Deployment guide

Debian 11

Overview

Debian 11 (Bullseye) is a stable, general-purpose Linux server distribution. This SecureAnyCloud image gives you a pre-configured Debian 11 virtual machine on Microsoft Azure, ready to deploy from the Azure Marketplace.

End of standard support. Debian 11 (Bullseye) left regular Debian security support on 14 August 2024, and its free Debian LTS period ended on 31 August 2026. The free Debian archive publishes no further security updates for it, and only paid Extended LTS (ELTS) remains. For a new deployment, SecureAnyCloud also publishes Debian 12 (Bookworm) and Debian 13 (Trixie) images on Azure, both still receiving free Debian security updates.

What you get:

  • Debian 11 (Bullseye), known for its stability
  • Azure Linux Agent (waagent) for cloud integration
  • Systemd timesyncd for NTP time synchronisation
  • Gen2 Hyper-V virtual machine support
  • APT package management with Debian repositories
  • 24/7 SecureAnyCloud support

Platform: Microsoft Azure (Gen2 Hyper-V)
Default user: azureuser

Prerequisites

Before you deploy this image, make sure you have:

  • An active Microsoft Azure subscription
  • Access to the Azure portal or the Azure CLI
  • An SSH key pair for Linux VM access
  • Familiarity with Azure VM management

Recommended VM size: Standard_B2s (2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM) or larger.

1

Deploy the Virtual Machine

Option A: Azure Portal

  • Go to the Azure Marketplace and search for "Debian 11 (Bullseye) on Azure SecureAnyCloud".
  • Select the image and click Create.
  • Configure the basics:
    • Subscription: Select your Azure subscription.
    • Resource group: Create a new group or select an existing one.
    • Virtual machine name: Enter a name for your VM.
    • Region: Select your preferred Azure region.
    • Size: Standard_B2s is recommended.
  • Under Administrator account, select SSH public key and enter your key.
  • Under Inbound port rules, allow SSH (port 22).
  • Click Review + create, then Create.

Option B: Azure CLI

az vm image terms accept --urn sac1647283583153:debian-11:default:latest
az vm create \
  --resource-group myResourceGroup \
  --name my-debian-11-azure-vm \
  --image sac1647283583153:debian-11:default:latest \
  --size Standard_B2s \
  --admin-username azureuser \
  --generate-ssh-keys \
  --public-ip-sku Standard
2

Connect via SSH

When your VM is running, connect over SSH:

ssh azureuser@<public-ip-address>

To find your VM's public IP address:

az vm show --resource-group myResourceGroup --name my-debian-11-azure-vm --show-details --query publicIps -o tsv
3

Verify the Installation

After you connect, verify the operating system:

cat /etc/os-release uname -r

Check disk space and memory:

df -h free -h

Verify that the Azure Linux Agent is running. On Debian, its service is named walinuxagent:

systemctl status walinuxagent
4

Update the System

Apply the latest available package updates:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade -y
5

Configure the firewall (optional)

The Azure network security group (NSG) controls inbound and outbound traffic. You can also configure the local firewall:

sudo firewall-cmd --list-all

To allow additional ports:

sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=80/tcp sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=443/tcp sudo firewall-cmd --reload

Common use cases

  • Web server hosting (Apache, Nginx)
  • Database deployments (PostgreSQL, MariaDB)
  • Mail server and DNS infrastructure
  • Minimal, secure server environments

Troubleshooting

Cannot connect via SSH

  • Verify that the VM is in the Running state in the Azure portal.
  • Check that port 22 is allowed in the network security group.
  • Make sure you are using the correct username: azureuser.
  • Verify that your SSH key matches the one configured during deployment.

Azure agent not running

sudo systemctl start walinuxagent
sudo systemctl enable walinuxagent

Package manager issues

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade -y

If the repositories are unreachable, check DNS resolution:

nslookup google.com

Important notes

Debian is free and open-source software. No licence is required.

Support

For help with this image, contact SecureAnyCloud support:

  • Website: secureanycloud.com
  • Product catalogue: secureanycloud.com/products
  • User guides: secureanycloud.com/guides
  • SLA: 24 hour response guaranteed

Deploy on Azure

Launch Debian 11 (Bullseye) on Azure with 24/7 support from SecureAnyCloud.

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Need Help?

Our support team is available 24/7.

sales@secureanycloud.com

Deploy on Azure