azure-api-load-balancer.html.md.erb

---
title: Configuring an Azure Load Balancer for the PKS API
owner: PKS
---

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This topic describes how to create a load balancer for the Pivotal Container Service (PKS) API
using Azure.

Refer to the procedures in this topic to create a load balancer using Azure. To use a different
load balancer, use this topic as a guide.

##<a id='prerequisites'></a> Prerequisites

To complete the steps below, you must identify the PKS API virtual machine (VM). You can find
the name in the following ways:

* In the [Azure Dashboard](https://portal.azure.com), locate the VM tagged with
`instance_group:pivotal-container-service`.
* On the command line, run `bosh vms`.

##<a id='create-health-probes'></a> Create Health Probe

1. From the Azure Dashboard, open the **Load Balancers** service.
1. In the **Settings** menu, select **Health probes**.
1. On the **Health probes** page, click **Add**.
1. On the **Add health probe** page, complete the form as follows:
  1. **Name**: Name the health probe.
  1. **Protocol**: Select **TCP**.
  1. **Port**: Enter `9021`.
  1. **Interval**: Enter the interval of time to wait between probe attempts.
  1. **Unhealthy Threshold**: Enter a number of consecutive probe failures that must occur before
    a VM is considered unhealthy.
1. Click **OK**.

##<a id='create-health-probes'></a> Create Load Balancing Rule

1. From the Azure Dashboard, open the **Load Balancers** service.
1. In the **Settings** menu, select **Load Balancing Rules**.
1. On the **Load balancing rules** page, click **Add**.
1. On the **Add load balancing rules** page, complete the form as follows:
  1. **Name**: Name the load balancing rule.
  1. **IP Version**: Select **IPv4**.
  1. **Frontend IP address**: Select the appropriate IP address. Clients communicate with your load
    balancer on the selected IP address and service traffic is routed to the target VM by this NAT
    rule.
  1. **Protocol**: Select **TCP**.
  1. **Port**: Enter `9021`.
  1. **Backend port**: Enter `9021`.
  1. **Health Probe**: Select the health probe that you created in
    [Create Health Probe](#create-health-probes).
  1. **Session persistence**: Select **None**.
1. Click **OK**.

##<a id='create-inbound-rule'></a> Create Inbound Security Rule

1. From the Azure Dashboard, open the **Security Groups** service.
1. Click the name of the Security Group attached to the subnet where PKS API is deployed. If you
deployed PKS using Terrform, the name of the Security Group ends with the suffix
`bosh-deployed-vms-security-group`.
1. In the **Settings** menu for your security group, select **Inbound security rules**.
1. Click **Add**.
1. On the **Add inbound security rule** page, click **Advanced** and complete the form as follows:
  1. **Name**: Name the inbound security rule.
  1. **Source**: Select **Any**.
  1. **Source port range**: Enter `*`.
  1. **Destination**: Select **Any**.
  1. **Destination port range**: Enter `9021,8443`.
1. Click **OK**.

##<a id='verify'></a> Verify Hostname Resolution

1. In a browser, log into Ops Manager.
1. Click the PKS tile.
1. Select **PKS API**.
1. Record the **API Hostname (FQDN)**.
1. Verify that the API hostname resolves to the IP address of the load balancer.

##<a id='next-step'></a> Next Step

After you have configured an Azure load balancer for the PKS API, 
complete the PKS installation by returning to the 
[Install the PKS and Kubernetes CLIs](installing-pks-azure.html#clis)
step of _Installing PKS on Azure_.