Deploying WordPress Blog On Windows Server VM

Azure Web App enables you to build highly scalable apps & quickly deploy on Azure but here we don't need to worry about an operating system, system configuration, etc just host your web app or solution on azure. So it is considered as a Platform-as-a-Service(PaaS). In this article we are considering Azure Virtual Machine so user or admin needs to manage Operating System, System configuration, Application, Data,etc. Virtual Machine is a example of Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS). In short IaaS gives you a server or virtual machine that you have complete control over. This category will feel most like a typical on-premises Virtual Machine where remote desktop (.rdp) connection is available to manage all settings.

Prerequisites

Microsoft Azure Subscription (MSDN subscribers or sign up for one month free trial)

You will learn

Create Windows Server 2012 R2 Virtual Machine
Install Microsoft Web Platform installer (free tool that makes getting the latest components of the Microsoft Web Platform, including Internet Information Services (IIS), SQL Server Express, .NET Framework and Visual Web Developer easy)
Configure WordPress on Azure Virtual Machine

Create Virtual Machine

Step 1: Navigate to Azure Portal & sign in using Azure Subscription credentials.

Step 2: Click on +New -> Virtual Machine -> Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter (all other Virtual Machine templates available)

Step 3: Select Virtual Machine Deployment model: Classic or Resource Manager. Select Classic deployment model. For more information about Resource Manager click here.

Step 4: Settings of Virtual Machine blade will open such as Host name. User name, Password, Pricing Tier, optional configurations, Resource groups, Subscription, Location or Region.

Step 5: Select Pricing Tier according to requirement. Two Tier available : Basic tier & Standard tier. Also Virtual Machine's series available : A, D, D_V2, DS, G, GS.

By Tier

Basic Tier : An economical option for development workloads, test servers and other applications that do not require load balancing, auto-scaling or memory intensive virtual machines
Standard Tier : Supports all virtual machine configurations and features. It offers the most flexibility.

By Series

A-Series : The Normal virtual machine with basic & standard tier
D-Series : Virtual machine feature solid state drives(SSDs) and faster processors than A Series. It is ideal for applications that demand faster CPUs, better local disk performance or higher memories.
D_V2 Series : Instances are the next generation of D-Series instance which can be used as Virtual Machines or Cloud Services. It is average 35% faster than D-Series.
DS-Series : It is specifically targeted for Premium Storage.
G-Series : The "Godzilla" Virtual Machine with large allocation of RAM, more SSDs. It will provide unparalleled computational performance than any current VM size in public cloud.
GS-Series : It is specifically targeted for Premium Storage. Pricing for GS-Series are the same as G-Series.

Step 6:

Select Optional Configuration (Network, storage, diagnostics), In this option we can find more virtual machine's configuration. OS Settings, Availability Set, Network, Storage Account, Endpoints, Extensions, Performance Monitoring, Image Version,

Step 7: Create a new resource group or use an existing resource group. For more information about Resource Group please click here

Step 8: Choose Azure Subscription. Multiple Azure subscription possible with one email id.

Step 9: Last option is Location. Deploy VM on which region or location.

Step 10: Complete all the configuration & click on Create button. It will take few seconds or minutes to ready Virtual Machine.

Step 11: After successfully created VM, settings blade will open.

Step 12: Click on Connect button to connect remotely with Virtual Machine. When we click on connect button one .rdp file will download.

Step 13: Run the .rdp file & click on Connect button.

Step 14: Enter VM Username & Password.

Step 15: Remote Desktop Connection windows will open for authentication. Select Yes option

Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter running successfully

Step 16: To change the security of browser please select Local Server left side & change the IE Enhanced Security to off.

Step 17: For WordPress package we need to install Microsoft Web Platform installer tool click here

. Install & run the tool,

Step 18: Search for WordPress & click on Add button,

Step 19: Web Platform will start & By default username of MySQL is root. Now enter MySQL database password.

Accept the Terms & Condition of WordPress installation,

Step 20: Change the Website to New Website. Enter Web Site Name & choose physical path of installation.

C:\inetpub\wwwroot

Step 21:

After completion of WordPress installation automatically localhost will open browser address. WordPress installation will start. if error page will open so please follow below steps to solve this problem.

Solution:

To solve this problem please install Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2012 Update 4 (32-bit version).

Note: Even if 64-bit operating system installed on machine, you need to install 32-bit version because PHP is still 32-bit application.

Download link : https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=30679

Step 22: After installation, refresh the address or type again in browser's address : localhost

Step 23: WordPress installation page will open

Choose Preferred Language

Step 24: Enter Site Title, Admin Username. Password. Email id(for recovery admin password). Then click on "Install WordPress" button

Step 25: Click on "Login" button. Enter WordPress admin Username & Password,

WordPress Blog Dashboard

Step 26:

Navigate to Azure Portal. Click on All settings then Endpoints. By default 2 endpoints configure with Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter. To access wordpress blog globally we need to add one Endpoint such as HTTP.

Click on Add button & then enter Name : HTTP

Protocol : TCP
Public Port : 80
Private Port : 80

Step 27: Also copy Azure VM DNS Name & paste in Windows Server VM. In WordPress dashboard, settings menu available.

Change the WordPress Address (URL) & Site Address (URL) from
http://localhost to http://dnsname.cloudapp.net

Click on Save Changes button.

Finally copy-paste or type the address of VM in browser.

Congratulations, your WordPress Blog configured on Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter on Azure successfully!