> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://cortex-docs.paloaltonetworks.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://cortex-docs.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex-xsoar-6-installation-guides/6.13/cortex-xsoar-installation-guide/system-requirements/cloud-deployment-specifications/azure-virtual-machines-deployment-guidelines.md).

# Azure Virtual Machines Deployment Guidelines

Azure Virtual Machine (VM) deployments have specific technical and sizing requirements and a set of Cortex XSOAR best practices.

After you configure and verify your Azure Virtual Machine, install the Cortex XSOAR Server.

**Supported Azure VM sizes**

Cortex XSOAR server installation is supported on the following Azure VM sizes.

| Instance Type                       | Instance Name |
| ----------------------------------- | ------------- |
| D-Series v4 - General Purpose       | D16as\_v4     |
| D48as\_v4                           |               |
| D96as\_v4                           |               |
| F-Series v2 - Compute-Optimized     | F48s\_v2      |
| F64s\_v2                            |               |
| F72s\_v2                            |               |
| H-Series - High Performance Compute | H16           |
| H16m                                |               |
| H16r                                |               |
| L-Series v2                         | L16s\_v2      |
| L48s\_v2                            |               |
| L80s\_v2                            |               |
| D-Series v3 - General Purpose       | D16s\_v3      |
| D48s\_v3                            |               |
| D64s\_v3                            |               |

{% hint style="info" %}

### Note

The guideline for VM selection is to start with a VM from at least the General Purpose family with a minimum of 16 vCPUs and 64 GB of memory.
{% endhint %}

**Supported Azure managed disk**

We recommend that you use a managed disk from the Premium SSD family with a minimum IOPS of 5000+ and minimum disk space of 500 GB.

**Network Security**

Inbound connections: Cortex XSOAR server requires that you open HTTPS port 443 for inbound connections.

Outbound connections: outbound ports depend on your integrations and specific requirements. By default, Azure Network Security groups allow all outbound traffic.

**Supported OS**

Cortex XSOAR supports server installation on these [Linux distributions](/cortex-xsoar-6-installation-guides/6.13/cortex-xsoar-installation-guide/system-requirements/cortex-xsoar-system-requirements.md).

**Azure Backup**

You can use Azure Snapshots to back up your Azure VM and disks. Use snapshots for incremental backups, point-in-time restoration, and to view historical data.


---

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