Azure Updates - Latest from Azure Charts

WAR, Azure Advisor, and Us (Azure Arch Diagram Builder): Three Ways to Score an Azure Architecture

Thu, 21 May 2026 18:06:00 Z

Author: Arturo Quiroga, Azure AI services Engineer - Senior Partner Solutions Architect — Microsoft A few days ago I published From Prompt to Production: Building Azure Architecture Diagrams wit...
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Azure AI Services, Azure Advisor, Azure Arc, Categories:

Ansible + Azure Arc: Manage Arc Extensions with New Ansible Modules

Wed, 20 May 2026 21:56:00 Z

We’re excited to announce new modules in Ansible Galaxy that make it easier to manage Azure Arc machine extensions at scale. With the latest updates to the azure.azcollection on Ansible Galaxy, you c...
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Azure Arc, Categories:

Azure Arc Server April 2026 Forum

Tue, 19 May 2026 18:58:00 Z

Please find the recording for the monthly Azure Arc Server Forum on YouTube! During the April 2026 Azure Arc Server Forum, we discussed: Public Preview of Essential Machine Management, learn mo...
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Azure Arc, Categories: Management

From Prompt to Production: Building Azure Architecture Diagrams with AI

Tue, 19 May 2026 16:32:00 Z

Author: Arturo Quiroga, Senior Partner Solutions Architect — Microsoft Cloud architects spend significant time translating ideas into architecture diagrams. They toggle between Visio, draw.i...
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Azure Arc, Categories:

Simplified access to Hotpatching enabled by Azure Arc for Windows Server 2025

Tue, 19 May 2026 14:59:00 Z

With Windows Server 2025, we introduced hotpatch enabled by Azure Arc, delivering security updates to Windows Server across hybrid and multicloud environments – minimizing downtime (no reboot), accel...
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Azure Arc, Categories:

Azure Arc AKS Explained: Run Kubernetes Beyond Azure Cloud

Tue, 12 May 2026 02:57:00 Z

Modern enterprises are no longer running workloads only inside a centralized cloud environment. Applications today operate across: On-premises datacenters Remote branch offices Manufacturing ...
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Kubernetes Service, Azure Arc, Categories:

Introducing cert-manager for Azure Arc-enabled Kubernetes: now in Public Preview

Wed, 06 May 2026 15:30:00 Z

Today we’re releasing a public preview of cert-manager for Azure Arc-enabled Kubernetes. It’s an Arc extension that automates TLS certificate and trust bundle management for edge Kubernetes clusters....
Update Type: Preview, Services: Kubernetes Service, Azure Arc, Categories:

Azure Local expands to sovereign-scale infrastructure with disaggregated deployments

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 15:45:00 Z

As organizations accelerate digital transformation across datacenters, sovereign environments, and edge locations, infrastructure architectures must evolve to meet new operational and regulatory dema...
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Azure Arc, Categories:

Azure Monitor for Azure Arc-enabled Kubernetes with OpenShift and Azure Red Hat OpenShift

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 16:45:55 Z

Azure Monitor provides a complete set of services for monitoring the health and performance of different layers of your Kubernetes infrastructure and the applications that depend on it.Azure Monitor support for Azure Arc-enabled Kubernetes with OpenShift
Update Type: GA, Services: Kubernetes Service, Azure Monitor, Azure Arc, Azure Red Hat OpenShift, Categories: Features, Services, Management

Azure Arc adds SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines as a migration target

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 20:45:32 Z

Azure Arc migration now supports SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines as a migration target. You can migrate Arc-enabled SQL Server instances not only to Azure SQL Managed Instance but also to SQL Server running on Azure infrastructure—using the same unif
Update Type: Preview, Services: Virtual Machines, SQL Database, Azure Arc, Categories: Features

Bringing AI to the Factory Floor with Foundry Local - Now in Public Preview on Azure Local

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 16:08:00 Z

Key capabilities in this preview Foundry Local exposes standard REST and OpenAI‑compatible APIs, enabling IT and AI teams to deploy and operate local AI workloads using familiar, cloud‑aligned ...
Update Type: Preview, Services: Azure AI Services, Azure Arc, Categories:

SQL Server enabled by Azure Arc Overview

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 15:00:00 Z

Table of Contents What is Azure Arc-enabled SQL Server? Connecting SQL Server to Azure Arc (4-step onboarding) Your SQL Server is Now in Azure (unified management) SQL Best Practices Assess...
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Azure Arc, Categories:

From fragmented sites to consistent governance: Azure Arc patterns for adaptive cloud strategy.

