This blog post series highlights the key announcements and major updates related to Azure Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Azure Stack, as officially released by Microsoft in the past two weeks.

Azure

General

Microsoft Fabric is available on Italy North Azure Region

Microsoft has expanded the availability of Microsoft Fabric by launching it in the ItalyNorth Azure Region. This strategic move allows organizations in Italy to leverage the advanced capabilities of Microsoft Fabric, enhancing their data integration, transformation, and analysis efforts. By being hosted locally, businesses can also benefit from reduced latency and improved compliance with regional data residency requirements. This expansion underscores Microsoft’s commitment to providing localized services that meet the needs of diverse global markets.

Compute

VMSS Automatic Instance Repairs – Reimage, Restart Repair Actions

Virtual Machine Scale Sets (VMSS) now offer more flexible automatic instance repair options, allowing users to choose between Replace, Reimage, or Restart as default actions when an “Unhealthy” signal is detected. The introduction of Reimage and Restart provides less disruptive repair processes, which maintain VM properties and metadata, making it ideal for customers with sensitive workloads. This new functionality is designed to enhance application availability while minimizing the impact on VM instances during repairs.

Networking

Azure Public IPs are Zone Redundant by Default

Azure Public IPs are now zone redundant by default, improving the resiliency of applications using these public IPs. Unless a single zone is specifically chosen when creating Standard Public IPs, they will be automatically created across all three zones of a region. This ensures that the IP can survive any single zone failure, providing greater stability for hosted applications. Notably, this enhancement comes at no additional cost. Currently, the functionality is available in limited regions, with plans to expand further.

Azure Bastion: Entra ID Support for SSH Connections in Portal

Azure Bastion has introduced support for Microsoft Entra ID authentication for SSH connections within the Azure portal. This new integration offers two major benefits to users. First, it eliminates the reliance on local authentication mechanisms, reducing the risk of security breaches. Second, the Entra ID authentication simplifies the user experience by enabling a seamless one-click sign-on to virtual machines, enhancing both security and convenience for administrators managing their environments.

Storage

Azure File Sync v19 Agent Now Available

The Azure File Sync v19 agent is now available and can be downloaded via the Microsoft Update Catalog. This version brings several key improvements, including faster server provisioning and enhanced disaster recovery options for Azure File Sync server endpoints. Previously, provisioning a new server endpoint could take hours or even days, but with the latest update, the process is significantly faster. Additionally, there are sync performance improvements, specifically for file share migrations and scenarios where only metadata, such as ACLs, is updated. The new release also adds support for Windows Server 2025 and includes various reliability and telemetry enhancements for cloud tiering and sync. A restart is required for servers running versions earlier than 18.2, and the latest agent version is 19.1.0.0.

New Azure Data Box Capabilities to Accelerate Your Offline Data Migration

Azure Data Box, the offline data transfer solution, has introduced several new capabilities to enhance the efficiency and security of data migration to Azure Storage. This service allows users to transfer petabytes of data quickly, cost-effectively, and reliably using secure hardware devices. The new features include the general availability of self-encrypted drives in the Azure Data Box Disk SKU, which facilitates fast data transfers on Linux systems. Additionally, users can now ingest data into multiple blob access tiers within a single order. A preview of cross-region data transfers has been introduced, allowing seamless data ingestion from a source country or region to select Azure destinations in different countries or regions. Furthermore, Azure Storage Mover now supports online catch-up data copying, enabling the synchronization of changes made by active workloads post offline migrations. Azure Data Box has also achieved HIPAA/BAA, PCI 3DS, and PCI DSS certifications, ensuring compliance with industry standards. These enhancements make Azure Data Box an even more robust solution for secure and efficient offline data migrations.

Azure Storage Mover with Bandwidth Management

Azure Storage Mover now supports bandwidth management scheduling, providing users with the ability to set bandwidth limits for Storage Mover agents. This feature optimizes file migration processes by preventing agents from consuming excessive WAN link upload bandwidth during peak times. By allowing users to schedule bandwidth usage, Azure Storage Mover helps maintain smooth network performance, especially in on-premises data center environments.

Azure Stack

Azure Stack HCI

Azure Stack HCI Supportability Forum

Microsoft has introduced the Azure Stack HCI Supportability Forum, a public repository designed to centralize troubleshooting guides (TSGs), known issues, and user feedback for Azure Stack HCI. This repository provides a hub for community-driven support content and is referenced by both Customer Support Services and the Azure Stack HCI engineering team when addressing support incidents. Users can also access this repository to discover solutions to active system issues on their own. This initiative is part of Microsoft’s ongoing commitment to enhancing the support experience for Azure Stack HCI users by making critical information easily accessible and user-driven.

