Operating Systems Azure

Ubuntu Server 20.04 LTS on Azure User Guide

| Product: Ubuntu Server 20.04 LTS on Azure

Overview

This guide covers the deployment and configuration of Ubuntu Server 20.04 LTS (Focal Fossa) on Microsoft Azure using cloudimg's pre configured virtual machine image from the Azure Marketplace.

What's included:

  • Ubuntu Server 20.04 LTS (Canonical's standard security maintenance ended in May 2025; extended security maintenance requires an Ubuntu Pro subscription, which is not included)
  • Azure Linux Agent (waagent) for cloud integration
  • Chrony (chronyd) for NTP time synchronisation
  • Gen2 Hyper V virtual machine support
  • APT package management with Ubuntu repositories
  • 24/7 cloudimg support

Platform: Microsoft Azure (Gen2 Hyper V) Login user: the administrator username you choose when you deploy (azureuser in the examples below). The image honours the authentication type you pick in the portal: SSH public key (recommended) or password.

Prerequisites

Before deploying this image, ensure you have:

  1. An active Microsoft Azure subscription
  2. Access to the Azure Portal or Azure CLI
  3. An SSH key pair (recommended) or a strong password for Linux VM access
  4. Familiarity with Azure VM management

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

Step 1: Deploy the Virtual Machine

Option A: Azure Portal

  1. Navigate to the Azure Marketplace and search for "Ubuntu Server 20.04 LTS on Azure cloudimg"
  2. Select the image and click Create
  3. Configure the basics:
  4. Subscription: Select your Azure subscription
  5. Resource Group: Create new or select existing
  6. Virtual Machine Name: Enter a name for your VM
  7. Region: Select your preferred Azure region
  8. Size: Standard_B2s recommended
  9. 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
  10. Under Inbound Port Rules, allow SSH (port 22)
  11. Click Review + Create, then Create

Option B: Azure CLI

az vm image terms accept --urn cloudimg1647283583153:ubuntu-20-04:default:latest

az vm create \
  --resource-group myResourceGroup \
  --name my-ubuntu-server-20-04-azure-vm \
  --image cloudimg1647283583153:ubuntu-20-04:default:latest \
  --size Standard_B2s \
  --admin-username azureuser \
  --generate-ssh-keys \
  --public-ip-sku Standard

Step 2: Connect via SSH

Once your VM is running, connect using SSH:

ssh azureuser@<public-ip-address>

To find your VM's public IP:

az vm show --resource-group myResourceGroup --name my-ubuntu-server-20-04-azure-vm --show-details --query publicIps -o tsv

Step 3: Verify the Installation

After connecting, verify the operating system:

cat /etc/os-release
uname -r

Check disk space and memory:

df -h
free -h

Verify the Azure Linux Agent is running:

systemctl status waagent

Step 4: Update the System

Keep your system up to date with the latest security patches:

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

Step 5: Configure Firewall (Optional)

The Azure Network Security Group (NSG) controls inbound and outbound traffic. Ubuntu's own firewall, ufw, ships inactive; check it with:

sudo ufw status verbose

To enable it, always allow SSH first so 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

Common Use Cases

  • Web application hosting (LAMP, MEAN, MERN stacks)
  • Container and Docker workloads
  • Database hosting (MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB)
  • Development and CI/CD environments

Troubleshooting

Cannot Connect via SSH

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

Azure Agent Not Running

sudo systemctl start waagent
sudo systemctl enable waagent

Package Manager Issues

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 licence required.

Support

For assistance with this image, contact cloudimg support: