Understanding Windows Azure Subscription Information for Microsoft HPC Pack
Applies To: Microsoft HPC Pack 2008 R2, Microsoft HPC Pack 2012, Microsoft HPC Pack 2012 R2
To create or edit a Windows Azure node template, you must have a Windows Azure subscription. Minimally, a Windows Azure cloud service and a Windows Azure storage account must be configured in the subscription, and a management certificate must be configured in the Windows Azure subscription and in the on-premises computers, before you can use them in a Windows Azure node template. Depending on your scenario, you may need to configure additional features or services in your Windows Azure subscription and configure additional information in the Windows Azure node template.
Note
- Support for Windows Azure nodes was added in HPC Pack 2008 R2 with Service Pack 1.
- For detailed requirements to add Windows Azure nodes to an on-premises HPC cluster, see Requirements to Add Windows Azure Nodes with Microsoft HPC Pack.
The following table summarizes the minimum information from a Windows Azure subscription that is needed in a Windows Azure node template.
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
Subscription ID |
Unique 32-character identifier (containing dashes) for the Windows Azure subscription |
Management certificate |
Thumbprint of a management certificate that provides the required authentication for HPC clients to connect to the Windows Azure subscription. This is a 40-character hexadecimal string (without spaces). The certificate must be configured in the Windows Azure subscription and on the head node or head nodes of the HPC cluster. For certain scenarios you may need to configure the certificate on a client computer that is used to manage the HPC cluster and needs a connection to Windows Azure. In the Create Node Template Wizard or in Node Template Editor, you can type, paste, or browse to a thumbprint of a certificate with a private key that is in the appropriate certificates stores on the head node or head nodes. For more information about the requirements for the management certificate, see Requirements to Add Windows Azure Nodes with Microsoft HPC Pack. For detailed procedures to configure and troubleshoot the management certificate, see Scenarios to Configure the Windows Azure Management Certificate for Windows Azure Burst Deployments. |
Cloud service |
The public, globally unique name of a Windows Azure cloud service that is configured in the subscription and that is used to add Windows Azure nodes to the HPC cluster. The name is the value of <Prefix> that is configured in the public URL of the service ( After you specify a Subscription ID and a management certificate in the Create Node Template Wizard or in Node Template Editor, the available Windows Azure cloud services from which you can choose are automatically displayed in a dropdown list. |
Storage account |
The public, globally unique name (case sensitive) of a storage account that is configured in the subscription and that manages storage operations for Windows Azure nodes in the HPC cluster. The storage account name is the value of After you specify a Subscription ID and a management certificate in the Create Node Template Wizard or in Node Template Editor, the available Windows Azure storage accounts from which you can choose are automatically displayed in a dropdown list. |
Additional considerations
The network firewall must allow communication between the HPC cluster and Windows Azure. To verify that the firewall is configured properly or to troubleshoot connectivity problems, you can run the Windows Azure Firewall Ports diagnostic test and the Windows Azure Services Connection diagnostic test. Both tests are available in HPC Pack starting with HPC Pack 2008 R2 with Service Pack 2.
A given cloud service can be configured in at most one Windows Azure node template.
You can use a Windows Azure storage account in more than one Windows Azure node template. For optimal performance, select the same region for the storage account that is used for the cloud service. As a best practice, the storage account that is used for a Windows Azure node deployment should not be used for purposes other than node provisioning. If you plan to use Windows Azure storage to move job and task data to and from the head node or to and from the Windows Azure nodes, configure a separate storage account for that purpose.
Additional information
See Also
Concepts
Configuring a Windows Azure Node Template for Microsoft HPC Pack
Deploying Windows Azure Nodes with Microsoft HPC Pack