verify communications over HTTPS.
server list
You can use the “server list” command to find the instances associated with the Microsoft Azure account. The results can show instances that are not being managed currently by the Chef server.
Syntax
This command has the below syntax:
$ knife azure server list (options)
Options
This command has the below options:
--azure-publish-settings-file NAME_OF_THE_FILE
This is the name of the Azure Publish Settings file, which includes the path. For example /filepath/to/your.publishsettings".
The name of the file contains the SSH public key that can be used when we are authenticating to Microsoft Azure.
-S ID, --azure-subscription-id ID
This is the subscription identifier for the portal of Microsoft Azure.
--verify-ssl-cert
This is the SSL certificate that is used to verify communications over HTTPS.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Knife?
A knife is a command-line tool that interfaces between a chef Infra Server and local chef-repo.
What is Azure in software development?
In software development, Azure is a cloud platform designed to simplify the process of building modern applications.
Why is Chef used in DevOps?
In DevOps, Chef manages and deploys servers and applications in-house and on the cloud.
Why is Azure important?
Azure is important because it offers immediate access to the latest services and technologies needed in the enterprise, allowing Azure cloud engineers to implement complex solutions quickly.
What is Azure DevOps?
Azure DevOps is a set of processes that bring together developers, project managers, and contributors to develop software and support a collaborative culture.
Conclusion
In this article, we discussed the overview of Knife Azure. We started by introducing Azure and discussed different concepts such as commands in knife azure, the server, its syntax, and the installation of knife azure. To learn more about Knife, check out our articles on
34+ registered 