Conclusion

Over the past two weeks, Microsoft has introduced a slew of updates and announcements pertaining to Azure Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Azure Stack. These developments underscore the tech giant’s unwavering commitment to enhancing its cloud offerings and adapting to the ever-evolving needs of businesses and developers. Users of Azure can anticipate improved functionalities, streamlined services, and enriched features as a result of these changes. Stay tuned for more insights as I continue to monitor and report on Azure’s progression in the cloud sphere.

This blog post series highlights the key announcements and major updates related to Azure Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Azure Stack, as officially released by Microsoft in the past two weeks.

Azure

General

Enable Multifactor Authentication by 15 October 2024

Starting on 15 October 2024, Azure will require all users to utilize multifactor authentication (MFA) when signing into the Azure portal, Microsoft Entra admin center, and Intune admin center. To ensure continued access for users, it is crucial to enable MFA by the specified date. For those unable to implement MFA by 15 October 2024, there is an option to apply for a postponement of the enforcement date. Failure to enable MFA or apply for a postponement will result in users being required to set up MFA when accessing these services. Azure provides documentation to assist in identifying which users are signing in with or without MFA.

Azure Chaos Studio Supports New Network Isolation Fault for Virtual Machines

Azure Chaos Studio has introduced a new agent-based fault action for both Windows and Linux virtual machines (VMs) and virtual machine scale sets (VMSS). The Network Isolation fault allows customers to isolate an Azure VM from network connections by dropping all packets for a specified duration, subject to certain environment limitations. This feature is designed to help test the resilience of applications running inside VMs against network traffic loss. Users can implement this fault in Chaos Experiments through templates, the REST API, or directly in the Azure portal.

Compute

Attach and Detach of VMs on Virtual Machine Scale Sets for a Single Fault Domain (preview)

In a new public preview, Azure now offers support for attaching and detaching Virtual Machines (VMs) to and from Virtual Machine Scale Sets (VMSS) configured with Flexible Orchestration Mode and a fault domain count of 1. Once a VM is attached to the VMSS, it becomes part of the scale set, gaining access to features such as autoscale, Instance Repair, and Automatic OS Upgrades, all without requiring downtime. Conversely, if troubleshooting outside of the scale set is needed, the VM can be easily detached for further investigation. This functionality is designed to streamline the management of VMs within and across scale sets.

Instance Mix on Virtual Machine Scale Sets (preview)

Azure has introduced the public preview of Instance Mix, a feature designed to enhance the flexibility and cost efficiency of Virtual Machine Scale Set (VMSS) deployments. Instance Mix allows users to specify a variety of VM sizes within a single VMSS, enabling better alignment with workload requirements. The feature also includes an allocation strategy that optimizes either price or capacity. Key benefits include the ability to mix different VM sizes to meet diverse task demands, achieve cost savings by utilizing appropriately sized VMs, and simplify management by overseeing a heterogeneous VM set under one scale set. This new capability helps to maximize performance by ensuring the right resources are allocated to each task.

Networking

Dedicated Log Analytics Tables in Application Gateway

Azure Application Gateway has introduced general availability for storing logs in dedicated log analytics tables. This new feature allows customers to opt for resource-specific tables instead of using the existing Azure Diagnostic table. In resource-specific mode, separate tables are created for each selected category in the diagnostic settings within the chosen workspace. This enhancement offers better log querying capabilities, along with reduced ingestion latencies and faster query times, making it easier to analyze and manage logs efficiently.

Storage

Double Encryption at-Rest for Azure NetApp Files

Azure NetApp Files has introduced a double encryption at-rest feature, adding multiple independent encryption layers to protect data from threats that could compromise a single encryption layer. This feature mitigates risks such as the compromise of a single encryption key, errors in encryption algorithm implementations, and misconfigurations in data encryption. Users can opt for double encryption when creating capacity pools, ensuring that all volumes within these pools are automatically protected without additional steps. Customers requiring their own encryption key management can configure customer-managed keys for this purpose. Importantly, this enhanced security does not significantly impact performance, allowing existing applications to benefit from FIPS-140 certified double encryption without sacrificing efficiency.

Azure NetApp Files Now Supports 50 GiB Minimum Volume Sizes

Azure NetApp Files has introduced support for 50 GiB minimum volume sizes, a significant enhancement from the previous 100 GiB minimum. This new capability allows customers to create storage volumes as small as 50 GiB, optimizing costs for workloads that require less storage. By enabling customers to right-size their volumes, this update offers more efficient storage management and cost savings, particularly for those with smaller-scale storage needs.

Azure NetApp Files Storage with Cool Access for All Service Levels

Azure NetApp Files has reached general availability with its cool access feature, offering a cost-effective storage solution across all service levels, including standard, premium, and ultra. The cool access feature allows data that is infrequently accessed to be transparently moved to Azure storage accounts, optimizing storage costs. This feature includes configurable options for the “coolness period”, determining the duration after which cold data is tiered to a cool storage tier, based on your workload’s access patterns. While this may introduce some latency due to data being tiered, it significantly reduces overall storage expenses. Additionally, in scenarios involving cross-region or cross-zone replication, cool access can be configured for destination volumes, ensuring data protection while optimizing costs.

