Azure Virtual Machines – Consider Upgrading Ls Series Machines to Lsv2

Upgrade Azure Ls series virtual machines to Lsv2 series to improve price performance and reduce cloud infrastructure costs with newer processor technology.

Why Upgrade Azure VM Series

Azure’s Lsv2 series virtual machines offer significant advantages over the original Ls series, providing:

• Better processor performance
• More cost-effective configurations
• Improved storage technology
• Enhanced computational efficiency

Cost Optimization Potential

Upgrading from Ls to Lsv2 series can deliver meaningful cost savings. For instance:

• An L16s instance (16 vCPUs, 128 GB RAM) costs approximately $1,002 monthly
• The equivalent L16s v2 instance costs around $911 monthly
• Potential savings: 9% reduction in monthly infrastructure expenses

Implementation Strategy

Infrastructure-as-Code Upgrade Process Example (Terraform)

# Before (Ls Series)
resource "azurerm_virtual_machine" "example" {
  vm_size = "Standard_L16s"
  # Other configuration parameters
}

# After (Lsv2 Series)
resource "azurerm_virtual_machine" "example" {
  vm_size = "Standard_L16s_v2"
  # Other configuration parameters
}

Manual Migration Steps

1. Assess current VM workload and requirements
2. Validate Lsv2 series compatibility
3. Create a new Lsv2 series VM
4. Migrate data and configurations
5. Update networking and security settings
6. Perform comprehensive testing
7. Decommission old Ls series VM

Best Practices

• Validate Application Compatibility: Ensure your applications run smoothly on Lsv2
• Conduct Performance Testing: Measure performance before and after migration
• Use Infracost for Continuous Monitoring: Leverage Infracost to identify and prevent unnecessary VM expenses

Example Scenarios

Web Hosting Infrastructure

A mid-sized web hosting provider migrating 50 Ls series VMs to Lsv2 could potentially save:

• Monthly Savings: Approximately $4,550
• Annual Cost Reduction: Around $54,600

Development and Testing Environments

Software development teams running multiple test environments can optimize costs by:

• Standardizing on Lsv2 series
• Implementing automated scaling
• Reducing overall VM infrastructure expenses

Considerations and Caveats

Potential Limitations

• Some legacy applications might require specific Ls series configurations
• Migration process requires careful planning
• Temporary performance dip during transition

When to Avoid Upgrading

• Mission-critical systems with strict compatibility requirements
• Applications with highly specialized hardware dependencies
• Environments with complex, tightly coupled configurations

Tools and Recommendations

Recommended Tools

• Azure Cost Management
• Infracost (for continuous cost monitoring and prevention)
• Azure Advisor

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)