Express Setup Process

To deploy Azure resources to your subscription, Ansys Access on Microsoft Azure requires a Contributor role in the Service Principal in your company's Azure tenant/Azure Active Directory.

Setup should be completed by an IT administrator who meets the prerequisites for setup.

The Express setup process automates much of the configuration required for successful setup of Ansys Access on Microsoft Azure. Some steps require manual configuration in Azure portal. Instructions for these steps are provided in the setup wizard.

The steps of the setup process are outlined below.

Note: Ansys Access on Microsoft Azure can be scoped to only one Azure subscription and virtual network resource group. Deploying resources to multiple subscriptions or resource groups is not supported.

  1. Go to the Microsoft Azure Marketplace and enter ansys in the search field. In the search results, select Ansys Access on Microsoft Azure.

  2. Upon subscribing to Ansys Access on Microsoft Azure, you are prompted to configure your account:

  3. Click Configure account now. The setup process is launched:

  4. Enter your Azure Subscription ID as it appears in Azure Portal.

  5. In the Resource group name field, enter the name of the resource group where you want to deploy Azure virtual machines. You can use an existing resource group provided that it is associated with your Azure Subscription ID. Otherwise, a resource group will be created for you using the name that you specify here.

  6. Click Continue.

  7. When prompted, sign in with your Ansys ID.

    An Ansys Access on Microsoft Azure tenant/customer record is created.

  8. Specify your company information.

    If you are not sure what your Ansys customer ID is, see Retrieving Your Customer Number on the Ansys website.

  9. Specify whether you want to use existing Azure Virtual Networks (VNets) or allow Ansys Access on Microsoft Azure to create VNets for you.

    • If you choose Grant Ansys Access on Microsoft Azure permission to create VNets on your behalf, a VNet and subnet will be created automatically when you submit the setup.

    • If you choose Use existing VNets, you will be prompted to specify the VNet and subnet information when selecting a Region later in the setup process.

      Note that if you choose this option, you cannot change your decision later. Ansys Access on Microsoft Azure will not be able to create a VNet and subnet for you.

    • If you are not sure which existing VNet you want to use or do not know the VNet ID or subnet ID, select I don't know which VNets I want to use yet. If you choose this option, the setup process will end after this screen (you will not be prompted to select a Region, and validation of the setup will not occur).

      When you are ready to specify a VNet, see Completing the Setup If You Did Not Specify a VNet.

  10. To allow Ansys Access on Microsoft Azure to access to your Azure resources, click Grant permission.

  11. In the Microsoft dialog, select the account to be used to access your Azure tenant.

    Permissions are requested:

    For information about the permissions being requested, see Service Principal Created for Ansys Access on Microsoft Azure.

  12. Review the conditions of the permissions request, then click Accept.

    The account is validated:

    At the end of this process, a Service Principal will be created inside your company's Azure Active Directory (AAD).

  13. Deploy an Azure Resource Manager (ARM) template by following the instructions provided in Step 2: Deploy an ARM template.

    The template creates two custom IAM roles in the Azure Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) system. For information about these roles, see IAM Roles Created for Ansys Access on Microsoft Azure.

    The custom roles are assigned to the service principal, enabling Ansys Access on Microsoft Azure to create and manage infrastructure on your behalf within your Azure environment. This setup ensures that the necessary permissions are in place for seamless integration and operation of Ansys Access on Microsoft Azure in Azure Active Directory.

    When the ARM template has been deployed and the permissions have been validated, you can continue with the next step.

  14. Select a region where you want to deploy Azure virtual machines. A Virtual Network (VNet) and Subnets will be automatically created in the selected region, enabling you to start creating virtual machines right away.

    The setup is validated. The VNet and Subnets are created, the hardware resources are initialized, and a default project space is created.

  15. When the setup validation has completed, click Launch Ansys Access on Microsoft Azure.

  16. sign in to Ansys Access on Microsoft Azure using your Ansys ID.

To prepare Ansys Access on Microsoft Azure for your company's use, see Post-Setup Steps in Ansys Access on Microsoft Azure.

Tip: If at any time you have trouble accessing Ansys Access on Microsoft Azure, you can use the Ansys Service Dashboard to check whether Ansys services are currently running. See Checking the Status of Ansys Services.
Note: If you started the setup process but cancelled it before permissions were granted, the tenant will be listed in the tenant selector if you try to access Ansys Access on Microsoft Azure but will appear disabled. The tenant is displayed for information purposes only and cannot be used to access Ansys Access on Microsoft Azure.