There are a large number of Virtual Machine (VM) images available within the Azure Marketplace that range from Windows Server, various Linux distributions, to the latest Windows Server 2016 Technical Preview 5 just released. Just login to the Azure Portal, search the Azure Marketplace for the VM image you need, and create it on your subscription. This is the easiest way to setup a VM that you can then remote into without needing to setup any hardware. Plus, when you’re done just delete it.

To find the Windows Server 2016 Technical Preview 5 in the Azure Marketplace just follow the below steps:

Navigate to the Azure Portal
Click on the “New” plus sign button in the top left of the Azure Portal
Simply type “Windows Server 2016” into the search box, and Windows Server 2016 Technical Preview 5 should be an auto suggest option.
Upon hitting Enter a list of results will display showing the Windows Server 2016 Technical Preview 5
Click on Windows Server 2016 Technical Preview 5 in the list to bring up the information about it
Lastly, click “Create” and follow the prompts to configure and setup the VM

AzureVMWinServ16TP5

Enjoy playing around with the latest Windows Server 2016 Technical Preview 5 release without needing to provision any hardware. Simply create the VM in Azure and play around for as long or as little as you need, then just delete the VM to stop paying for it. It’s just that easy!

About the Author

Chris Pietschmann

Chris Pietschmann is a Microsoft MVP, HashiCorp Ambassador, and Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) with 20+ years of experience designing and building Cloud & Enterprise systems. He has worked with companies of all sizes from startups to large enterprises. He has a passion for technology and sharing what he learns with others to help enable them to learn faster and be more productive.