App Layering

MS Azure or Azure Government

When creating layers for an Azure environment, you must use an MS Azure connector configuration. For an Azure Government environment, use the Azure Government connector configuration. In some cases, you may also need a Platform layer.

This article describes the requirements, including the resources you need for creating one of these connector configuration.

Azure or Azure Government connector configuration

The following resources are required for the connector configuration.

Azure account and subscription

To deploy the appliance, you need the administrator credentials for your Azure subscription. For more information, see the Microsoft Azure Sign in page.

Azure Resource Manager

App Layering supports Azure’s Resource Management (ARM) model. You cannot use Azure’s Classic deployment model. All resources for App Layering must be created using Azure Resource Manager. For more information, see the Azure Resource Manager overview page.

Azure storage

The Azure connector configuration requires one or more storage accounts to use for:

  • The virtual machine disks you use to create layers and publish layered images.
  • The template file used to deploy Azure virtual machines, and the boot diagnostics files for those virtual machines.

For details about the storage required, see MS Azure connector configuration.

Platform layer

As long as the image you use for your OS layer is from Azure, you do not need a Platform layer to create layers or publish layered images in Azure. You only need a Platform layer when publishing to a different environment, for example, to a provisioning service or another hypervisor.

When publishing to Azure using an OS image that originated in a different hypervisor, you need a Platform layer to make sure layered images work correctly in Azure.

When you create a Platform layer, there is no need to install Azure tools on it. When Azure tools aren’t present, Azure installs them onto the packaging machine when the machine is started.

When you do create a Platform layer, any software installers you need (for example, provisioning service software) must be accessible from the packaging machine.

MS Azure or Azure Government