Azure Service: Backup

Preview Features

Cross Region Restore of PostgreSQL backups for Azure Backup customers is now in public preview. Azure Backup leverages Read-Access Geo Redundant Storage (RA-GRS) which stores 3 replicas of backup data across each of two paired regions. While leveraging Geo-Redundant Storage (GRS) allows you to access your secondary region backups when Azure declares a disaster, enabling Cross Region Restore enables you to access and perform restores from the backups residing in the paired region at all times which includes non-outage scenarios.

You should consider enabling Cross Region Restore option when:

1. You need to perform recovery drills on your secondary region backups to assess disaster readiness.

2. You need high resiliency of backup data.

The feature is currently available for PostgreSQL backups in select public regions. With this, Azure Backup offers a compelling set of durability options for your backup data residing in Backup Vaults including Zonally-redundant Storage (ZRS) for intra-region high durability, Locally-redundant storage (LRS) for low-cost single region durability, and Geo-redundant storage (GRS) for high durability across region when primary region is unavailable by opting in for Cross Region Restore feature, you can also access the secondary region backup data from Azure Backup.

Announcement: https://azure.microsoft.com/updates/public-preview-azure-backup-now-supports-cross-region-restore-for-postgresql-backups/

Documentation: https://azure.microsoft.com/updates/public-preview-azure-backup-now-supports-cross-region-restore-for-postgresql-backups/

Azure Service: Container Apps

General Availability

Azure Container Apps support for Cross Origin Resource Sharing (CORS) is now generally available.

By default, requests made through a browser to a domain that doesn’t match the page’s origin domain are blocked. The CORS feature allows specific origins to make calls on their app through the browser. Now Azure Container Apps customers can easily set up Cross Origin Resource Sharing from the portal or through the CLI.

Announcement: https://azure.microsoft.com/updates/generally-available-cross-origin-resource-sharing-cors-in-azure-container-apps/

Documentation: https://azure.microsoft.com/updates/generally-available-cross-origin-resource-sharing-cors-in-azure-container-apps/

General Availability

The init containers feature in Azure Container Apps is now generally available. Init containers are specialized containers that run to completion before application containers are started in a replica, and they can contain utilities or setup scripts not present in your container app image. Init containers are useful for performing initialization logic such as setting up accounts, running setup scripts, and configuring databases.

Announcement: https://azure.microsoft.com/updates/generally-available-init-containers-in-azure-container-apps/

Documentation: https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/container-apps/containers#init-containers

General Availability

Azure Container Apps now supports session affinity, also known as sticky sessions, for HTTP-based workloads. This feature is generally available.

Session affinity enables you to route all requests from a single client to the same Container Apps replica. This is useful for stateful workloads that require session affinity.

Container apps in single revision mode support session affinity. When enabled, Container Apps automatically adds a cookie to HTTP responses to track the replica being used by the client.

Announcement: https://azure.microsoft.com/updates/generally-available-session-affinity-for-azure-container-apps/

Documentation: https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/container-apps/sticky-sessions?pivots=azure-portal

General Availability

Support for secrets volume mounts in Azure Container Apps is now generally available. In addition to referencing secrets as environment variables, you can now mount secrets as volumes in your container apps. Your apps can access all or selected secrets as files in a mounted volume.

This feature works with secrets stored directly in Azure Container Apps and secrets referenced from Azure Key Vault.

Announcement: https://azure.microsoft.com/updates/generally-available-secrets-volume-mounts-for-azure-container-apps/

Documentation: https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/container-apps/manage-secrets?tabs=azure-portal

General Availability

Azure Container Apps support for Azure Key Vault references in application secrets is now generally available.

Azure Key Vault references enable you to source a container app’s secrets from secrets stored in Azure Key Vault. Using the container app's managed identity, the platform automatically retrieves the secret values from Azure Key Vault and injects it into your application's secrets.

Both versioned and non-versioned secrets are supported.

Announcement: https://azure.microsoft.com/updates/generally-available-azure-key-vault-references-for-secrets-in-azure-container-apps/

Documentation: https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/container-apps/manage-secrets?tabs=azure-portal

Azure Service: CosmosDB

General Availability

With Terraform infrastructure-as-a-code support, you can now programmatically perform all cluster management operations such as cluster create, PostgreSQL server parameter change, cluster node add, cluster node compute, and storage scaling based on your growing workload needs. In addition, you can perform these operations in a unified way for all Azure services supported by Terraform.

