Azure load balancer: NAT redirect RDP to VM, and load balance HTTP to availability set?

Question

It looks like you can't NAT as well as load balance unless it's to the same destination. Once I created the NAT rule (so I can RDP to the load balancer over a custom port, and then that's redirected to my management VM), I cannot create the backend pool to use for HTTP load balancing. I go to backend pools and click create and it already fills in "associated with " and I cannot change that to my web VMs availability set.

I've also tried creating the backend pool first, for which I select the web VM availability set, but then when I create a NAT rule I cannot point to the management VM, only to the availability set/specific VM in that set.

What am I missing? Is there a solution besides recreating the management VM and putting it in the web VM availability set?

Answer 1

I've also tried creating the backend pool first, for which I select the web VM availability set, but then when I create a NAT rule I cannot point to the management VM, only to the availability set/specific VM in that set.

All of these are by design behavior. LB only work for an availability set or a single VM.

Is there a solution besides recreating the management VM and putting it in the web VM availability set?

No, if you want to use LB to connect to the management VM, we should recreate it and add this VM to that availability set.

If you just want this VM can connect to those VMs behind that LB, we can create this VM in that Vnet, then use management VM's public IP address to login this VM, and use private IP address to connect to those VMs.