Learn by doing with interactive, browser-based lab simulations

Our Mission

Make IT training practical, efficient, and accessible by bridging the gap between theory and application. Deploy, configure, and troubleshoot in a risk-free simulated setting.

Why Choose LabITPro?

100+ hands-on IT labs across cloud, systems, and security
No setup required—everything runs in your browser
Real-world scenarios aligned to jobs and certifications
Flexible, self-paced learning for busy professionals

Who We Help

IT Professionals sharpening job-ready skills
Students & Career Changers preparing for certifications

Udemy Learners seeking hands-on practice
Businesses & Teams scaling effective training

Frequently Asked Questions

Who runs labITpro?

labIT PRO was founded by Thomas Mitchell, a 25-year IT industry veteran who has taught well over 200,000 IT professionals online. Be sure to connect with him on LinkedIn!

Do I need a cloud subscription?

No. All labs run entirely in your browser.

How much does it cost?

Free labs are included; additional collections are one-time purchases. No recurring fees.

Why not just use cloud free trials?

Trials expire. Our labs give unlimited guided practice with no time pressure or billing.

How is this different from Udemy courses?

You *perform* the tasks instead of just watching videos.

Are the labs similar to certification exam tasks?

Yes, they reinforce the real tasks and skills measured on the exams.

Can these labs help me prepare for exams?

Yes—hands-on practice is one of the best ways to prepare.

Get Started

Join thousands of IT professionals who have leveled up with LabITPro. Build real skills at your own pace.

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Azure VM Scale Sets — Quick Reference

Fast lookup for orchestration modes, autoscaling, load balancing, updates & CLI.

Core Benefits

Create & manage groups of identical or heterogeneous VMs.
Automatic scaling based on demand or schedule.
Load balance traffic across instances.
HA across fault domains & availability zones.
Pay only for VMs; no charge for scale set itself.

Scale sets can handle up to 1,000 VMs (Marketplace/Gallery images).

Orchestration Modes

Mode	Profile	Best For
Flexible	Standard Azure VMs	New workloads (default)
Uniform	Identical VMs	Legacy large-scale workloads

Flexible: Full standard VM APIs, dynamic mixing (Spot+on-demand), 1,000 VMs. Uniform: Locked after creation; up to 1,000 VMs (Marketplace) or 600 (custom images).

Orchestration Comparison

Feature	Flexible	Uniform
Standard VM APIs	Yes	No
Mix instance types	Yes	No
RBAC per VM	Yes	No
Azure Backup	Yes	No
Site Recovery	Yes	No
Fault domains	1–3	1–5

Autoscaling Metrics

Host metrics: CPU, memory, disk (no agent needed).
Guest metrics: Custom counters (Azure Diagnostics Extension).
App Insights: Application-level performance metrics.
Rules: Min/max capacity, scale-out/in thresholds, cooldown periods.

Autoscale rules use metrics from Load Balancer, Diagnostics, or App Insights.

Load Balancing

Type	Layer	Best For
Internal LB	L4	Backend pools
Public LB	L4	External traffic
App Gateway	L7	HTTP/HTTPS + WAF

Large scale sets (>100 VMs) require Load Balancer Standard SKU.

Availability & Zones

Single zone: All VMs in one availability zone.
Zone-redundant: VMs spread across 1, 2, or 3 zones in region.
Zone balance: Auto-spread VMs evenly across zones (±1 VM).
Fault domains: 1–3 per zone for best-effort resilience.

Use availability zones for datacenter-level failure protection.

Upgrade Policies (Uniform)

Policy	Rollout	Use
Automatic	Batch	App can tolerate disruption
Rolling	Controlled	Gradual, managed updates
Manual	On-demand	Full control; explicit API calls

Flexible mode uses standard VM updates; no built-in rolling.

Application Deployment

Custom image: Preinstall app; faster provisioning.
Custom Script Extension: Download & run scripts post-deploy.
Azure VM Applications: Package & manage centrally (new).
PowerShell DSC: Desired State Configuration for consistency.

Custom images: 600 VMs max; Marketplace images: 1,000 VMs.

Planned Maintenance & Health

Azure Patch Manager: Automated guest OS patching.
Application Health Extension: Monitor app heartbeat; auto-replace unhealthy.
Health probes (Uniform): Monitor via load balancer.
Platform updates coordinated; typically brief interruption.