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 17:11:00 Z

In Manufacturing companies, hybrid architectures aren’t transitional—they’re persistent. Most large manufacturers operate across remote plants, branch sites, private datacenters, and Azure. The mai...
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Azure Arc, Categories:

Azure Arc Server Mar 2026 Forum Recap

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 17:54:00 Z

Please find the recording for the monthly Azure Arc Server Forum on YouTube! During the March 2026 Azure Arc Server Forum, we discussed: Deploying Ansible Playbooks through Machine Configuratio...
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Azure Arc, Categories:

Automating Arc-enabled SQL Server license type configuration with Azure Policy

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 06:53:00 Z

Azure Arc enables customers to onboard SQL Server instances — hosted on Linux or Windows — into Azure, regardless of where they are hosted: on‑premises, in multicloud environments, or at the edge. O...
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Azure Policy, Azure Arc, Categories:

AI Inference on AKS enabled by Azure Arc: Generative AI using Triton and TensorRT‑LLM

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 Z

Run local edge generative AI by deploying Triton with the TensorRT-LLM backend on AKS enabled by Azure Arc to serve Qwen2.5 7B Instruct with GPU acceleration.
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Azure AI Services, Kubernetes Service, Azure Arc, Categories:

Simplify Azure Arc Server Onboarding with Ansible and the New Onboarding Role

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 23:40:00 Z

If you’re already using Ansible to manage your infrastructure, there’s now a simpler—and more secure—way to bring machines under Azure Arc management. We’ve introduced a new Azure Arc onboarding role...
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Azure Arc, Categories:

AI Inference on AKS enabled by Azure Arc: Predictive AI using Triton and ResNet-50

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 00:01:03 Z

Run predictive AI at the edge by deploying Triton with the ONNX backend on AKS enabled by Azure Arc for local ResNet 50 GPU inference without cloud dependency.
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Kubernetes Service, Azure Arc, Categories:

AI Inference on AKS enabled by Azure Arc: Generative AI with Open‑Source LLM Server

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 00:01:02 Z

Run generative AI at the edge with Ollama and vLLM on AKS enabled by Azure Arc, enabling local LLM inference on GPU hardware without dependency or data egress.
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Azure AI Services, Kubernetes Service, Azure Arc, Categories:

AI Inference on AKS enabled by Azure Arc: Series Introduction and Scope

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 00:01:01 Z

Scenario driven series for generative and predictive AI inference on AKS enabled by Azure Arc, across CPUs, GPUs, and NPUs in on-premises and edge environments.
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Kubernetes Service, Azure Arc, Categories:

AI Inference on AKS enabled by Azure Arc: Bringing AI to the Edge and On‑Premises

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 00:01:00 Z

Learn how to bring AI inference closer to your data with AKS enabled by Azure Arc, with practical hybrid and edge scenarios for secure, low-latency workloads.
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Kubernetes Service, Azure Arc, Categories:

Run the latest Azure Arc agent with Automatic Agent Upgrade (Public Preview)

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 12:30:00 Z

Customers managing large fleets of Azure Arc servers need a scalable way to ensure the Azure Arc agent stays up to date without manual intervention. Per server configuration does not scale, and gaps ...
Update Type: Preview, Services: Azure Arc, Categories:

Announcing Private Preview: Deploy Ansible Playbooks using Azure Policy via Machine Configuration

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 14:01:00 Z

Azure Arc is on a mission to unify security, compliance, and management for Windows and Linux machines—anywhere. By extending Azure’s control plane beyond the cloud, Azure Arc enables organizations t...
Update Type: Preview, Services: Azure Policy, Azure Arc, Categories:

Azure Monitor Prometheus community recommended alerts for Azure Arc-enabled Kubernetes

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 17:30:29 Z

Azure Monitor now offers one-click enablement of Prometheus recommended alerts directly in the Azure Portal for Azure Arc-enabled Kubernetes clusters. These alerts, based on enhanced Prometheus community rules, provide comprehensive coverage across cluste
Update Type: GA, Services: Kubernetes Service, Azure Monitor, Azure Arc, Categories: Features, Management

Announcing Public Preview of Argo CD extension on AKS and Azure Arc enabled Kubernetes clusters

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 01:00:00 Z

We are excited to announce public preview of the Argo CD extension for Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) and Azure Arc-enabled Kubernetes clusters. As GitOps becomes the standard for deploying and ope...
Update Type: Preview, Services: Kubernetes Service, Azure Arc, Categories:

Building Microsofts Sovereign AI on Azure Local with NVIDIA RTX PRO and Next Gen NVIDIA Rubin

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 13:08:00 Z

This blog explores how Azure Local, in partnership with NVIDIA, enables governments and regulated industries to build and operate Sovereign AI within their own trusted boundaries. From enterprise AI ...
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Azure Arc, Categories:

Azure Arc Server Feb 2026 Forum Recap

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 16:24:00 Z

Please find the recording for the monthly Azure Arc Server Forum at YouTube! During the February 2026 Azure Arc Server Forum, we discussed: Arc Server Reporting & Dashboard (Jeff Pigot, Sr. So...
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Azure Arc, Categories:

Announcing the General Availability of the Azure Arc Gateway for Arc-enabled Kubernetes!