When you use the Terraform template-based configuration files you can define, provision, and configure your Azure Cosmos DB for PostgreSQL clusters in a repeatable and predictable manner. As a robust infrastructure-as-a-code solution, Terraform helps reduce human errors and the cost of spinning up production and development environments on demand.

Announcement: https://azure.microsoft.com/updates/general-availability-terraform-support-for-azure-cosmos-db-for-postgresql/

Documentation: https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/cosmos-db/postgresql/product-updates#august-2023

Preview Features

Azure Active Directory (AAD) authentication integration with Azure Cosmos DB for PostgreSQL allows you to improve managed database security by delegating credential management and authentication to a centralized identity provider. Azure Active Directory supports advanced security features such as two-factor authentication options, password lifecycle management, applications and managed identities, and conditional access. Azure Active Directory authentication integration with Azure Cosmos DB for PostgreSQL provides full support for managed identities and support for invited users. You can choose to have AAD-only authentication on your Azure Cosmos DB for PostgreSQL cluster. You can also combine AAD authentication with native PostgreSQL roles. You can configure authentication methods for each Azure Cosmos DB for PostgreSQL cluster individually depending on its role and security requirements.

Announcement: https://azure.microsoft.com/updates/public-preview-azure-active-directory-integration-with-azure-cosmos-db-for-postgresql/

Documentation: https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/cosmos-db/postgresql/concepts-authentication

Azure Service: Database for PostgreSQL

Preview Features

We’re excited to announce that Azure Database for PostgreSQL Flexible Server users can choose to opt-in to storage auto-grow, which is currently available in public preview.

With auto-grow enabled, Azure Database for PostgreSQL Flexible Server will automatically increase the size of the provisioned storage of your database servers. As a result, there’s no longer a need to worry about rightsizing when beginning to use these services or about running out of storage.

Additionally, we have introduced online disk scaling globally, eliminating the requirement for server restarts during storage scaling operations.

Announcement: https://azure.microsoft.com/updates/public-preview-storage-autogrow-online-disk-scaling-for-azure-database-for-postgresql-flexible-server/

Documentation: https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/postgresql/flexible-server/concepts-compute-storage#storage-auto-grow-preview

Azure Service: Firewall

General Availability

Structured Logs (general availability): New logging format that provides a more detailed view of firewall events. Structured Logs provide the following benefits: they are easier to work with data in log queries and help discover schemas; they improves performance and reduce latency; they allow ability to grant Azure RBAC rights on specific tables

Latency Probe (general availability): The Latency Probe metric is designed to measure the overall latency of Azure Firewall and provide insight into the health of the service.

Announcement: https://azure.microsoft.com/updates/general-availability-new-monitoring-and-logging-updates-in-azure-firewall/

Documentation: https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/firewall/firewall-structured-logs

Preview Features

Resource Health (public preview): Monitor that provides visibility into Azure Firewall health status and allows you to address service problems that may affect your Azure Firewall resource.

Embedded Firewall Workbooks (public preview): Integrated workbooks into the Azure Firewall Portal that provide valuable insights and statistics regarding your firewall activities and events.

Announcement: https://azure.microsoft.com/updates/new-monitoring-and-logging-updates-in-azure-firewall/

Documentation: https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/service-health/resource-health-overview

Azure Service: Functions

General Availability

Support of Durable Functions with the Azure Functions v2 programming model for development in Python is now Generally Available. Durable apps can now be organized in a manner more idiomatic to Python developers.

Announcement: https://azure.microsoft.com/updates/generally-available-durable-functions-for-python-v2-programming-model/

Documentation: https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/azure-functions/durable/quickstart-python-vscode?tabs=macos%2Cazure-cli-set-indexing-flag&pivots=python-mode-decorators

General Availability

Most function apps use Application Insights for telemetry. Today, we’re making the experience of working with Application Insights even better for .NET function apps using the isolated worker model.