Customer Managed Planned Failover for Azure Storage (preview)

Azure Storage has introduced a public preview of the planned failover feature, empowering users with enhanced disaster recovery capabilities. Planned failover allows for the seamless failover of a storage account while maintaining geo-redundancy, with no data loss and without the need to reconfigure geo-redundant storage (GRS) after the operation. This feature facilitates the swapping of primary and secondary endpoints, ensuring continuous availability of storage service endpoints. Once the failover is completed, all new data writes are directed to the region that was previously the secondary, now designated as the new primary region. This feature is ideal for scenarios like planned disaster recovery testing, proactive disaster preparedness, or recovery from non-storage related outages.

Azure Stack

Azure Stack HCI

Upgrade and Update from Azure Stack HCI Version 22H2 to 23H2 Now Available

Azure has announced the gradual availability of upgrade and update from Azure Stack HCI version 22H2 to 23H2, the latest iteration of its hyper-converged infrastructure solution. This new version integrates seamlessly with Azure Arc infrastructure, enabling streamlined provisioning and management of workloads such as Arc-enabled virtual machines, Azure Kubernetes Services, and Azure Virtual Desktop. With the 23H2 release, Azure Stack HCI transitions from being solely a cloud-connected operating system to becoming a fully Arc-enabled solution. This evolution layers Azure Arc and the Orchestrator (also known as the Lifecycle Manager) atop the base operating system, packaged together following an Infrastructure as Code (IaC) model for improved deployment and management efficiency.

Upgrading from version 22H2 to 23H2 introduces a host of new capabilities and represents a significant advancement in functionality. The upgrade process involves several key steps: first, updating the existing operating system to the new version using preferred methods such as PowerShell (recommended), Windows Admin Center, or other manual approaches; followed by performing necessary post-upgrade tasks, validating the solution’s readiness, and finally applying the complete solution upgrade.

It’s important to distinguish this upgrade from regular updates, which are periodic changes applied to enhance performance, security, or stability within the same version. Organizations are encouraged to perform this upgrade to leverage the enhanced features and integrations offered by Azure Stack HCI, version 23H2.

Conclusion

Over the past two weeks, Microsoft has introduced a slew of updates and announcements pertaining to Azure Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Azure Stack. These developments underscore the tech giant’s unwavering commitment to enhancing its cloud offerings and adapting to the ever-evolving needs of businesses and developers. Users of Azure can anticipate improved functionalities, streamlined services, and enriched features as a result of these changes. Stay tuned for more insights as I continue to monitor and report on Azure’s progression in the cloud sphere.

This blog post series highlights the key announcements and major updates related to Azure Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Azure Stack, as officially released by Microsoft in the past two weeks.

Azure

General

Azure Carbon Optimization (preview)

Azure Carbon Optimization, now in preview, equips Azure developers and IT professionals with the data and insight to optimize the carbon footprint of their cloud consumption. By providing insights into carbon emissions and offering recommendations to enhance the efficiencies of cloud resources, organizations can make more informed decisions to meet their business and cloud sustainability goals. Key features include granular emissions data at the resource level, optimization recommendations, role-based access control, carbon equivalents for better visualization, and integration with Microsoft Azure emissions insights (preview) for deeper analytics capabilities.

Storage

Azure Blob Storage Lifecycle Management Now Supports Improved Control on Archiving

Lifecycle management now offers users more control over how objects rehydrated from the archive tier are returned to archive after access. The daysAfterLastTierChangeGreaterThan option has been expanded, allowing users to specify a minimum duration that rehydrated objects stay accessible in an online tier. This prevents immediate re-archiving of recently rehydrated objects by applying the daysAfterLastTierChangeGreaterThan property in lifecycle rules based on Creation Time and Last Accessed Time, in addition to the existing Last Modified Time.

Azure NetApp Files zone volume placement enhancement – Populate existing volume
Azure NetApp Files has introduced an enhancement to its availability zone volume placement feature, allowing users to populate previously deployed, existing volumes with logical availability zone information. This update aligns volumes with other Azure services within the same availability zone, without moving them between zones. The enhancement is particularly beneficial for workloads initially deployed regionally, enabling them to align with virtual machines in the same failure domain, which is essential for high-availability architectures across availability zones. Additionally, this feature supports replication across availability zones, facilitating improved data protection.