Tue, 03 Mar 2026 14:12:00 Z

We’re excited to announce the General Availability of Arc gateway for Arc‑enabled Kubernetes. Arc gateway dramatically simplifies the network configuration required to use Azure Arc by consolidating ...
Update Type: GA, Services: Kubernetes Service, Azure Arc, Categories:

Azure Arc Jumpstart Template for Hybrid Logic Apps Deployment

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 19:43:00 Z

Today I’m sharing a new Azure Arc Jumpstart template (Jumpstart Drop) that implements a hybrid deployment for Azure Logic Apps (Standard) on Azure Arc-enabled AKS cluster which enables deployment wit...
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Logic Apps, Kubernetes Service, Azure Arc, Categories:

Azure Arc for SQL Server: Executive Summary for Enterprise Clients

Mon, 26 Jan 2026 21:34:00 Z

Key Considerations Before Implementation Licensing and Software Assurance Benefits Understanding your licensing options is critical before deploying Azure Arc. If your SQL Server licenses include...
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Azure Arc, Categories:

Azure Arc Server Jan 2026 Forum Recap

Tue, 20 Jan 2026 10:51:00 Z

During the January 2026 Azure Arc Server Forum, the Azure Arc product group showcased: Essential Machine Management capabilities in Azure Compute Hub Windows Server Hot Patch: Roadmap and Updat...
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Azure Arc, Categories: Management

Azure File Sync: Azure Arc Integration, Additional Regions, and Secure Syncing

Fri, 16 Jan 2026 10:02:00 Z

As organizations accelerate their cloud journeys, the ability to modernize file data without disrupting daily operations is critical for enterprises. Azure Files and Azure File Sync empower IT and de...
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Azure Arc, Categories:

Azure Arc Monthly Forum Recap – November 2025

Wed, 17 Dec 2025 17:55:00 Z

Key Highlights Auto Agent Upgrade Status: Public Preview Capability: Automatically updates AZCM Agent Support: Email arcautoupgradefeedback@microsoft.com for feedback or issues. Ess...
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Azure Arc, Categories:

Azure Arc Monthly Forum Recap - November 2025

Wed, 17 Dec 2025 09:55:00 Z

Azure Arc Server Forum: 2026 Updates

Mon, 08 Dec 2025 22:58:00 Z

We are excited to announce the fourth calendar year of the Azure Arc Server Forum. We are incredibly thankful to all the customers and community members, who have joined our forum and newsletter from...
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Azure Arc, Categories:

Azure Monitor for Azure Arc-enabled Kubernetes with OpenShift and Azure Red Hat OpenShift

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 08:00:32 Z

Azure Monitor provides a complete set of services for monitoring the health and performance of different layers of your Kubernetes infrastructure and the applications that depend on it.Azure Monitor now supports Azure Arc-enabled Kubernetes with OpenShift
Update Type: Preview, Services: Kubernetes Service, Azure Monitor, Azure Arc, Azure Red Hat OpenShift, Categories: Services, Management

AKS enabled by Azure Arc: Powering AI Applications from Cloud to Edge [Ignite 2025]

Wed, 19 Nov 2025 16:36:00 Z

A New Era for Hybrid Kubernetes and AI Microsoft Ignite 2025 continues to accelerate Azure’s hybrid vision, extending cloud-native innovation into datacenters, factories, retail sites, and remote, ...
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Kubernetes Service, Azure Arc, Categories:

Azure Kubernetes Fleet Manager for Arc-enabled clusters

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 17:01:02 Z

Managing Kubernetes clusters across hybrid and multi-cloud environments can be complex and fragmented. To simplify this, Azure Kubernetes Fleet Manager now supports Azure Arc-enabled Kubernetes, enabling organizations to seamlessly manage any CNCF-complia
Update Type: Preview, Services: Kubernetes Service, Azure Arc, Kubernetes Fleet Manager, Categories: Services

New SQL Server migration in Azure Arc

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 17:01:02 Z

A new SQL Server migration in Azure Arc solution streamlines and accelerates your journey to Azure SQL Managed Instance. Powered by Azure Database Migration Service and assisted by Copilot, it delivers an automated, end-to-end migration process that inclu
Update Type: GA, Services: SQL Database, DB Migration Service, Azure Arc, Categories:

Expanding Azure Arc for Hybrid and Multicloud Management

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 16:26:00 Z

Hybrid and multi-cloud environments are no longer optional—they’re essential for modern enterprises. At Ignite 2025, we are announcing key enhancements to Azure Arc based on your feedback, designed t...
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Azure Arc, Categories: Management

Accelerate your cloud migration journey with Azure Arc resource discovery in Azure Migrate (preview)

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 16:23:00 Z

With Azure Migrate's new Arc-based discovery (preview), you can leverage your existing Arc-enabled servers and Arc-enabled SQL Server instances to quickly gain insights into: Migration readiness ...
Update Type: Preview, Services: Azure Migrate, Azure Arc, Categories:

What’s new in Azure Local: Cloud infrastructure for distributed locations enabled by Azure Arc

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 16:05:00 Z

Today’s enterprises are navigating competing challenges: delivering AI-enabled digital experiences at the edge while also meeting growing demands for data sovereignty and regulatory compliance. Wheth...
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Azure Arc, Categories:

Workload Identity support for Azure Arc-enabled Kubernetes clusters now Generally Available!

