In this Azure article, we will discuss Azure Network Watcher, its Features, and different methods to use it, along with best practices and pricing details.
Table of Contents
- Azure Network Watcher
- Creating Azure Network Watcher
- Wrapping Up
Azure Network Watcher
What Is Azure Network Watcher?
Azure Network Watcher is a native Azure service designed to monitor, diagnose, and gain insights into your Azure Virtual Network (VNet) resources. It provides a suite of tools that help you troubleshoot connectivity issues, analyze traffic flows, and optimize network performance in real-time.
Think of Azure Network Watcher as your cloud network’s health monitor.
Azure Network Watcher is an excellent tool that helps you with different tools for monitoring and diagnosing different issues related to your network. It provides you with the logs for the resources that belong to your virtual network.
It also helps you to view metrics and mainly provides you the opportunity to monitor your Azure Virtual Networks, your Virtual Machines (VM), Load Balancers, your application Gateways, etc., and helps you to repair in case of any issues concerning the networks.
Why Use Azure Network Watcher?
- Proactive Monitoring: Detect and resolve network issues before they affect end-users.
- Security Analysis: Inspect network traffic and security group rules to identify vulnerabilities.
- Performance Optimization: Analyze latency and throughput to optimize cloud applications.
- Compliance: Maintain logs and diagnostics for audit and compliance purposes.
- Cost Efficiency: Prevent costly downtime and inefficient network configurations.
Azure Network Watcher Features
Below is the list of key features of Azure Network Watcher.
Better Monitoring Capability
Azure Network Watcher helps you monitor various endpoints, VMs, IPv4 addresses, FQDNs, and more. You can easily get a clear picture of the communication, network issues, latency, etc.
Tools for diagnosing
It provides various diagnostic tools to help you identify issues related to your virtual network, including network traffic, routing problems within your VM, outbound connections from your Virtual Machine, and issues with your Azure Virtual Network Gateway. Additionally, it enables you to capture packets from or to your Virtual Machine.
View Metrics
You can view metrics or summaries of the network resources you have created or deployed within your Azure subscription, including resource names, current limits, and usage within your subscription or region.
Viewing The Logs
Azure Network Watcher allows you to view and analyze the logs.
With the help of the NSG flow log, you can log the IP address of your source and destination, the protocol, and the port details, etc.
You can enable logging for various network resources, including load balancers, application gateways, and virtual network gateways.
It is easy to view the logs with the help of Power BI and the traffic analytics feature, where you will get a perfect visualization of your NSG flow logs.
Using Azure Network Watcher: Different Methods
1. Packet Capture
Packet capture lets you collect network traffic packets from a VM’s NIC for deep packet inspection.
How to Use Packet Capture
- Define filters (e.g., source/destination IP, port).
- Start the capture session.
- Download and analyze the
.pcapfile with tools like Wireshark.
2. IP Flow Verify
IP Flow Verify checks whether traffic is allowed or denied based on NSG rules.
Example Use Case
If a user in New York cannot access a VM in Virginia, run IP Flow Verify to check if NSG rules are blocking the traffic.
3. Next Hop
Next Hop helps you determine the next network device a packet will traverse when sent from a VM.
Why It’s Useful
- Troubleshoot routing issues.
- Verify traffic flow paths.
4. Security Group View
This feature visualizes effective NSG rules applied to a VM or subnet, showing which rules allow or block traffic.
5. Connection Monitor
Connection Monitor continuously tests end-to-end connectivity between Azure resources or from Azure to on-premises.
Benefits
- Detect connectivity degradation.
- Alert on failures.
- Visualize connection paths.
6. Network Performance Monitor
Network Performance Monitor (NPM) is an advanced feature that measures latency, packet loss, and network health across Azure regions and on-premises sites.
Creating Azure Network Watcher
Follow the steps below to create an Azure Network Watcher
- Log in to the Azure Portal.
- Search for Azure Network Watcher, then click on the search result.
3. Click on the + Add button on the Network Watcher page.
4. On the Add Network Watcher window, select the subscription you want to use here and select the region for which you want to add the network watcher.
Finally, click on the Add button.
It will take a few seconds to see a message like the one below that the Deployment succeeded.
You can see that the Network Watcher was created successfully. Click on the name to see the details of the Network Watcher.
Best Practices for Using Azure Network Watcher
- Enable Network Watcher in all relevant regions to cover your cloud footprint.
- Use packet capture sparingly to avoid storage costs.
- Automate monitoring with Azure Monitor and Alerts for proactive response.
- Regularly review NSG rules using Security Group View.
- Combine Network Watcher with Azure Sentinel for enhanced security analytics.
- Document and audit network diagnostics for compliance needs.
Pricing and Cost Considerations
Azure Network Watcher itself is free to enable, but some features incur costs:
| Feature | Cost Details |
|---|---|
| Packet Capture | Charged for storage of capture files |
| Connection Monitor | Charged per monitored endpoint and data volume |
| Network Performance Monitor | Charged based on data collected and alerts |
Always monitor your Azure billing dashboard to control costs.
Summary Table: Azure Network Watcher Features
| Feature | Purpose | Cost Impact | Use Case Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Packet Capture | Deep packet-level traffic analysis | Storage charges | Debugging network issues |
| IP Flow Verify | NSG rule validation | Free | Checking connectivity blocks |
| Next Hop | Routing path troubleshooting | Free | Diagnosing routing failures |
| Security Group View | NSG rule visualization | Free | Security audits |
| Connection Monitor | Continuous connectivity testing | Usage-based charges | SLA monitoring |
| Network Performance Monitor | Latency and packet loss monitoring | Usage-based charges | Network health monitoring |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Is Azure Network Watcher available in all USA Azure regions?
Yes, but you need to enable it per region manually.
2. Can I use Network Watcher for on-premises networks?
Network Watcher primarily monitors Azure resources but integrates with hybrid solutions via VPN or ExpressRoute.
3. Does packet capture affect VM performance?
Minimal impact if used briefly; avoid long captures on production VMs.
4. How do I automate alerts for network issues?
Integrate Network Watcher with Azure Monitor and create alert rules based on metrics and logs.
Wrapping Up
Azure Network Watcher is a powerful, versatile tool that helps cloud professionals leverage for effective network monitoring and diagnostics. From packet captures to connection monitoring and NSG rule analysis, it provides the insights needed to maintain a secure and high-performing Azure network environment.
By following this guide and applying the methods shared, you can proactively manage your Azure network, troubleshoot issues faster, and optimize cloud resources efficiently.
I am Rajkishore, and I am a Microsoft Certified IT Consultant. I have over 14 years of experience in Microsoft Azure and AWS, with good experience in Azure Functions, Storage, Virtual Machines, Logic Apps, PowerShell Commands, CLI Commands, Machine Learning, AI, Azure Cognitive Services, DevOps, etc. Not only that, I do have good real-time experience in designing and developing cloud-native data integrations on Azure or AWS, etc. I hope you will learn from these practical Azure tutorials. Read more.
