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Monitoring Azure virtual network

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When you have critical applications and business processes relying on Azure resources, you want to monitor those resources for their availability, performance, and operation.

This article describes the monitoring data generated by Azure virtual network. Azure virtual network uses Azure Monitor. If you're unfamiliar with the features of Azure Monitor common to all Azure services that use it, read Monitoring Azure resources with Azure Monitor.

Monitoring data

Azure virtual network collects the same kinds of monitoring data as other Azure resources that are described in Monitoring data from Azure resources.

See Monitoring Azure virtual network data reference for detailed information on the metrics and logs metrics created by Azure virtual network.

Collection and routing

Platform metrics and the Activity log are collected and stored automatically, but can be routed to other locations by using a diagnostic setting.

Resource Logs aren't collected and stored until you create a diagnostic setting and route them to one or more locations.

See Create diagnostic setting to collect platform logs and metrics in Azure for the detailed process for creating a diagnostic setting using the Azure portal, CLI, or PowerShell. When you create a diagnostic setting, you specify which categories of logs to collect. The categories for Azure virtual network are listed in Azure virtual network monitoring data reference.

Important

Enabling these settings requires additional Azure services (storage account, event hub, or Log Analytics), which may increase your cost. To calculate an estimated cost, visit the Azure pricing calculator.

The metrics and logs you can collect are discussed in the following sections.

Analyzing metrics

Azure Monitor currently doesn't support analyzing Azure virtual network metrics from the metrics explorer. To view Azure virtual network metrics, select Metrics under Monitoring from the virtual network you want to analyze.

Screenshot of the metrics dashboard for Virtual Network.

For a list of the platform metrics collected for Azure virtual network, see Monitoring Azure virtual network data reference metrics.

For reference, you can see a list of all resource metrics supported in Azure Monitor.

Analyzing logs

Azure virtual network doesn't support resource logs.

For a list of the types of resource logs collected for resources in a virtual network, see Monitoring virtual network data reference

The Activity log is a type of platform sign-in Azure that provides insight into subscription-level events. You can view it independently or route it to Azure Monitor Logs, where you can do much more complex queries using Log Analytics.

Alerts

Azure Monitor alerts proactively notify you when important conditions are found in your monitoring data. They allow you to identify and address issues in your system before your customers notice them. You can set alerts on metrics, logs, and the activity log. Different types of alerts have benefits and drawbacks.

The following table lists common and recommended activity alert rules for Azure virtual network.

Alert type Condition Description
Create or Update Virtual Network Event Level: All selected, Status: All selected, Event initiated by: All services and users When a user creates or makes configuration changes to the virtual network.
Delete Virtual Network Event Level: All selected, Status: Started When a user deletes a virtual network.

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