Azure NetApp Files cross-zone replication
Azure NetApp Files has launched a new cross-zone replication feature, enabling asynchronous replication of volumes across different availability zones within the same Azure region. Leveraging SnapMirror® technology, this feature ensures that only changed blocks are transferred in a compressed format, optimizing network usage and reducing replication times. Cross-zone replication is designed to protect data against unforeseen zone failures without requiring host-based replication. It minimizes data transfer requirements, thereby lowering replication time and achieving a smaller Restore Point Objective (RPO). Additionally, this feature is highly cost-effective as it does not involve any network transfer costs.

Azure NetApp Files Volume Encryption Key Transition (preview)

This new feature in preview allows customers to transition their existing volumes protected with platform-managed keys (PMK) to volumes encrypted using customer-managed keys (CMK) stored in Azure Key Vault. CMK provides enhanced key manageability and security by enabling direct management of key rotation, access, permissions, and auditing tasks. This feature helps organizations comply with regulatory requirements and manage encryption keys securely without impacting performance, as the CMK protects the account encryption key using Azure Key Vault.

Azure Stack

Azure Stack HCI

Optimize Azure Stack HCI with the Well-Architected Framework

Microsoft is announcing the Azure Well-Architected Framework Service Guide for Azure Stack HCI. This guide contains design checklists and detailed configuration recommendations to assist cloud architects in designing and deploying Azure Stack HCI according to the guiding principles of the Well-Architected Framework: Reliability, Security, Cost Optimization, Operational Excellence, and Performance Efficiency. Whether planning a new deployment or enhancing an existing one, the guide provides tailored advice, rationales for recommendations, and links to product documentation for further details.

Conclusion

Over the past two weeks, Microsoft has introduced a slew of updates and announcements pertaining to Azure Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Azure Stack. These developments underscore the tech giant’s unwavering commitment to enhancing its cloud offerings and adapting to the ever-evolving needs of businesses and developers. Users of Azure can anticipate improved functionalities, streamlined services, and enriched features as a result of these changes. Stay tuned for more insights as I continue to monitor and report on Azure’s progression in the cloud sphere.

This blog post series highlights the key announcements and major updates related to Azure Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Azure Stack, as officially released by Microsoft in the past two weeks.

Azure

General

Azure Lab Services is being retired on June 28, 2027

Azure Lab Services will be retired on June 28, 2027, due to the availability of other Microsoft VDI services such as Azure Virtual Desktop, Windows 365, Azure DevTest Labs, and Microsoft Dev Box. Existing customers can continue to use the service until the retirement date, but new customers will not be allowed to sign up starting July 15, 2024. Microsoft recommends reviewing the retirement guide for more details about partner options. After June 28, 2027, Azure Lab Services will no longer be supported, and users will lose access to their lab accounts, lab plans, and labs.

Compute

Upgrade existing Azure Gen1/Gen2 VMSS to Gen2-Trusted launch (preview)

Microsoft is excited to announce preview support for enabling Trusted launch on existing Azure Gen1/Gen2 Virtual Machine Scale Sets (VMSS) Uniform by upgrading the VMSS Uniform resource to Gen2-Trusted launch. This upgrade aims to improve the foundational security of existing Azure VMSS resources. Trusted Launch VMs provide enhanced compute security for Azure Generation 2 VMs by enabling Secure Boot and vTPM capabilities, which protect the OS against rootkits and bootkits and enable attestation by measuring the boot chain of the VM.

Public Preview: 6th generation Intel-based VMs – Dv6/Ev6 (preview)

Microsoft is pleased to announce the public preview of the D and E family VMs built on the new 5th Gen Intel® Xeon® Platinum 8537C (Emerald Rapids) processor. These new Intel-based VMs come with three different memory-to-core ratios and offer options with and without local SSD across all the new VMs – the General Purpose Dsv6, Dlsv6, Ddvs6, and Dldsv6 series and the Memory Optimized Esv6 and Edsv6 series. Additionally, constrained core variants for the Esv6 series are ideal for workloads that require high data throughput without a high number of vCPUs.

These VMs, available initially in the US West and US East regions, offer up to 27% higher vCPU performance and 3x larger L3 cache than the previous generation Intel Dv5/Ev5 VMs, with up to 192vCPU and 1.8TB of memory. Azure Boost technology enables up to 400k IOPS and 12 GB/s remote storage throughput and up to 200 Gbps VM network bandwidth. The new Dv6 VMs balance memory to vCPU ratio with scalability up to 128 vCPUs and 512 GiB of RAM, while the Ev6 VMs cater to memory-intensive workloads with up to 192 vCPUs and 1832 GiB of RAM. These VMs also feature enhanced security through Total Memory Encryption (TME) technology and significantly larger local SSD capacity.

Networking

Azure Virtual Network Manager mesh and direct connectivity

As of June 13, 2024, Azure Virtual Network Manager’s mesh connectivity configuration and direct connectivity option in the hub and spoke connectivity configuration are generally available in all public regions. This feature allows a group of virtual networks to directly communicate with each other without an additional hop, reducing latency and management overhead. For instance, in a hub and spoke topology, a subset of spoke virtual networks that require low latency can directly communicate with each other. Traffic between these virtual networks can be filtered using network security groups (NSGs) and Azure Virtual Network Manager’s security admin rules while maintaining direct connectivity.

ExpressRoute FastPath Support for VNet Peering & UDR

Microsoft is announcing support for ExpressRoute FastPath VNet Peering and User Defined Routes (UDR) connectivity. This feature enhances data path performance between on-premises customer networks and Azure Virtual Networks, enabling 100Gbps connectivity to VMs in hub and spoke designs over ExpressRoute. With FastPath enabled, network traffic is sent directly to virtual machines within the virtual network, reducing hops and potential bottlenecks. While a virtual network gateway is still required to exchange routes between the virtual network and on-premises network, FastPath now supports traffic directly to VMs in “spoke” virtual networks and honors any UDRs configured on the Gateway Subnet.

ExpressRoute Traffic Collector support for provider circuits

Azure ExpressRoute customers can now configure ExpressRoute Traffic Collector on their 1G+ provider circuits. This expansion of the existing service, which previously only supported ExpressRoute Direct circuits, allows for improved visibility into circuit traffic. ExpressRoute Traffic Collector is a fully managed traffic monitoring solution that logs IPFIX flow records, which can then be queried for insights into circuit traffic patterns.

Storage

Azure Data Box now supports select cross region transfers (preview)

Azure Data Box has introduced cross-region data transfer capabilities, now in preview, to support seamless ingestion of on-premises data from a source country/region to select Azure destinations in a different country/region. For example, data can now be copied from Singapore or India to the West US Azure destination region. The Azure Data Box device is not shipped across commerce boundaries; instead, it is transported within the originating country or region, and data transfer to the destination Azure region occurs over the Azure network without incurring additional fees.

Azure NetApp Files Large Volume Enhancement – Increased Throughput and Maximum Size Limit of 2 PiB Volume

Azure has announced an exciting update to Azure NetApp Files, significantly enhancing large volumes with increased maximum throughput and size limits. The update brings a size limit increase to 1-PiB, accessible via Azure Feature Exposure Control (AFEC), offering more robust data management solutions for workloads such as HPC, EDA, VDI, and more. Additionally, a public preview of an even larger volume type, ranging from 1-PiB to 2-PiB, is available upon request, subject to regional availability and capacity. Key benefits of this update include performance enhancements up to 12.5-GiB/s per large volume, scalability from 50-TiB to 2-PiB, selection of service levels (Standard, Premium, Ultra), advanced data management features, and cost efficiency through consolidation.

Convert to Azure Premium SSD v2 disks (preview)

Azure has announced the Public Preview of the feature for converting to Premium SSD v2 disks (Pv2). This new feature allows users to confidently move their workloads to Pv2, leveraging its balance of price and performance. The conversion process is designed to be straightforward, enabling the migration of existing Standard SSD, Standard HDD, or Premium SSD v1 disks to PV2 disks with minimal downtime. Notably, this feature avoids disk destruction, eliminates the need to use snapshots as a staging resource, and removes the requirement for waiting for background data copying. This enhancement simplifies the migration process and ensures that users can take full advantage of Pv2 disks efficiently.

Azure Stack

Azure Stack HCI

Introducing the Comprehensive Azure Stack HCI OEM License

The new Azure Stack HCI OEM license is designed to provide a streamlined and efficient licensing solution for Azure Stack HCI hardware, including Azure Stack HCI Premier Solutions, Integrated Systems, and Validated Nodes. This license is valid for the entire lifetime of the hardware and covers up to 16 cores, with additional two-core and four-core license add-ons available for larger systems.

The Azure Stack HCI OEM license includes three essential services for your cloud infrastructure:

1. Azure Stack HCI – Ensures you have a robust and scalable cloud infrastructure.
2. Azure Kubernetes Services (AKS) – Provides container orchestration for deploying, managing, and scaling containerized applications.
3. Windows Server Datacenter 2022 or earlier version supported guest virtual machines (VMs) – Supports your virtual machine needs with the latest Windows Server capabilities.

Key Benefits:

• Simplified Licensing and Activation: A single license covers Azure Stack HCI, AKS, and Windows Server 2022 guest VMs, reducing complexity and cost.
• No Activation Tools Needed: The Azure Stack HCI operating system is automatically activated without additional tools or keys.
• Unified Procurement and Support: Purchase hardware, software, and get full stack support from a single vendor, streamlining your procurement process.

Requirements and Recommendations:

• Active Azure Account: Necessary for license activation.
• Latest Software Installations: Ensure you install the most recent versions of Azure Stack HCI, AKS, and Windows Server Datacenter 2022 guest VMs.
• Continuous Updates: Keep Azure Stack HCI and AKS up to date to receive the latest features and security patches. Upgrade to newer versions when the current version reaches the end of its lifecycle.

For managing Windows Server VMs, you can use Automatic Virtual Machine Activation (AVMA) client keys through Windows Admin Center or PowerShell. 

In mixed-node scenarios, where clusters consist of different hardware models, operating system versions, or billing models, the OEM license ensures clarity. If any server in your cluster lacks the OEM license, you will receive a notification in your monthly billing statement. To identify servers without the OEM license, check the OEM license column under Overview > Nodes.

The Azure Stack HCI OEM license not only simplifies the licensing process but also enhances the operational efficiency of your cloud infrastructure by ensuring you have access to the latest technologies and support in a unified manner.

Conclusion

Over the past two weeks, Microsoft has introduced a slew of updates and announcements pertaining to Azure Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Azure Stack. These developments underscore the tech giant’s unwavering commitment to enhancing its cloud offerings and adapting to the ever-evolving needs of businesses and developers. Users of Azure can anticipate improved functionalities, streamlined services, and enriched features as a result of these changes. Stay tuned for more insights as I continue to monitor and report on Azure’s progression in the cloud sphere.

This blog post series highlights the key announcements and major updates related to Azure Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Azure Stack, as officially released by Microsoft in the past two weeks.

Azure

Compute

Retirement: Azure Cloud Services Guest OS Families 2, 3, and 4

In July 2024, Azure announced the upcoming retirement of Guest OS Families 2, 3, and 4 for Cloud Services and Cloud Services Extended Support. The end-of-life dates are as follows: Windows Server 2008 R2 will retire in December 2024, while Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2 will retire in February 2025. Customers utilizing these OS families need to take action to ensure their cloud services remain supported. To identify which cloud services are running the soon-to-be-retired OS Families, Azure provides a PowerShell script. The script will help pinpoint services that need migration, with recommendations to move to Guest OS family 7 (Windows Server 2022) for continued functionality and support. 

Networking

Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) integration with Virtual WAN (preview)

Azure has announced the public preview of integrating Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) with Virtual WAN. Customers can now deploy Cisco FTD directly into a Virtual WAN hub, jointly managed by Microsoft Azure and Cisco. This integration allows the Cisco FTD in the hub to perform Next-Generation Firewall capabilities, inspecting all North-South, East-West, and Internet-bound traffic.

Storage

Azure File Sync Agent v18.2 Release

Azure has released version 18.2 of the Azure File Sync agent, now available on Microsoft Update and Microsoft Download Center. This release includes a rollup update for previous v18 and v18.1 releases, along with sync reliability improvements. It supports installations on Windows Server 2016, 2019, and 2022. Notably, a server restart is required for existing agent installations. The agent version for this release is 18.2.0.0, with detailed installation instructions provided in KB5023059.

Azure Elastic SAN Feature Updates

Azure has introduced significant updates to the Elastic SAN feature, now generally available. Customers can delete unused space on their SANs and scale down as necessary. This capability is useful for those who realize they do not need as much capacity as initially allocated. Note that scaling down can only occur at the SAN level, not at the volume level. Additionally, Azure has released diagnostic logging capabilities, allowing configuration of Elastic SAN to send Azure platform logs and metrics to various destinations. Two log configurations are available: “All” for every resource log and “Audit” for logs that record customer interactions with data or service settings.

Azure Stack

Azure Stack HCI

CISPE and Microsoft Agree Settlement in Fair Software Licensing Case

On July 11, 2024, Microsoft and CISPE reached an agreement related to CISPE’s competition complaint filed against Microsoft with the European Commission in November 2022. Microsoft committed to changes addressing European CISPE members’ claims, leading CISPE to withdraw its complaint. Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, and AliCloud are excluded from these terms. A significant part of the agreement is the collaboration to release an enhanced version of Azure Stack HCI for European cloud providers. This will include features such as multi-session virtual desktop infrastructure, free Extended Security Updates, and pay-as-you-go SQL Server licensing. An independent European Cloud Observatory will monitor the agreement’s implementation. Microsoft has nine months to fulfill its commitments, or CISPE may refile its complaint.

Conclusion

Over the past two weeks, Microsoft has introduced a slew of updates and announcements pertaining to Azure Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Azure Stack. These developments underscore the tech giant’s unwavering commitment to enhancing its cloud offerings and adapting to the ever-evolving needs of businesses and developers. Users of Azure can anticipate improved functionalities, streamlined services, and enriched features as a result of these changes. Stay tuned for more insights as I continue to monitor and report on Azure’s progression in the cloud sphere.

This blog post series highlights the key announcements and major updates related to Azure Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Azure Stack, as officially released by Microsoft in the past two weeks.