Now, you can fully control the emission of telemetry using standard controls available from the Application Insights SDK. For example, through registration in your application startup, you can configure custom filtering rules, adjust log levels, and more.

Please note that any configuration you define in your application startup will only affect logs emitted from your application code. Some logs from the Functions host remain controlled by the `host.json` file. Similarly, the `host.json` file does not impact configuration of logs from your application.

Announcement: https://azure.microsoft.com/updates/generally-available-application-insights-integration-for-the-azure-functions-net-worker/

Documentation: https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/azure-functions/dotnet-isolated-process-guide#application-insights

General Availability

Azure Functions triggers and bindings enable function authors to easily integrate event and data sources. Today, function apps on the isolated worker model can leverage general availability support for an expanded range of types, such as those from the Azure SDK for .NET.

Now, a .NET function in an isolated worker process could, for example, start with a BlobClient passed into it. Using that type, the function can stream data incrementally and process larger blobs than it could before. Some workloads may see throughput improvements as well. Function authors should be aware that if a binding expression relies on trigger data, the trigger itself cannot be one of the newly supported types.

Support covers the extensions for Blobs, Queues, Tables, Cosmos DB, Event Hubs, Event Grid, and Service Bus. Support for the Service Bus trigger does not yet cover message settlement scenarios, but this general availability update does enable use of `ServiceBusReceivedMessage`.

Announcement: https://azure.microsoft.com/updates/generally-available-sdk-type-bindings-in-azure-functions/

Documentation: https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/azure-functions/dotnet-isolated-process-guide#sdk-types

Azure Service: Kubernetes Service

General Availability

AKS now facilitates Private Link Service (PLS) creation for Kubernetes services through annotations, simplifying PLS setup. You can add the necessary PLS annotation to the service manifest file with an 'azure-load-balancer-internal' annotation and LoadBalancer service type.

This eliminates searching for Azure Load Balancer IP configuration for PLS creation, as AKS will handle PLS provisioning with the Kubernetes service. You can also establish a PLS resource by adding the PLS annotation to the manifest file after service provisioning.

Announcement: https://azure.microsoft.com/updates/generally-available-private-link-service-integration/

Documentation: https://cloud-provider-azure.sigs.k8s.io/topics/pls-integration/

General Availability

AKS support for Kubernetes 1.27 is now generally available. 

Kubernetes 1.27 contains over 50 features and enhancements focused on improving security, scalability, reliability, and performance of cloud native applications. With the general availability of 1.27 support, you can now take advantage of these capabilities in production.

Announcement: https://azure.microsoft.com/updates/generally-available-kubernetes-127-support-in-aks/

Documentation: https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/blob/master/CHANGELOG/CHANGELOG-1.27.md

Azure Service: Load Testing

Region Updates

Azure Load Testing is now available in Japan East and Brazil South

Announcement: https://azure.microsoft.com/updates/generally-available-azure-load-testing-in-japan-east-and-brazil-south/

Documentation: https://azure.microsoft.com/updates/generally-available-azure-load-testing-in-japan-east-and-brazil-south/

Azure Service: Machine Learning

Preview Features

Two new features now available in PuPr enable you to work with improved data size and model support and generate a default Responsible AI dashboard for the best AutoML model.

Perform distributed training for tabular datasets in AutoML – You can now execute distributed training for your tabular datasets in AutoML to work with large datasets.  

Evaluate AutoML tabular models with the RAI dashboard (supporting regression/classification) – You can now leverage the more robust and richer debugging and analytical Responsible AI dashboard, which is automatically generated for their best model, instead of generating it separately (as you had to do before).

Announcement: https://azure.microsoft.com/updates/azure-machine-learning-public-preview-for-august/

Documentation: https://azure.microsoft.com/updates/azure-machine-learning-public-preview-for-august/

Azure Service: NetApp Files

Preview Features

To harmonize the authentication ID Domain settings in your NFSv4.1 environment, you can now configure a custom NFSv4.1 ID Domain in Azure NetApp Files for non-LDAP volumes. The ID Domain is set for all non-LDAP volumes in the same region and subscription, and can co-exist in environments with LDAP-enabled volumes. Once the ID Domain on Azure NetApp Files matches your NFSv4.1 clients, ‘root’ and non-root users will no longer be squashed to ‘nobody’. This setting helps either prepare for a future implementation of LDAP with Active Directory in the future by enabling the use of the same authentication ID Domain across all NFSv4.1 clients, or just ensures scripts and software installation routines that use ‘root’ can modify files on NFSv4.1 volumes correctly.