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 16:00:00 Z

We’re excited to announce that Workload Identity support for Azure Arc-enabled Kubernetes is now Generally Available (GA)! This milestone brings a secure way for applications running on Arc-connected...
Update Type: GA, Services: Kubernetes Service, Azure Arc, Categories:

Windows Server 2019 Retirement on AKS enabled by Azure Arc

Mon, 17 Nov 2025 21:18:00 Z

Action Required: Migrate to Windows Server 2022 by April 2026 As previously announced, Microsoft is retiring Windows Server 2019 support on Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) enabled by Azure Arc (form...
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Kubernetes Service, Azure Arc, Categories:

Windows Server 2022 on Azure Kubernetes Service enabled by Azure Arc

Fri, 14 Nov 2025 18:00:13 Z

Announcing the retirement of Windows Server 2022 on Azure Kubernetes Service enabled by Azure Arc in October 2026.
Update Type: Deprecation, Services: Kubernetes Service, Azure Arc, Categories: Services, Retirements

Public Preview: Audit and Enable Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) for Azure Arc-enabled Servers

Tue, 21 Oct 2025 00:53:00 Z

Windows Recovery Environment is a secure, isolated partition that enables diagnostics and repair when a system encounters critical failures – such as a stop error (commonly known as the blue screen o...
Update Type: Preview, Services: Azure Arc, Categories:

Firmware analysis enabled by Azure Arc

Thu, 09 Oct 2025 14:15:20 Z

Firmware analysis enabled by Azure Arc is now generally available. Firmware analysis brings deep visibility into the software that powers IoT/OT and network devices—systems that often operate as “black boxes” with limited insight into their security postu
Update Type: GA, Services: Azure Arc, Categories: Features

Addressing Air Gap Requirements through Secure Azure Arc Onboarding

Mon, 06 Oct 2025 14:00:00 Z

This blog post explores the challenges and solutions for implementing air gap environments in highly regulated sectors like finance, healthcare, and government. It discusses the complexities of air g...
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Azure Arc, Categories:

Azure App Service on Azure Arc enabled Kubernetes

Fri, 26 Sep 2025 11:45:02 Z

Beginning on September 30th 2025, Azure App Service on Azure Arc enabled Kubernetes will be retired, and customers will no longer be able to install the extension.To continue to host your application workloads, we request you migrate to other solutions su
Update Type: Deprecation, Services: Logic Apps, Kubernetes Service, App Service, Azure Arc, Container Apps, Categories: Features, Services, Retirements

Announcing the General Availability of the Azure Arc Gateway for Arc-enabled Servers!

Thu, 25 Sep 2025 13:12:00 Z

We’re excited to announce the General Availability of Arc gateway for Arc‑enabled servers. Arc gateway dramatically simplifies the network configuration required to use Azure Arc by consolidating out...
Update Type: GA, Services: Azure Arc, Categories:

Arc-enabled SQL Server is now generally available in the US Government Virginia region

Thu, 14 Aug 2025 12:50:00 Z

We’re thrilled to announce that Azure Arc-enabled SQL Server on Windows is now generally available in the US Government Virginia region. With Azure Arc-enabled SQL Server, U.S. government agencies an...
Update Type: GA, Services: Azure Arc, Categories:

SQL Server enabled by Azure Arc is now generally available in the US Government Virginia region

Thu, 14 Aug 2025 12:50:00 Z

Public Preview: Auto agent upgrade for Azure Arc-enabled servers

Tue, 12 Aug 2025 15:30:00 Z

Seamlessly keep the Azure Connected Machine agent up to date for the latest server management capabilities and fixes
Update Type: Preview, Services: Azure Arc, Categories:

New SQL Server database migration in Azure Arc

Wed, 30 Jul 2025 17:00:36 Z

You can now streamline the entire SQL Server migration journey—from assessment to provisioning to cutover—within a single Azure portal experience. The new Azure Arc migration experience powered by Azure Database Migration service gives you a centralized,
Update Type: Preview, Services: SQL Database, Azure Arc, Categories: Features

EOL of Azure Linux 2.0 on Azure Kubernetes Service enabled by Azure Arc

Mon, 21 Jul 2025 20:56:00 Z

Azure Linux 2.0 will reach its End of Life (EOL) in July 2025 Azure Linux 2.0 (formerly CBL-Mariner) will reach its official End of Life (EOL) on July 31, 2025. After this date, it will no longer r...
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Kubernetes Service, Azure Arc, Categories:

New database migration experience for SQL Server enabled by Azure Arc – Public Preview

Thu, 17 Jul 2025 18:08:00 Z

We’re excited to announce a new database migration experience for SQL Server enabled by Azure Arc - now in public preview. This experience is designed to simplify and accelerate SQL Server migration ...
Update Type: Preview, Services: Azure Arc, Categories:

Azure Arc enabled Azure Container Apps

Wed, 21 May 2025 03:30:39 Z

The capability to run Azure Container Apps on your own Azure Arc-enabled Kubernetes clusters (AKS and AKS-HCI) is now generally available. The cluster can be on-premises or hosted in a third-party cloud. This approach allows developers to take advantage
Update Type: GA, Services: Kubernetes Service, Azure Arc, Container Apps, Categories: Features

Welcoming the Next Wave at Build: New Partners Join the Azure Arc ISV Program

Mon, 19 May 2025 16:00:00 Z

We are thrilled to announce the second round of partners joining the Azure Arc ISV Partner Program for Microsoft Build. Following its successful launch at Ignite last fall, this innovative program co...
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Azure Arc, Categories:

Troubleshoot the Azure Arc Agent in Azure using Azure Monitor & Log Analytics Workspace

Thu, 08 May 2025 10:07:00 Z

This article explores how to centralize logging from on-premises servers—both physical and virtual—into a single Log Analytics Workspace. The goal is to enhance monitoring capabilities for the Azur...
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Azure Monitor, Azure Arc, Categories:

Comparing deployment options of AKS enabled by Azure Arc 📃

Tue, 29 Apr 2025 00:15:00 Z

This article shows a comparison of features available for the different deployment options under AKS enabled by Azure Arc. 🤩 - AKS on Azure Local - AKS Edge Essential - AKS on Windows Serv...
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Kubernetes Service, Azure Arc, Categories:

Azure Change Tracking & Inventory: Simplified onboarding to manage in-guest changes on Azure Arc VMs

Mon, 02 Dec 2024 07:51:00 Z

Explore new Azure native few clicks onboarding experience for Change Tracking & Inventory on Azure Arc servers, streamlining in-guest change management operations, while strengthening your adaptive c...
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Virtual Machines, Azure Arc, Categories:

Ignite 2024: AKS enabled by Azure Arc - New Capabilities and Expanded Workload Support

Wed, 20 Nov 2024 02:19:00 Z

Update Type: Announcement, Services: Kubernetes Service, Azure Arc, Categories:

New capabilities to aid Migration and Hybrid Cloud Management: Envision and leverage the Benefits of Azure Arc and Azure Management in Azure Migrate

Tue, 19 Nov 2024 17:00:35 Z

The Azure Migrate business case enables customers to create a detailed comparison of the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for their on-premises estate versus the TCO on Azure, along with a year-on-year cash flow analysis as they transition their workloads to
Update Type: Preview, Services: Defender for Cloud, Azure Monitor, Azure Migrate, Azure Arc, Update Manager, Categories: Features, Management

Announcing Public Preview of Workload Identity Federation for Azure Arc enabled Kubernetes clusters

Tue, 19 Nov 2024 14:45:00 Z

Announcing the public preview of Workload Identity Federation support for Azure Arc-enabled Kubernetes clusters. This feature enhances security by allowing applications in Azure Arc enabled Kubernete...
Update Type: Preview, Services: Kubernetes Service, Azure Arc, Categories:

Announcing the Azure Arc ISV Partner Program at Ignite

Tue, 19 Nov 2024 10:15:00 Z

Update Type: Announcement, Services: Azure Arc, Categories:

Announcing the Public Preview of the Azure Arc gateway!

Fri, 15 Nov 2024 20:34:00 Z

Update Type: Preview, Services: Azure Arc, Categories:

Azure Container Storage enabled by Azure Arc Edge Volumes

Thu, 05 Sep 2024 07:00:00 Z

We are excited to announce the Public Preview of Azure Container Storage enabled by Azure Arc Edge Volumes, a versatile new addition to our Azure storage solutions designed to enhance data handling at the edge. Edge Volumes offers two key capabilities: Lo
Update Type: Preview, Services: Container Storage, Azure Storage, Azure Arc, Categories: Features, Services

Public Preview: Azure Container Storage enabled by Azure Arc Edge Volumes

Thu, 05 Sep 2024 00:00:00 Z

Learn more about the Public Preview announcement of Azure Container Storage enabled by Azure Arc Edge Volumes.
Update Type: Preview, Services: Container Storage, Azure Arc, Categories: Features, Services

Public Preview of Azure Container Storage enabled by Azure Arc Edge Volumes

Tue, 03 Sep 2024 20:00:48 Z

Release Summary We are thrilled to announce the Public Preview of Azure Container Storage enabled by Azure Arc Edge Volumes, a groundbreaking addition to our Azure storage solutions, designed to revolutionize data handling at the edge. We invite you to explore the capabilities of Edge Volumes in this Public Preview and experience the benefits of advanced edge storage solutions firsthand. Key Capabilities Local Edge Volume: Shared ReadWriteMany storage with no cloud dependencies High-Availability Storage: Provides resilient, failover-capable storage that remains online and accessible even without network connectivity to cloud infrastructure. Versatile Use Cases: Ideal for persistent scratch space, temporary storage, and local application-state data, ensuring continuous operation and data accessibility at the edge. Cloud Edge Volume: Ingest data to cloud while tolerating network disconnections Data Ingestion: Enables seamless, application-transparent ingestion of file data from the edge to Azure storage, including Blob, ADLSgen2, and OneLake/Fabric. User-Defined Capacity: Ensures continuous space availability by purging local copies after confirmed uploads to the cloud. Network Outage Flexibility: Data is retained and queued for upload during network disconnections, so your data is never lost. Benefits Enhanced Data Integrity: Built upon foundational data integrity capabilities, ensuring reliable data handling in intermittently disconnected environments. Optimized Local Resource Utilization: Perfect for IoT and Retail applications, Edge Volumes optimize local resources while maintaining robust data management. Simplified Application Development: Write to a local file system using standard file I/O APIs, but still get the benefits of cloud data destinations, simplifying your application codebase and development process. Try Out Edge Volumes Today! ⚡ Get st
Update Type: Preview, Services: Container Storage, Azure Arc, Categories: Management

Generally Available: Transition to WS2012 / R2 ESUs enabled by Azure Arc from Volume Licensing

Tue, 23 Jul 2024 21:25:11 Z

Customers that have enrolled in WS2012/ R2 ESUs through Volume Licensing for Year 1 can transition to Azure Arc for Year 2 of the program. Extended Security Updates afford customers with critical security patches for end of support Windows Server 2012/R2 machines. ESUs are available at no additional cost to customers running on Azure VMs or Azure Stack HCI. For customers running on-premises or other public clouds, WS2012/R2 ESUs are a paid offer. The WS2012/R2 ESUs enabled by Azure Arc affords key advantages compared to ESUs through Volume Licensing including: Pay as you Go flexibility to scale down WS2012 ESU consumption consumptively as customers migrate workloads to Azure and modernize affording flexibility. Ability to apply Azure Discounting with the decrement of a Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment (MACC) affording significant financial benefits. Azure management capabilities including Azure Update Manager, Azure Change Tracking and Inventory, and Azure Machine Configuration are available at no additional cost. For enrollment, customers must specify their Year 1 Volume Licensing entitlement, indicating their Invoice Id (Invoice Number) to reflect their MAK Key entitlement at the time of Azure Arc WS2012 / R2 ESU license provisioning. This is available directly in the Azure portal with the current experience for Create an Extended Security Updates license. Programmatically, customers can use Azure CLI to generate new licenses, specifying the new Volume License Details parameter in az connectedmachine license | Microsoft Learn their Year 1 Volume Licensing entitlements by entering their respective Invoice Numbers. Customers must explicitly specify the Invoice Id (Number) in their license provisioning for Azure Arc. Customers that make this indication in their license creation will not be back billed for Year 1 of Extended Security Updates, with billing to commence from the start of Year 2 of Windows Server 2012/R2 Extende
Update Type: GA, Services: Virtual Machines, Azure Arc, Update Manager, Categories: Security, Management

Comparing feature sets for AKS enabled by Azure Arc deployment options

Mon, 15 Jul 2024 21:36:56 Z

This article shows a comparison of features available for the different deployment options under AKS enabled by Azure Arc. AKS on Azure Stack HCI, version 23H2 AKS Edge Essentials AKS on Windows Server and AKS on Azure Stack HCI 22H2 Supported infrastructure where the Kubernetes clusters are hosted Azure Stack HCI, version 23H2 Windows 10/11 IoT EnterpriseWindows 10/11 EnterpriseWindows 10/11 ProWindows Server 2019/2022 Azure Stack HCI 22H2 Windows Server 2019 Windows Server 2022 CNCF conformant? Yes Yes Yes K8s cluster lifecycle management tools (create, scale, upgrade and delete clusters) Az CLI Az PowerShell Azure Portal ARM templates PowerShell PowerShell Windows Admin Center Kubernetes cluster management plane Kubernetes clusters are managed by Arc Resource Bridge that runs as part of infrastructure components on the Azure Stack HCI cluster. Kubernetes clusters are self-managed, to preserve resources. Kubernetes clusters are managed using a “management cluster”, that is installed using PowerShell before Kubernetes workload clusters can be created. Can you use kubectl and other open-source Kubernetes tools? Yes Yes Yes Supported Kubernetes versions. Supports K8s only. Continuous updates to supported Kubernetes versions. For latest version support, run az aksarc get-versions. Supports K3s and K8s. Continuous updates to supported Kubernetes versions. For the latest version, visit steps to prepare your machine for AKS Edge Essentials. Supports K8s only. Continuous updates to supported Kubernetes versions. For latest version support, visit AKS hybrid releases on GitHub. Azure Fleet Manager integration No No No Terraform integration Not yet No No Azure Monitor integration Yes, via Arc extensions Yes, via Arc extensions Yes, via Arc extensions The following is a comparison between node pool capabilities for AKS enabled by Azure Arc deployment opti
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Kubernetes Service, Azure Monitor, Azure Arc, Categories: Features, Management

Public Preview of Azure Arc Site Manager

Mon, 22 Apr 2024 20:23:06 Z

This week we are excited to announce the Public Preview of Azure Arc site manager. We designed site manager to meet the needs of customers who manage solutions on the adaptive cloud and want to view and monitor their resources according to their physical locations, such as stores, restaurants, and factories. Within site manager, customers can create Arc sites to represent their on-premises environments and see centralized monitoring information across their edge infrastructure. Get StartedYou can get started by navigating to site manager within Azure Arc (aka.ms/sitemanager). Sites can be created on a resource group or subscription today, and site manager currently supports Azure Stack HCI, Azure Arc-enabled servers & VMs, Azure Arc-enabled Kubernetes, and Azure IoT Operations assets. After site creation, all supported resources automatically appear within the site. For at-scale scenarios, Arc sites can also be created via Infrastructure-as-Code. To learn more, see aka.ms/IaCQuickstart. Site Monitoring CapabilitiesOnce the site is created, you can see aggregated connectivity, alerts, and updates for the site. Connectivity status comes automatically for supported resources, update status via Azure Update Manager, and alerts through Azure Monitor, which can be configured following this guidance. Additionally, each Arc site has its own page where more detailed troubleshooting and remediation can be performed. Coming SoonSite manager is currently in public preview, and the following features will come soon: Ability to create sites on a subset of resources in multiple resource groups and/or subscriptions Support for more resource types, including Arc-enabled SQL servers, Arc-enabled VMware vSphere, and some cloud resources Expansion to security and health monitoring Next StepsCheck out our documentation (aka.ms/sitedocs) and go to the Azure portal to try out Azure Arc site manager today (aka.ms/sitemanager). Additionally, feel free to provide feedback to
Update Type: Preview, Services: Virtual Machines, Kubernetes Service, Azure Monitor, Azure Arc, Update Manager, Categories: Features, Security

Coming Soon: Transition to WS2012/R2 ESUs enabled by Azure Arc for Year 2 and beyond

Wed, 03 Apr 2024 14:04:16 Z

Announced during last week’s Windows Server Summit 2024, customers will be able to transition to Azure Arc for WS2012 Extended Security Updates enabled by Azure Arc for Year 2 if they had purchased Year 1 of Extended Security Updates for Volume Licensing. This experience will ask customers to supply their Invoice Id, corresponding to WS2012 ESU purchases from Volume Licensing. With its pay as you go flexibility as an Azure billed service and inclusion of Azure management services like Azure Update Manager and Machine Configuration at no additional cost, WS2012 ESUs enabled by Azure Arc offer financial and experience benefits to customers. This is especially critical to support customers in their journey of migrating and modernizing End of Life infrastructure to Azure. This transition experience is coming soon! To prepare, your organization can begin to review the connectivity requirements for Azure Arc, whitelisting the necessary endpoints, and deploying the Connected Machine agent to eligible Windows Server 2012/R2 Standard and Datacenter machines using at-scale options like Configuration Manager and Group Policy. Beyond the announcement, we had three sessions covering Azure Arc capabilities during last week’s Windows Server Summit: Cloud operations for Windows Server through Azure Arc Keeping Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2 protected after EOS Automate on-premises Windows Server from the cloud using Azure Arc Empowering Windows Server customers to modernize to Azure management, Azure Arc is the bridge bringing cloud capabilities to Windows Servers across hybrid, multicloud, and edge environments. To sign up for feedback and notification when the experience becomes available, register at https://aka.ms/WS2012ArcESUTransition/.
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Azure Arc, Update Manager, Categories: Security, Services, Management

AKS enabled by Azure Arc is now available on Azure Stack HCI 23H2

Thu, 01 Feb 2024 17:03:20 Z

Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) allows you to run a managed Kubernetes solution at the edge wherever you need it, with built-in support for Linux and Windows containers and cloud integrated lifecycle management. We are thrilled to announce the general availability of Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) for the newest Azure Stack HCI version, a key enabler of advancing hybrid cloud to adaptive cloud with Azure. This release represents the convergence of Kubernetes orchestration and Azure Stack HCI capabilities, offering a seamless and efficient experience for our users. What’s new in AKS? Based on our customers’ input, we have made several improvements and additions to AKS to keep enhancing the simplicity of operation and the efficiency of developers. Simplified AKS infrastructure deployment and management After installing and configuring Azure Stack HCI, without additional configuration steps. The AKS infrastructure components including the Arc Resource Bridge, Custom Location, and the Kubernetes Extension for the AKS Arc operator, are all deployed as part of the Azure Stack HCI deployment. Screenshot: Azure Stack HCI portal view with Kubernetes cluster in resources and Get started. In addition to the initial deployment, lifecycle management of AKS infrastructure follows the same approach as the other components on Azure Stack HCI through regular updates. The integration ensures that all AKS infrastructure components are automatically installed and updated with the validated recipes. Cloud-based management of Kubernetes clusters and applications Applying adaptive cloud principles enables you to easily provision and manage Kubernetes clusters in the Azure portal, directly from the AKS resource view, Azure CLI, or ARM templates for automation. You can also deploy your applications via ACR to manage your container images. Screenshot: Create a Kubernetes cluster with Azure Arc via Azure Portal. Unified resource model with rich Arc extensions support Every AKS cl
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Kubernetes Service, Container Registry, Azure Arc, Categories: Services, Management

Announcing Public Preview of the Azure Arc Visual Studio Code Extension

Thu, 11 Jan 2024 00:00:00 Z

Learn more about the Public Preview of the new Azure Arc Visual Studio Code Extension.
Update Type: Preview, Services: Azure Arc, Categories: Management

Azure Arc November release - PASS announcements

Fri, 08 Dec 2023 17:49:14 Z

Hey folks In the November release of Arc data services which also happened to be the same week the PASS and Microsoft Ignite conferences happened, we announced the public preview releases of a bunch of new capabilities for SQL Server enabled by Azure Arc. Yes, that’s the new product name now. Here’s all the ones that shipped in the November release: Automated Backups with custom schedule Point-in-time restore Always On Availability Groups Inventory and real time status Performance Dashboard Support for Arc enabling SQL Server Failover Cluster Instances (this one shipped in October release, but listing it here as it didn’t get much coverage during the event, and many customers have asked for it) I’ll go over each one briefly. The documentation at aka.ms/arcdocs have been updated with all the details. Automated Backups with custom schedule: Automated backups, as a feature, has been available for Arc SQL Servers since April release. However, we only provided a “default” option. Enabling the automated backups would create a schedule that would initiate a weekly full backup, daily differential and 5-min transaction log backups. And we got a lot of feedback from customers that they want to see some flexibility in customizing this schedule. So, in the November release, you now have the option to create a custom schedule for your automated backups as follows: Full backups – every 1/2/3/4/5/6/7 days Differential backups – Every 12 or 24 hours Transaction log backups – incrementals of every 5 mins Do note that the schedule is still applied at the instance level, meaning the schedule will apply to ALL the user databases on the SQL Server. You can enable backups and configure the schedule using either Azure portal or az CLI. More details at Manage automated backups for Azure Arc-enabled SQL Server from Azure portal - SQL Server enabled by Azure Arc | Microsoft Learn Note
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Azure Arc, Categories: Services

Performance dashboards for SQL Server enabled by Azure Arc – now in Public Preview

Mon, 04 Dec 2023 17:00:00 Z

SQL Server enabled by Azure Arc has numerous features designed to help DBAs and IT Admins better maintain, govern, and secure their hybrid and multi-cloud data workloads. From an observability standpoint alone, Azure Arc gives you the following: Real-time inventory of your SQL Server estate Metadata to easily create dashboards in the Azure portal using Azure Resource Graph Defender for SQL Server to provide you with security protection Best practices assessment help you to fine tune the performance of your SQL Server instances Performance dashboards to monitor SQL Server directly from the Azure portal At Ignite 2023, we announced the public preview of performance dashboards for SQL Server enabled by Azure Arc. With these performance dashbaord, DBAs and IT Admins now get performance monitoring right from within Azure. No need to setup and login to another tool or remotely connect to the SQL Server to run performance queries. Let Azure Arc do the heavy lifting so you can get to your performance metrics faster. This is another tool in the toolbox of DBAs, IT admins, and cloud specialists looking to gain better visibility into their hybrid and multi-cloud workloads. If a SQL Server enabled by Azure Arc meets the requirements for data collection (see “How to enable performance dashboards”), Azure Arc will automatically collect the following types of data from the Dynamic Management Views (DMV) datasets oof the SQL Server: Active Sessions CPU Utilization Database Properties Database Storage Utilization Memory Utilization Performance Counters Storage I/O Wait Stats Once your SQL Server is configured, here’s what the performance dashboard will look like in Azure. How to enable performance dashboards One benefit of performance dashboards for SQL Server enabled by Azure Arc is that the performance data collection is automatic, if your SQL Server mee
Update Type: Preview, Services: Azure Arc, Categories: Features, Security, Management

Enhanced Azure Arc integration with Datadog simplifies hybrid and multicloud observability

Wed, 29 Mar 2023 08:00:00 -0700

Today, we’re delivering improved observability and management with the general availability of our enhanced Microsoft Azure Arc integration with Datadog.
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Azure Arc, Categories: Security

Forrester Total Economic Impact study: Azure Arc delivers 206 percent ROI over 3 years

Thu, 27 Oct 2022 00:00:00 -0700

Azure Arc is a bridge that extends the Azure platform so you can build applications and services with the flexibility to run across datacenters, edge, and multicloud environments.
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Azure Arc, Categories: Security

Innovate across hybrid and multicloud with new Azure Arc capabilities

Tue, 02 Mar 2021 00:00:00 -0800

Across industries, companies are investing in hybrid and multicloud technologies to ensure they have the flexibility needed to innovate anywhere and meet evolving business needs.
Update Type: Announcement, Services: Azure Arc, Categories: