Microsoft Azure Connector

FlexNet Manager Suite 2020 R2 (On-Premises)

This part introduces the FlexNet connector to Microsoft Azure, enabling you to collect Azure virtual machine inventory data, managed by Azure Resource Manager.

The connector to Azure is only a part of a complete "bring your own software license", or BYOSL management strategy for instances (typically, virtual machines that are tracked as inventory devices) that are hosted for you by this cloud service provider. By itself, the connector does not gather sufficient data to allow for license management: for example, it does not gather software inventory for the applications that are running on your cloud-hosted devices.

For that reason, this part covers more than the connector itself. As well as details of prerequisites, set up, and data gathering with the connector, the part includes some insights into:

• Processes for gathering complete hardware and software inventory for your cloud-based instances
• Considerations for license management.

In fact, using those guidelines, you could configure inventory gathering in Azure without using the connector at all. Provided that you are deploying the latest FlexNet inventory agent (13.2.x or later), inventory alone even returns the cloud service provider. What the connector adds is:

• Automatically setting the Hosted in property in the inventory device records created when inventory is returned
• Adding the cloud service provider and instance details when these are missing from inventory collected by legacy versions of FlexNet inventory agent, or from third-party inventory sources
• Populating the Cloud Service Provider Inventory page with records of instances currently running in your Azure environment, including a few properties that are additional to the normal hardware and software inventory
• Importing permanent records of instances that were previously running but that have now been terminated (and for which, as a result, any prior inventory devices records have now been deleted)
• Triggering automatic deletion (completed at the next full import and compliance calculation) of any inventory device record linked to an instance that is now terminated.

This part focuses on background about the connector, and additional material you need in order to build license management around the connector. You will not find details about making the actual connection here.

Note: The Microsoft Azure inventory connector does not collect virtual machine inventory for virtual machines managed by Microsoft's classic deployment model. For these devices we recommend you use an alternative such as the inventory spreadsheet upload, the Business Importer or simply through editing manually.

Note: Containers are not currently supported.

Step-by-step instructions for configuring the connection to Azure are available in the online help at FlexNet Manager Suite Online Help > Inventory Beacons > Inventory Systems Page > Connecting to External Inventory Systems > Managing PowerShell Connections > Managing Azure Connections.