Is Azure Reusing Deleted VMs?
Asked by
CuriousCat93
Hey everyone! I've been curious about something and wanted to see if others have noticed the same thing. We have a VM Scale Set where we frequently create and delete images. Lately, it seems like when we create a new VM from the scale set, we sometimes end up with a VM that was deleted not too long ago instead of getting a completely fresh one. Is this normal? Could Azure be optimizing things by reusing previously allocated VMs? Thanks for your insights!
Answers
I think there's a bit of confusion here. Deleting a VM removes its configuration, but the data stays on managed disks. So when you create a new VM, it's built from those disks and settings. If you're seeing what seems like a 'reused' VM, it might just be the configuration and disks being assigned again, not because Azure is recycling actual deleted VMs.
Reply to this answer
Yeah, when you delete a VM, Microsoft doesn't just toss out the hardware; it gets deallocated and may be allocated to another customer later. So, technically, you aren't getting someone else's VM but rather a deallocated resource that's available again.
Reply to this answer
Add your answer
Answers are reviewed before publication.
CleverNerd42: Actually, deallocation and deletion are different. When you shut down a VM, it gets deallocated, and its resources can be reused, but that doesn't mean you would receive another customer’s data. Your VM data is protected, and any shared resources should be wiped before being reassigned.