SecureAnyCloud
Deployment guide

Ubuntu Server 24.04

Videos

Overview video: Ubuntu Server 24.04 LTS on Azure (watch on YouTube)

Launch and log in video: Ubuntu Server 24.04 LTS on Azure (watch on YouTube)

Overview

This guide covers the deployment and configuration of Ubuntu Server 24.04 LTS (Noble Numbat) on Microsoft Azure, using SecureAnyCloud's preconfigured virtual machine image from the Azure Marketplace. The image combines Canonical's Ubuntu Server base with the Azure Linux Agent and the Azure-tuned Linux kernel for cloud integration.

What you get:

  • Ubuntu Server 24.04 LTS with Canonical standard security maintenance until May 2029 (extended maintenance requires an Ubuntu Pro subscription, which is not included)
  • Azure Linux Agent (waagent) for cloud integration
  • Chrony (chronyd) for NTP time synchronization
  • Gen2 Hyper-V virtual machine support
  • Azure-tuned Linux kernel (linux-azure)
  • Platform: Microsoft Azure (Gen2 Hyper-V)
  • Login user: the administrator username you choose when you deploy (azureuser in the examples below). The image honors the authentication type you pick in the portal: SSH public key (recommended) or password.
  • 24/7 SecureAnyCloud support

Prerequisites

Before you deploy this image, make sure you have the following:

  • An active Microsoft Azure subscription
  • Access to the Azure Portal or Azure CLI
  • An SSH key pair (recommended) or a strong password 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 "Ubuntu Server 24.04 LTS on Azure SecureAnyCloud"
  • Select the image, then select Create
  • Configure the basics:
  • Subscription: Select your Azure subscription
  • Resource Group: Create new or select existing
  • Virtual Machine Name: Enter a name for your VM
  • Region: Select your preferred Azure region
  • Size: Standard_B2s recommended
  • Under Administrator Account, choose the username you want to log in as, then select SSH public key (recommended) and enter your key, or select Password and set a strong password
  • Under Inbound Port Rules, allow SSH (port 22)
  • Select Review + Create, then select Create

Option B: Azure CLI

Accept the Marketplace terms once per subscription, then create the VM:

az vm image terms accept --urn sac1647283583153:ubuntu-24-04:default:latest
az vm create \
  --resource-group myResourceGroup \
  --name my-ubuntu-server-24-04-azure-vm \
  --image sac1647283583153:ubuntu-24-04:default:latest \
  --size Standard_B2s \
  --admin-username azureuser \
  --generate-ssh-keys \
  --public-ip-sku Standard

Choosing a VM size

General-purpose, memory-optimized, compute-optimized and burstable sizes of the v5 generation and earlier run this image. Four kinds of size do not work with it:

  • NVMe-only sizes (the v6 generation, such as Dsv6, Ddsv6, Dasv6 and Easv6): this image boots from a SCSI disk controller, so Azure refuses to create it on a size that offers only NVMe ("cannot boot with OS image or disk"). Choose a v5 or earlier size instead, for example Standard_D2s_v5 or Standard_D2as_v5.
  • Confidential VM sizes (such as DCasv5, ECasv5 and their v6 successors): these need an image that supports the Confidential VM security type. This image supports the Standard security type only (not Trusted launch or Confidential VM), so if your organization's Azure Policy requires Trusted launch, the deployment is refused.
  • Arm64 sizes (a p in the size name, such as Standard_D2ps_v5): this image is x64.
  • NVv4 GPU sizes (such as Standard_NV4as_v4): Microsoft supports the NVv4 AMD GPU on Windows only and retired the series on 30 September 2026, so the GPU cannot be used from Linux. For an NVIDIA GPU size, see Step 6.
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, run:

az vm show --resource-group myResourceGroup --name my-ubuntu-server-24-04-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 Ubuntu, its service is named walinuxagent:

systemctl status walinuxagent
4

Update the System

Keep your system up to date by installing the latest security patches:

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

Configure Firewall (Optional)

The Azure Network Security Group (NSG) controls inbound and outbound traffic. Ubuntu's own firewall, ufw, ships inactive. Check its status:

sudo ufw status verbose

To enable it, allow SSH first so that you do not lock yourself out, then allow any other ports you need:

sudo ufw allow OpenSSH
sudo ufw allow 80/tcp
sudo ufw allow 443/tcp
sudo ufw enable
6

Install a GPU Driver (NVIDIA GPU Sizes Only)

The image ships without a GPU driver, so on an NVIDIA GPU size (such as the NC, ND and NV series with NVIDIA GPUs), nvidia-smi does not work until you install one. Canonical publishes prebuilt NVIDIA kernel modules for the image's Azure kernel, and ubuntu-drivers picks the right driver for your GPU:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y ubuntu-drivers-common
sudo ubuntu-drivers list
sudo ubuntu-drivers install sudo reboot

After the reboot, run nvidia-smi to see the GPU. On a size without an NVIDIA GPU, ubuntu-drivers list prints nothing, and ubuntu-drivers install has nothing to install.

Common Use Cases

  • Modern cloud-native application hosting
  • AI/ML workloads and data science environments
  • Container and Kubernetes deployments
  • Edge computing and IoT platforms

Troubleshooting

Cannot Connect via SSH

  • Verify the VM is in Running state in the Azure Portal
  • Check that port 22 is allowed in the Network Security Group
  • Make sure you are using the administrator username you chose at deployment (azureuser only if you kept the example) and the matching key or password
  • Verify your SSH key matches the one configured during deployment

Azure Agent Not Running

Start the agent and enable it at boot:

sudo systemctl start walinuxagent
sudo systemctl enable walinuxagent

Package Manager Issues

Refresh the package index and upgrade the installed packages:

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

If repositories are unreachable, check DNS resolution:

nslookup google.com

Important Notes

Ubuntu is free and open source. No license is required.

Support

For assistance with this image, contact SecureAnyCloud support:

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

Deploy on Azure

Launch Ubuntu Server 24.04 LTS 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