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Windows Azure Guest OS Deprecation

Article ID: 2749494 - View products that this article applies to.

Summary

This article outlines the deprecation of multiple versions of the Windows Azure Guest Operation System (Guest OS) coming in October 2012 and what action, if any, you need to take.

This information in this article is directly applicable to customers running Cloud Service web and/or worker roles AND who have chosen to run those roles on specific versions of the Guest OS.

The following are NOT affected:

1. Windows Azure Virtual Machines
2. VMRoles
3. Cloud Services set to automatically update to the latest Guest OS
4. Cloud Services specifically set to use Guest OS versions later than those listed below. You may still want to read this article to understand the benefits of using "Automatic" Guest OS updates.

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More information

Guest OS Retirement
Beginning October 3rd 2012, Windows Azure will no longer support Cloud Services (Hosted Services) web and worker roles deployed on Guest OS version 2.9 release 2 or older and 1.17 release 2 or older. A cloud service allows you to deploy a multi-tiered application that contains multiple web and worker roles. Each role runs on top of a version of the Guest OS that is configured in the ServiceConfiguration (CSCFG) file.

The Windows Azure Guest OS Releases and SDK Compatibility Matrix

(http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windowsazure/ee924680.aspx)

specifically lists all the versions of the Guest OS which will be retired.

Before the date above:

Microsoft will send email to the administrators and coadministrators for the accounts that are affected.
Unsupported Guest OSs will be removed from the Windows Azure Management Portal so customers cannot choose them.

After the date above:

The release notes for the older unsupported Guest OS versions will be removed from the MSDN.
Microsoft will automatically upgrade role(s) running deprecated versions of the Guest OS to the newest version. The role will be restarted to apply the latest Guest OS.
Windows Azure will reject Cloud Services deployed with serviceconfiguration.cscfg files referring to unsupported Guest OS versions.

Options
Assuming you are affected by this update, you have the following options:

1. Set the OS Version to “Automatic” so your Cloud Service(s) will stay up-to-date with the latest Guest OS and Security Updates.

2. Upgrade to one of the following releases before October 3rd 2012. Choose the newest Guest OS possible for your requirements.
- Windows Azure Guest OS 1.17 (Release 201112-03) or newer
- Windows Azure Guest OS 2.9 (Release 201112-03) or newer

How to Set the Guest OS Version
The preferred solution to address this issue and to stay up to date with the latest Security Updates as they become available is to simply enable "Automatic" updates. If you must lock to a particular Guest OS, choose the newest one possible.

>New Windows Azure Preview Portal
1. In the new Portal

(https://manage.windowsazure.com/)

, click Cloud Service, then choose the name of the appropriate service.
2. Choose Staging or Production as appropriate. Remember that you need to configure each independently.
3. Click CONFIGURE.
4. At the bottom of the page, find the operating system section.
5. The version of the Guest OS you are running for this Cloud Service is listed in the drop down. The preferred solution is to change the OS VERSION to Automatic as seen in the figure below.

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Guest OS Configuration in New Windows Azure Portal

Alternatively you can update your ServiceConfiguration (CSCFG) settings to automatically install security updates as they become available. To configure automatic updates, place this line in your .cscfg file, replace the <service-name> with yours, choose an osFamily, and then upload the configuration using the UPLOAD button at the bottom of the page:

<ServiceConfiguration serviceName="<service-name>" osFamily="[1|2]" osVersion="*" >

For example, if your cloud service name is ContosoCloudService and you want to use OS family Window Server 2008 R2 with Automatic updates you would replace this line in your ServiceConfiguration.cscfg file:

<ServiceConfiguration serviceName="ContosoCloudService" osFamily="2" osVersion="*">

Older Silverlight-based Windows Azure Management Portal
1. In the older Portal

(https://windows.azure.com/)

, choose Hosted Services, Storage Accounts and CDN in the lower left.
2.       Choose Hosted Services in the upper left.
3.       Select the deployment where you want to configure the Guest OS. In this case, the HelloWorld deployment is selected. Remember that Staging and Production deployments are separate and must be updated separately.
4.       Choose Configure OS from the top toolbar.
5.       The Configure Operating System dialog appears.
6.       The version of the Guest OS you are running for this Cloud Service is listed in the drop down. The preferred solution is to change the OS VERSION to Automatic as seen in the figure below.

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Guest OS Configuration screen in old Silverlight-based Windows Azure Portal

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Guest OS Configuration dialog in old Silverlight-based Windows Azure Portal

Reason for Update
Microsoft is dedicated to provide the highest levels of security, reliability and compatibility for our Windows Azure platform. There are two primary reasons for the update.

Security - Using an older version of the Guest OS exposes your hosted services to known exploitable vulnerabilities. It is important that customers stay updated to help maintain the security of their installation.
Virtualization Infrastructure Update - Windows Azure is performing a significant upgrade to its virtualization infrastructure, which will provide better portability and consistency between images created on Windows Server and images created in Windows Azure. The Guest OS versions being retired are not compatible with the new infrastructure.

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Note This is a "FAST PUBLISH" article created directly from within the Microsoft support organization. The information contained herein is provided as-is in response to emerging issues. As a result of the speed in making it available, the materials may include typographical errors and may be revised at any time without notice. See Terms of Use

(http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=151500)

for other considerations.

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