Announcement: https://azure.microsoft.com/updates/public-preview-custom-nfsv41-id-domain-in-azure-netapp-files/

Documentation: https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/azure-netapp-files/azure-netapp-files-configure-nfsv41-domain

Preview Features

Azure NetApp Files datastores for Azure VMware Solution provide the ability to scale storage independently of compute and can go beyond the limits of the local instance storage provided by vSAN reducing total cost of ownership.

With Cloud Backup for Virtual Machines, you can now create VM consistent snapshot backups of VMs on Azure NetApp Files datastores. The associated virtual appliance installs in the Azure VMware Solution cluster and provides policy based automated and consistent backup of VMs integrated with Azure NetApp Files snapshot technology for fast backups and restores of VMs, groups of VMs (organized in resource groups) or complete datastores lowering RTO, RPO, and improving total cost of ownership.

Announcement: https://azure.microsoft.com/updates/public-preview-azure-netapp-files-cloud-backup-for-virtual-machines/

Documentation: https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/azure-netapp-files/whats-new

Azure Service: Redis Cache

General Availability

Azure Cache for Redis now offers an additional metric in Azure Monitor to measure the 99th percentile latency of server-side commands. This allows you to see the worst-case latency experienced by your Redis instance, which helps in debugging latency challenges in your application stack. You can also use this metric to help determine when long-running commands are increasing the response latency of your Redis instance. The 99th percentile latency metric is available in the basic, standard, and premium tiers of Azure Cache for Redis.

Announcement: https://azure.microsoft.com/updates/general-availability-99th-percentile-latency-metric-in-azure-cache-for-redis/

Documentation: https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/azure-cache-for-redis/cache-how-to-monitor#list-of-metrics

General Availability

To prevent unexpected data loss, caches using active geo-replication in the Enterprise or Enterprise Flash tiers of Azure Cache for Redis have the FLUSHDB and FLUSHALL commands blocked by default. This is because flushing one cache in a geo-replication group will also flush all other synchronized caches. 

Now, a control-plane operation is available that will force flush the data in all caches in the same geo replication group. This operation can be used either through the portal or through CLI/PowerShell. As a control-plane operation, Azure role-based access control roles can be used to limit access to specific users. This provides a safer and more consistent way to clear geo-replicated caches.

Announcement: https://azure.microsoft.com/updates/general-availability-simplified-flush-operation-for-caches-using-active-georeplication/

Documentation: https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/azure-cache-for-redis/cache-how-to-active-geo-replication#flush-operation

Azure Service: Resource Manager

General Availability

Help API is now Generally Available! Help API provides you relevant and high-quality, self-help solutions to resolve issues with your Azure resource quickly and conveniently.

With Help API you gain access to rich Azure diagnostics that can potentially reduce your overall downtime in resolution of support incidents and thereby your support costs. This feature is currently available at NO COST, empowering you to troubleshoot issues with your Azure resource within seconds from your preferred UI ,or by using API tools such as Postman without the need to create support tickets. Additional support is also offered for different programming languages and interfaces, as outlined in the documentation.

Help API offers two key capabilities :

Solution Discovery: Returns relevant diagnostics specific to the issues with your resource. You can narrow your solution search results by adding specific inputs such as the problemClassificationId, in addition to the resourceId.

Solution Execution: Execute applicable diagnostics which are then presented in a step-by-step format, guiding you through the process of resolving your issue efficiently.

Announcement: https://azure.microsoft.com/updates/general-availability-help-api-provides-access-to-selfhelp-diagnostics/

Documentation: https://learn.microsoft.com/rest/api/help/

Azure Service: Sphere

Preview Features

We are excited to announce the Public Preview of Azure Sphere (Integrated), a new management interface for Azure Sphere services that is natively integrated with Azure via the Azure Resource Manager.

This Azure Sphere (Integrated) Public Preview comprises:

A new REST API for the Azure Sphere Security Services, integrated with Azure Resource Manager

Azure Portal and Azure CLI integration

Azure Monitor integration

Azure RBAC integration

Announcement: https://azure.microsoft.com/updates/azure-sphere-integrated-public-preview/

Documentation: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/internet-of-things-blog/introducing-azure-sphere-integrated-public-preview/ba-p/3886554

Azure Service: Storage

Preview Features

As we approach the general availability of Azure Elastic SAN, we continue improving the service and adding features based on feedback from Azure customers. Today, we are releasing private endpoint support and volume sharing support via SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) Persistent Reservation. 

With the addition of private endpoint support, you can now access Elastic SAN volumes via either private endpoints or via public endpoints that are restricted to allow network access from specific virtual network subnets only. If you require the additional layer of security that private endpoints add, this is an essential update.

By adding shared volume support, you can attach and use an Elastic SAN volume from multiple compute clients like virtual machines, while using SCSI reservation commands to choose from a range of supported access modes to read or write to the volume. You can even maintain reservations across reboots because we support persistent reservations to ensure that access to data remains uninterrupted.

Announcement: https://azure.microsoft.com/updates/azure-elastic-san-updates-private-endpoints-shared-volumes/

Documentation: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/azure-storage-blog/azure-elastic-san-updates-private-endpoints-amp-shared-volumes/ba-p/3899408

Azure Service: Virtual Machines

General Availability

We are announcing the general availability (GA) of incremental snapshots support for Premium SSD v2 and Ultra Disk with instant restore capability in all regions where Premium SSD v2 and Ultra Disk are supported.

You can now instantly restore Premium SSD v2 and Ultra Disks from snapshots and attach them to a running VM without waiting for any background copy of data. This new capability allows you to read and write data on disks immediately after creation from snapshots, enabling you to recover your data from accidental deletes or a disaster quickly

Announcement: https://azure.microsoft.com/updates/general-availability-incremental-snapshots-for-premium-ssd-v2-disk-and-ultra-disk-storage-3/

Documentation: https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/virtual-machines/disks-incremental-snapshots?tabs=azure-cli#incremental-snapshots-of-premium-ssd-v2-and-ultra-disks-preview

Preview Features

Today we are announcing the public preview of the next generation Mv3 Medium Memory (MM) virtual machine series.

These virtual machines provide improved performance and higher reliability over previous generations.

Key features on the new Mv3 MM VMs for memory-optimized workloads:

Powered by the 4th Generation Intel® Xeon® Scalable Processor and DDR5 DRAM technology, the Mv3 medium memory (MM) virtual machines can scale for SAP workloads from 250GB to 4TB with faster performance and lower TCO.

With Azure Boost, Mv3 MM provides a ~25% improvement in network throughput and up to 1.5X improvement in remote storage throughput over the previous M-series families. 

Azure Boost’s isolated architecture inherently improves security for Mv3 MM virtual machines by running storage and networking processes separately on the purpose-built hardware, instead of on the host server.

Increased resilience against failures in memory, disks, and networking based on intelligence from past generations.

Available in both disk and diskless offerings, allowing customers the flexibility to choose the option that best meets their workload needs.

Announcement: https://azure.microsoft.com/updates/public-preview-azure-mv3-medium-memory-virtual-machines/

Documentation: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/running-sap-applications-on-the/announcing-public-preview-of-new-mv3-medium-memory-virtual/ba-p/3897091

Azure Service: Virtual Network

Preview Features

Virtual Network (VNet) flow logs enable you to capture information about IP traffic flowing through your Virtual Networks for usage monitoring & optimization, troubleshooting connectivity, compliance, and security analysis.

Flow data is sent to Azure Storage accounts. From there, you can access the data and export it to any visualization tool, SIEM (security information and event management) solution, or intrusion detection system (IDS) of your choice. You can also enable Traffic Analytics that aggregates and enriches flow data to provide advanced visibility into user and application activity as well as malicious IP communication in your networks.

Announcement: https://azure.microsoft.com/updates/public-preview-azure-vnet-flow-logs/

Documentation: https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/network-watcher/vnet-flow-logs-overview