Azure & .NET Digest #4: new VM Watch in Preview, extended support for TLS 1.0/1.1, integration of artificial intelligence into development tools

Welcome to the Azure+ .Net Weekly Update ! There's not a lot of news this week, but there are a few highlights, especially in the virtual machine (VM) space.

If you have news that you would like to suggest or discuss, please join our Telegram channel at https://t.me/azureuacommunity .

App Service price reduction

This week saw a significant price drop for App Service . This does not apply to the free tier, but all paid tiers (except F1) are now 63% cheaper when using JBoss EAP (Enterprise Application Platform) by Red Hat. This makes the service more accessible to businesses.

VM Watch in Preview

Another interesting novelty is VM Watch , which is currently in preview . This service provides a wide set of health signals for Virtual Machines (VMs) and VM Scale Sets . It uses Microsoft AI Operations (AI Ops) to detect and prevent problems by sending data in a standardized format. It is available for Windows and Linux and includes monitoring of signals such as network, disk, CPU, etc. This is a useful addition for those who manage virtual machines.

Cobalt 100 ARM-Based VMs у GA

Cobalt 100 ARM-Based VMs are now available in general availability (GA) . This is the first 64-bit ARM processor developed by Microsoft for cloud services. There are several configurations of this processor such as DPS V6 (4:1 memory-to-processor ratio), DPL SV6 (2:1) and EP for memory-optimized workloads (8:1). These new virtual machines offer a 50% better price-performance ratio than previous models.

ED25519 SSH Keys for Linux VMs

ED25519 SSH Keys for Linux VMs are now publicly available . These keys provide the same level of security as larger RSA keys, but are smaller in size, making them more efficient and resource-efficient. You can create them through the portal, CLI, or PowerShell.

ExpressRoute Metro

ExpressRoute Metro is also out in GA . This service provides two active connections in different physical buildings in the same city, which increases the reliability of the connection. This is an ideal solution for critical applications, because even if one building fails, the connection will remain through the other.

Azure Elastic SAN for VMware

Azure Elastic SAN is now available for Azure VMware Solution . It is a native iSCSI service that offers volumes grouped for management and presented as VMFS datastores . It supports snapshots and has a lower total cost of ownership compared to similar solutions. It is now fully integrated and available to Azure VMware users.

Azure Backup with GRS for SSD V2 and Ultra Disks

For Azure Backup, VMs with SSD V2 and Ultra Disks can now use Geo-Redundant Storage (GRS) . This means that backups are replicated to the paired region and you can perform cross-region disaster recovery. You can also test the recovery process by restoring a copy in a paired region.

Compute Update: Azure Functions and Node.js

Azure Functions for Node.js 22 (Preview)

Both Windows and Linux plans for Azure Functions now support Node.js 22 in an earlier version. If you're using Node.js for serverless features, you can start exploring the new version today.

Extended support for TLS 1.0/1.1

Transition to TLS 1.2

Azure continues to insist on upgrading to TLS 1.2 . TLS 1.0 and 1.1 were previously announced to be deprecated , but to ease the transition, these versions will be supported until August 2025 .

Azure has created a dedicated site to help you migrate to the new version, including details for each service. However, don't settle for TLS 1.0 or 1.1. Moving to TLS 1.2 should be a priority for security and compliance.

Updating databases: Azure SQL Serverless and Redis Cache

SQL Database Auto Scale

Serverless autoscale for Azure SQL Database is now available in twice as many regions. You can scale up to 80 virtual cores using the serverless option.

Zero-downtime scaling for Azure Redis Cache

Azure Redis Cache Enterprise and Enterprise Flash SKUs now support zero-downtime scaling . You can scale up (increase the size) or scale out (add new instances) without interrupting your work.

●????? Scale Up : More memory, more computing power.

●????? Scaling Out : Adding instances of the same size to increase capacity.

Please note: Zooming down or in is not supported.

Various updates

AzAPI 2.0 announcement

The AzAPI provider , created to accelerate the integration of new Azure services with HashiCorp Terraform, has now released version 2.0. This update is an important step in our goal to support Azure services in Terraform from day one.

What is an AzAPI provider?

The AzAPI provider acts as a lightweight layer on top of the Azure ARM REST API. It provides a complete experience on par with the AzureRM provider. With this provider, you can access Azure resources that are not yet supported or may never be supported in AzureRM, including services and features in private or public preview.

The main capabilities of the AzAPI provider:

●????? Versioning for individual resources, which allows users to switch to a new version of the API without changing the version of the provider.

●????? Custom functions like azapi_update_resource and azapi_resource_action .

●????? Instant support for new services from Day 0.

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Security updates: Microsoft Authenticator and Passkey

Improved setup process

Microsoft Authenticator app has received a major update with an improved passkey setup process . The steps are now simplified, reducing the chance of errors during setup.

●????? Certification support : Available for iOS and Android . This allows you to verify the authenticity of the application on the device.

●????? Brokering Support : Seamless sign-in is now available for iOS when you use Microsoft apps like Teams or Outlook.

●????? FIPS compliance : Android is now FIPS 140 compliant , which is important for regulatory compliance.

Azure Load Testing: New Features

Server metrics for error detection

Azure Load Testing added the ability to use server metrics as a test failure criterion. This can be integrated with JMeter or Python Locust scripts for advanced load testing scenarios.

FinOps Toolkit Update 0.6

The FinOps Toolkit has been updated to version 0.6, which includes :

●????? A new library of best practices .

●????? PowerBI reports to manage and optimize workloads.

●????? Customizable tags for detailed cost analysis.

If you are responsible for FinOps in your organization, this update adds important tools for optimization.

Backup Update: WORM Immutable Storage (Preview)

WORM (Write Once, Read Many) backups are now available in preview mode. This feature ensures that once data is recorded, it cannot be deleted or modified before the retention period expires. This is a great option for protecting data from malicious deletion, but be aware of the potential cost implications of long-term storage.

Public availability: Azure App Configuration Premium

Azure App Configuration Premium is now officially available . This service offers an SLA of 49s , one global replica , increased resiliency, and increased configuration and bandwidth.

●????? One-click upgrade : Existing configurations can be easily upgraded to the premium version through the Azure portal.

.Net Update

●????? October 2024 .NET and .NET Framework Maintenance Updates : Microsoft has released a combined maintenance update for .NET and the .NET Framework. This month's updates include critical security fixes for several vulnerabilities, including remote code execution and denial of service issues. Specifically, CVE-2024-38229 affects .NET 8.0 and .NET 9.0 RC1, while CVE 2024-43483 and 2024-43484 affect multiple versions of the .NET Framework.

●????? Update the security system. The latest updates for .NET 8.0 (version 8.0.10) were released on October 8, 2024, and address both security and non-security issues. This update will replace the previous version after installation.

●????? Support Lifecycle Update : Microsoft has updated the support lifecycle information for the various versions of .NET, highlighting that .NET 6 and .NET 8 are currently in active support phases until their respective end-of-support dates of November 2024 and November 2026.

●????? Integrating AI into development tools : As part of ongoing improvements, Microsoft is integrating AI capabilities into its development tools to assist developers during live coding sessions by identifying opportunities for AI applications.

That's all the news for this week! I hope you found it useful! Stay tuned for more updates next week.

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