Azure

Compute

Upgrade Policies for Virtual Machine Scale Sets with Flexible Orchestration (preview)

Azure has introduced public preview support for upgrade policies in Virtual Machine Scale Sets with Flexible Orchestration. Previously available only for Uniform Orchestration, these policies—Automatic, Manual, and Rolling—now extend to Flexible Orchestration. The Rolling upgrade policy also includes the MaxSurge option to create new instances with the updated scale set model, replacing virtual machines using the old model.

ED25519 SSH Key Support for Linux Virtual Machines (preview)

Azure now supports ED25519 SSH key pairs for Linux virtual machines, enhancing security and performance with a smaller key size compared to RSA encryption. Customers can create ED25519 SSH key pairs directly within the Azure Portal and use them via Azure CLI and PowerShell, simplifying key management while improving security and deployment efficiency.

Networking

Azure Cross-Subscription Load Balancer (preview)

Azure announces the public preview of cross-subscription load balancing. This feature allows load balancer components to be located in different subscriptions, enabling the frontend IP address or backend instances to reside in separate subscriptions from the load balancer. Cross-subscription load balancing is available in all Azure public regions, China cloud regions, and Government cloud regions.

ExpressRoute Resiliency Enhancements (preview)

Azure introduces several enhancements to ExpressRoute for improved resiliency. Customers can now create ExpressRoute circuits with three levels of resiliency: maximum, high (ExpressRoute Metro), and standard. Zonal resiliency is also supported, allowing non-zone redundant gateways to migrate to availability zone-enabled gateways. Upcoming features include resiliency validation, insights, and a revised SLA model effective October 1, 2024, with differentiated levels of network availability.

JavaScript (JS) Challenge on Azure WAF Integrated with Azure Application Gateway (preview)

Azure Web Application Firewall (WAF) integrated with Azure Application Gateway now supports JavaScript (JS) challenge. The JavaScript challenge is an invisible web challenge used to distinguish between legitimate users and bots, protecting web applications by causing malicious bots to fail the challenge. This feature, part of the Bot Manager rule set and custom rules, reduces friction for legitimate users as it does not require human intervention.

Azure CDN Standard from Microsoft (Classic) Zero-Downtime Migration to Azure Front Door (preview)

Azure announces the public preview of zero-downtime migration from Azure CDN Standard from Microsoft (classic) to Azure Front Door. Azure Front Door is a modern cloud content delivery network (CDN) and global load balancer service that enhances security, performance, and scalability. The migration capability allows for a seamless transition to Azure Front Door Standard or Premium, offering improved security, flexible routing logic, and enhanced logging and metrics.

Storage

Force Detach Zone Redundant Data Disks During Zone Outage (preview)

Azure announces the public preview support for force detaching ZRS data disks from VMs affected by zone outages. This feature allows customers to detach ZRS data disks and attach them to another VM, reducing the Recovery Time Objective (RTO). Zone-redundant storage (ZRS) synchronously replicates Azure managed disks across three availability zones, providing 99.9999999999% (12 9’s) durability annually, and is supported on Premium SSDs and Standard SSDs.

Conclusion

Over the past two weeks, Microsoft has introduced a slew of updates and announcements pertaining to Azure Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Azure Stack. These developments underscore the tech giant’s unwavering commitment to enhancing its cloud offerings and adapting to the ever-evolving needs of businesses and developers. Users of Azure can anticipate improved functionalities, streamlined services, and enriched features as a result of these changes. Stay tuned for more insights as I continue to monitor and report on Azure’s progression in the cloud sphere.

This blog post series highlights the key announcements and major updates related to Azure Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Azure Stack, as officially released by Microsoft in the past two weeks.

Azure

Compute

Azure VMware Solution: Microsoft and Broadcom to support license portability for VMware Cloud Foundation

Microsoft and Broadcom are expanding their partnership to support VMware Cloud Foundation subscriptions on Azure VMware Solution. This initiative allows customers who own or purchase VMware Cloud Foundation licenses to use them on Azure VMware Solution and in their own data centers, providing greater flexibility to adapt to changing business needs.

Key Benefits and Features:

• License Portability: customers with eligible VMware Cloud Foundation entitlements can purchase subscriptions and use them interchangeably between on-premises environments and Azure VMware Solution. This flexibility supports seamless mobility and transfer of licenses as business requirements evolve.
• Continued Purchase Options: customers can still buy Azure VMware Solution with VMware licenses included or use their own existing VMware licenses. This provides a range of purchasing options to suit different preferences and needs.

In addition to the new VMware license portability benefit, VMware Rapid Migration Plan provides an additional and comprehensive set of licensing benefits and programs to reduce the cost and time it takes for organizations to migrate to Azure VMware Solution:

• Price Protection: customers can secure pricing for one, three, or five years through reserved instances.
• Savings on Windows Server and SQL Server: organizations with Software Assurance for on-premises Windows Server and SQL Server licenses can benefit from the Azure Hybrid Benefit, allowing them to use these licenses on Azure VMware Solution. Additionally, free Extended Security Updates are available for older versions facing end of support.
• Migration Support: the Azure Migrate and Modernize program offers resources, expert assistance, and funding from Microsoft and its partners to streamline the migration process.
• Azure Credits: customers purchasing a new reserved instance for Azure VMware Solution can receive additional Azure credits, applicable to Azure VMware Solution or other Azure services.

