Automating Azure VM Shutdown and Startup

Author: Vivek Chandran
Date: October 28, 2024

Automating Azure VM Shutdown and Startup

Introduction

Recently, I received a request at work to implement an automated solution for shutting down and starting up Virtual Machines at specified times to optimize costs. While the initial thought was to use Windows Task Scheduler on a server, this approach had limitations:

Requires a dedicated always-on Windows server
Single point of failure
Limited monitoring capabilities
No built-in high availability

Azure Automation Account emerged as a superior solution because it offers:

Serverless execution
Built-in high availability
Comprehensive monitoring
Native Azure integration
Cost-effective implementation

Prerequisites

An Azure subscription with active credentials
A running Virtual Machine in Azure
Appropriate permissions to create and manage Azure Automation resources

Implementation

1. Creating an Azure Automation Account

Navigate to the Azure Portal
Search for "Automation Accounts"

4. Click Create and configure the following:

Name: Choose a unique name
Resource Group: Select or create new
Location: Choose same region as your VM
Click Review + create followed by Create

Assign Contributor role to the Managed Identity:
- Go to your target VM Resource Group
- Select Access control (IAM) from the left menu
- Click Add > Add role assignment
- Select Contributor as the role
- In the Assign access to dropdown, choose Managed Identity
- Select Automation Account in the next dropdown
- Choose your Automation Account from the list
- Click Review + assign to complete the assignment

2. Required Module Configuration

Navigate to your newly created Automation Account and import these essential modules:

Az.Compute
Az.Accounts

To import modules:

Go to Shared Resources → Modules
Search for each module
Import if not already present

3. Creating Automation Runbooks

Shutdown Runbook

Navigate to Process Automation → Runbooks → Create a runbook
Configure the runbook:
- Name: Shutdown-VM
- Runbook type: PowerShell
- Click Create

Use the following PowerShell script in the editor:

param(
    [string]$resourceGroupName = "YourResourceGroupName",
    [string]$vmName = "YourVirtualMachineName"
)

# Authenticate to Azure
Connect-AzAccount -Identity

# Stop the VM
Stop-AzVM -ResourceGroupName $resourceGroupName -Name $vmName -Force

Note: Remember to replace placeholder values (like YourResourceGroupName and YourVirtualMachineName) with your actual Azure resource information before implementing the solution. 4. Click Save and then Publish the runbook

Startup Runbook

Create another runbook:
- Runbook type: PowerShell
- Click Create

Use the following PowerShell script in the editor:

param(
    [string]$resourceGroupName = "YourResourceGroupName",
    [string]$vmName = "YourVirtualMachineName"
)

# Authenticate to Azure
Connect-AzAccount -Identity

# Start the VM
Start-AzVM -ResourceGroupName $resourceGroupName -Name $vmName

4. Scheduling the Runbooks

Shutdown Schedule (10:00 PM)

Open the Shutdown-VM runbook
Select "Schedules" and "Select Add a schedule"

Select Link a schedule to your runbook

Configure schedule:
- Name: DailyShutdown
- Recurrence: Recurring
- Recur every: 1 day
- Start time: 10:00 PM

Startup Schedule (6:00 AM)

Open the Startup-VM runbook
Select Link a schedule to your runbook
Configure schedule:
- Name: DailyStartup
- Recurrence: Recurring
- Recur every: 1 day
- Start time: 6:00 AM

Testing the Configuration

1. Test the Shutdown Runbook

Navigate to your Automation Account
Go to Runbooks under Process Automation
Select the Shutdown-VM runbook
Click Start to open the runbook execution pane
Enter the required parameters:
- Resource Group Name: YourResourceGroupName
- VM Name: YourVirtualMachineName
Click OK to start the runbook

Monitor the job output in real-time:
- Watch for successful authentication
- Check for VM status changes
- Verify completion message

Validate in Azure Portal:
- Navigate to the Virtual Machine
- Confirm status shows "Stopped (deallocated)"
- Check the Activity Log for shutdown action

2. Test the Startup Runbook

Navigate to your Automation Account
Go to Runbooks under Process Automation
Select the Startup-VM runbook
Click Start to open the runbook execution pane
Enter the required parameters:
- Resource Group Name: YourResourceGroupName
- VM Name: YourVirtualMachineName
Click OK to start the runbook
Monitor the job output in real-time:
- Watch for successful authentication
- Check for VM status changes
- Verify completion message
Validate in Azure Portal:
- Navigate to the Virtual Machine
- Confirm status shows "Running"
- Check the Activity Log for startup action

Best Practices

Always test runbooks during non-production hours
Monitor the first few scheduled executions
Keep resource group names and VM names updated in runbook parameters
Regularly check automation account logs for any failures

Cost Benefits

Implementing this solution can lead to significant cost savings:

Assuming a VM costs $100/day when running 24/7
Running only 8 hours/day (6 AM - 10 PM) reduces runtime by 66%
Potential monthly savings: ~$2,000 per VM
Additional savings from reduced network, storage I/O costs

Alternative Approaches Considered

Windows Task Scheduler
- Pros: Simple to implement
- Cons: Requires dedicated server, no HA, limited monitoring
Azure DevOps Pipelines
- Pros: Familiar for DevOps teams
- Cons: More complex setup, potential cost implications
Azure Functions
- Pros: Serverless, cost-effective
- Cons: More complex to maintain, requires additional setup

Conclusion

Azure Automation Account provides an enterprise-grade solution for VM scheduling that is reliable, maintainable and cost-effective. The implementation is straightforward and can be easily adapted to manage multiple VMs across different resource groups and subscriptions.