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Guidelines for Azure D8s and Larger Virtual Machines

This article provides guidance on ensuring that documentation and operational procedures support Azure D8s and larger virtual machine (VM) sizes. These VM sizes offer increased CPU and memory capacity and are designed to support high-demand workloads and scalable infrastructure environments.

Scope
  • Azure D8s, D16s, D32s, and above
  • Documentation related to deployment, monitoring, and capacity planning
Environment

This guidance applies to the following environment:

  • Microsoft Azure Virtual Machines
  • Azure D-series VM sizes (D8s and larger)
  • Cloud-based infrastructure environments that support vertical scaling
Overview

Azure D8s and larger virtual machine sizes provide enhanced compute resources designed to support demanding workloads and scalable environments.

These VM sizes offer:

  • Higher vCPU counts to support increased processing requirements
  • Increased RAM capacity for memory-intensive applications
  • Greater disk scalability to accommodate growing storage requirements
  • Improved performance for compute-intensive workloads

Because of these capabilities, D8s and larger VM sizes are commonly used for enterprise workloads, large-scale data processing, and applications that require higher performance or increased concurrency.

Prerequisites

Before upgrading or deploying larger Azure VM sizes, verify the following:

  1. Appropriate Azure Permissions
    The user performing the operation must have permission to modify or resize virtual machines.
  2. VM Size Availability
    Confirm that the desired VM size is available in the selected Azure region.
  3. Subscription Quotas
    Ensure the Azure subscription has sufficient quota for the selected VM size.
  4. Compatibility with Existing VM Configuration
    Confirm that the current VM can be resized within the supported VM family.
  5. Maintenance Planning
    Resizing a virtual machine may require a restart. Schedule changes during an appropriate maintenance window.
Procedure

1. Verify the Current VM Size

  1. Sign in to the Azure portal.
  2. Navigate to Virtual Machines.
  3. Select the target virtual machine.
  4. Review the VM Size listed in the Overview section.

2. Resize the Virtual Machine 

  1. In the VM configuration menu, select Size.
  2. Review the list of supported VM sizes available for the VM.
  3. Select the desired size (for example D16s or D32s).
  4. Select Resize to apply the change.

3. Allow the VM to Restart 

Azure may restart the virtual machine during the resizing process. Wait until the VM status returns to Running.

4. Verify Application Services 

After the VM resize is complete:

  • Confirm the VM is operational
  • Verify application services have started successfully
  • Validate network connectivity and monitoring metrics
Validation

Testing confirmed that upgrading between supported VM sizes within the D-series family works successfully.

The following upgrade path was validated:

D8s → D16s → D32s

The VM resizing process completed successfully, and the system continued operating normally after each upgrade.

Validation should include:

  • Confirmation that the VM resize operation completed successfully
  • Verification that system services and applications are running normally
  • Review of monitoring metrics to ensure normal system behavior 
Monitoring and Capacity Planning

For environments running larger VM sizes:

  • Monitor CPU utilization, memory usage, and disk I/O regularly
  • Use Azure monitoring tools to track performance and resource consumption
  • Review capacity requirements periodically as workloads evolve

Proper monitoring helps ensure that infrastructure resources remain aligned with workload demands.

References