Azure: How to add extra storage Disk to Azure VM?

Prerequisites:

• An Azure account with the necessary permissions to manage resources.
• An existing Azure Virtual Machine.

Step 1: Sign in to the Azure portal

1. Go to the Azure portal.
2. Sign in with your Azure account credentials.

Step 2: Locate your Virtual Machine

1. In the Azure portal, click on “Virtual machines” in the left-hand menu.
2. Select the Virtual Machine to which you want to add an extra disk.

Step 3: Add a Data Disk

1. In the VM’s Overview page, click on the “Disks” tab.
2. On the Disks tab, click the “+ Add data disk” button.
3. This will open a panel where you can configure the new data disk. Configure the settings as needed:
   • Name: Enter a name for your new data disk.
   • Size (GiB): Specify the size of the disk in gigabytes.
   • Cache type: Choose the cache type based on your requirements (None, ReadOnly, ReadWrite).
   • Source type: Leave it as “None” for a new empty disk.
   • Lun: Specify the Logical Unit Number (LUN). The default value is usually fine unless you have specific requirements.
4. Click “OK” to create the data disk.

Step 4: Attach the Data Disk to your VM

1. After creating the data disk, go back to your VM’s Overview page.
2. Click on “Stop” to deallocate the VM (if it’s running) because you can’t attach disks to a running VM. Wait for the VM to stop.
3. Once the VM is stopped, click on “Disks” in the left-hand menu under “Settings.”
4. In the Disks section, you should see the newly created data disk listed. Select it.
5. Click on the “Attach” button at the top of the page.
6. In the Attach Data Disk panel, choose the LUN (Logical Unit Number). The default value is usually fine.
7. Click “OK” to attach the data disk to your VM.

Step 5: Start your VM

1. Go back to your VM’s Overview page.
2. Click on the “Start” button to start your VM with the newly attached data disk.

Step 6: Initialize and Format the Data Disk (inside the VM)

1. Remote into your VM using SSH (for Linux) or RDP (for Windows).
2. Open the disk management tool specific to your operating system.
   • For Windows, open Disk Management, and you should see the new disk. Initialize and format it as needed.
   • For Linux, use commands like fdisk, mkfs, and mount to initialize and format the new disk.

Once you’ve completed these steps, your Azure Virtual Machine should have an extra data disk attached and ready for use.

Commands

$ lsblk
$ sudo mkfs -t ext4 /dev/sdc
$ mkdir /opt/4gb/
$ sudo mount /dev/sdc /opt/4gb/
$ df -kh
$ cd /opt/4gb/

Rajesh Kumar

I’m Rajesh Kumar, a DevOps, SRE, DevSecOps, Cloud, and Platform Engineering expert passionate about sharing practical knowledge, real-world experiences, and industry best practices. I have worked at Cotocus and regularly write about technology, travel, investing, health, product reviews, and digital marketing through my various platforms.

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