Generally Available: CLI command for migration from Availability Sets and basic load balancer on AKS

Generally Available: CLI command for migration from Availability Sets and basic load balancer on AKS

Availability Sets and the basic load balancer are being deprecated on September 30 2025. AKS now supports, a simple Azure CLI command that will automatically migrate your AKS cluster from Availability Sets to the new Virtual Machines node pool and upgrade your load balancer SKU from basic to standard in one operation.

Generally Available: Cross-tenant customer-managed keys for Azure NetApp Files volume encryption
Cross-tenant Customer-Managed Keys (CMK) for Azure NetApp Files volume encryption is now generally available, empowering customers to manage their own encryption keys across different Azure tenancies. This capability enhances control and flexibility in multi-tenant scenarios—such as SaaS provider/user configurations—by allowing end users to retain full ownership of their keys while enabling SaaS providers to offer customizable key management options. Cross-tenant CMK is available in all Azure NetApp Files supported regions, delivering secure, scalable, and compliant data protection across tenant boundaries.

Public Preview: Azure NetApp Files Support for OpenLDAP, FreeIPA, and Red Hat Directory Server LDAP services
Azure NetApp Files now supports integration with FreeIPA, OpenLDAP, and Red Hat Directory Server—available in public preview. This LDAP integration enables secure LDAP over TLS connectivity for NFSv3 and NFSv4.1 volumes, allowing enterprises to use these identity systems alongside Microsoft Active Directory.

This enhancement offers seamless integration with existing infrastructure and secure access control for NFS workloads. It’s especially valuable for hybrid environments and regulated industries.

Key Benefits:

• Support for FreeIPA, OpenLDAP, and Red Hat Directory Server in addition to Active Directory.
• Secure LDAP over TLS for NFSv3/NFSv4.1.
• Seamless integration with existing identity infrastructure.
• Greater flexibility for hybrid and compliance-driven environments.

Use Cases:

• Financial institutions using OpenLDAP for hybrid cloud access control.
• Government agencies leveraging FreeIPA for policy-compliant identity management.
• Enterprises in regulated sectors adopting Red Hat Directory Server for consistent identity across cloud/on-prem.

This feature is available in all Azure NetApp Files regions.

Generally Available: New Health Check infrastructure for Azure Traffic Manager
Azure Traffic Manager has introduced new health check infrastructure to improve the resiliency and scalability of the service. This infrastructure is now available, and customers are being moved onto the new infrastructure.

The rollout of the new probing infrastructure delivers improved horizontal scalability and better reliability for Traffic Manager health checks.

Guidance on Firewall Configurations

Health probes from the new infrastructure originate from updated IP addresses. Most customers are already operating on the new platform. For environments where firewall rules have not been recently refreshed, the following options ensure health checks are allowed:

• Preferred option (recommended):
  Configure firewall rules with the AzureTrafficManager Service Tag in NSGs or Azure Firewall. Service Tags automatically include the latest health check IPs without requiring manual updates.

1. How to use Service Tags with NSGs
2. How to use Service Tags with Azure Firewall

• If Service Tags are not feasible (e.g., custom appliances, non-Azure environments):

1. Manually update ACLs or firewall rules to allow the latest IP prefixes for AzureTrafficManager. The full list of IPs is available in the Azure IP Ranges and Service Tags JSON file.
2. Firewall rules should be refreshed periodically to reflect the latest updates.

Public Preview: MSSQL extension integration with Microsoft Fabric
The MSSQL extension for Visual Studio Code (VS Code) now brings SQL database in Fabric directly into your development workflow. With the new Fabric connectivity option in the Connection Dialog, you can sign in using Microsoft Entra ID, browse your Fabric workspaces in a familiar tree view, search across them, and connect to SQL databases or endpoints—all without juggling connection strings. The experience is designed to feel native to Fabric users, with persistent sign-ins, tenant switching, and a seamless “Open in MSSQL” flow from the Fabric extension.

We’re also introducing SQL database in Fabric provisioning directly from VS Code. Instead of leaving your editor to navigate the Fabric UI, you can now create a new SQL database in Fabric in just a few steps—authenticate, select or create a workspace, name your database, and connect instantly. You can run queries within minutes, eliminating context switching and reducing onboarding friction for prototyping and modern app development.

Together, these updates give you a faster, simpler way to get started with Microsoft Fabric and make it easier than ever to build AI-ready, cloud-native solutions directly from VS Code.

Public Preview: Azure SQL updates for late September 2025
In late September 2025, the following updates and enhancements were made to Azure SQL:

• Protection from ransomware attacks to long-term retention (LTR) backups via immutability.

Public Preview: Soft Delete feature in Azure Compute Gallery
The Soft Delete feature in Azure Compute Gallery lets you recover accidentally deleted images within a 7-day retention period. This grace period gives users time to restore any images that were mistakenly deleted.