This collaboration enhances the flexibility and cost-effectiveness of deploying VMware environments in the cloud, enabling businesses to optimize their operations and infrastructure with greater ease.

Storage

Azure NetApp Files Launch in Italy North Region

Azure NetApp Files has expanded its availability to the Italy North Azure Region. This expansion allows customers in the region to leverage high-performance file storage solutions, enhancing their ability to manage and scale their data storage needs efficiently.

Azure File Sync Agent v17.3 and v18.1 Security-Only Updates Released

Microsoft has announced the release of the Azure File Sync agent versions v17.3 and v18.1, focusing solely on security updates. The v17.3 update addresses a critical issue that might have allowed unauthorized users to delete files in restricted locations, as outlined in CVE-2024-35253. This update is available for servers running Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2019, and Windows Server 2022, and is applicable to servers with agent versions v16.x and v17.x installed. The corresponding agent version is 17.3.0.0, with installation instructions detailed in KB5039814.

Similarly, the v18.1 update is targeted at servers with the v18 agent version installed and is compatible with Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2019, and Windows Server 2022. The agent version for this release is 18.1.0.0, with installation instructions available in KB5023058. Notably, these updates are distributed through Microsoft Update and not the Microsoft Download Center. The next release, version 18.2, expected in the coming weeks, will be available across all prior versions of Azure File Sync agents and through multiple distribution channels, including the Microsoft Download Center, Microsoft Update, and Microsoft Update Catalog.

Azure Stack

Azure Stack HCI

Azure Stack HCI – 2405 Update

The Azure Stack HCI, version 23H2, introduces multiple release trains including 2306 (limited release), 2311, 2402, and now 2405. Each release train encompasses a baseline build and subsequent updates. The baseline build is the initial software version in a release train, and upgrading to the next version within the same train necessitates deploying the baseline build first.

The baseline update 2405 addresses several issues and improvements. Key fixes include:

• During cluster deployments with a large Active Directory, a timeout issue when adding users to the local administrator group has been resolved.
• New ARM templates for cluster creation are released, simplifying the creation of dependency resources and addressing missing mandatory fields.
• The secret rotation PowerShell command Set-AzureStackLCMUserPassword now supports a parameter to skip the confirmation message.
• Secret rotation reliability is improved, especially when services do not restart promptly.
• Deployment is now enabled when a disjoint namespace is used.
• Fixed an issue in deployment related to setting the diagnostic level in Azure and on the device.
• A new PowerShell command is released to update the SBE partner property values provided at deployment.
• An issue preventing the update service from responding after an SBE-only update run is fixed.
• An issue preventing a node from joining Active Directory during an add server operation is resolved.
• Improved reliability of Network ATC when configuring host networking with certain network adapter types.
• Enhanced reliability in detecting firmware versions for disk drives.
• Update notifications for health check results sent from the device to AUM (Azure Update Manager) are improved. Previously, large message sizes caused no results to be shown in AUM.
• Fixed a file lock issue causing update failures for the trusted launch VM agent (IGVM).
• Resolved an issue preventing the orchestrator agent from restarting during an update run.
• Addressed a rare condition causing delays in the update service discovering or starting an update.
• Fixed an issue with Cluster-Aware Updating (CAU) interaction with the orchestrator when an update is in progress.
• The naming schema for updates is adjusted to differentiate between feature and cumulative updates.
• Enhanced reliability in reporting cluster update progress to the orchestrator.
• Resolved an issue where the Azure Arc connection was lost when the Hybrid Instance Metadata service (HIMDS) restarted, ensuring the device now automatically reinitiates the Azure Arc connection.

Known issues in this release involve:

• When viewing readiness check results for an Azure Stack HCI cluster via the Azure Update Manager, there may be multiple readiness checks with the same name.
• During the registration of Azure Stack HCI servers, an error may appear in the debug logs: “Encountered internal server error. One of the mandatory extensions for device deployment may not be installed.”
• There is an intermittent issue where the Azure portal incorrectly reports the update status as “Failed to update” even though the update is complete.

Conclusion

Over the past two weeks, Microsoft has introduced a slew of updates and announcements pertaining to Azure Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Azure Stack. These developments underscore the tech giant’s unwavering commitment to enhancing its cloud offerings and adapting to the ever-evolving needs of businesses and developers. Users of Azure can anticipate improved functionalities, streamlined services, and enriched features as a result of these changes. Stay tuned for more insights as I continue to monitor and report on Azure’s progression in the cloud sphere.