Windows Server Management enabled by Azure Arc Is Now Generally Available

Azure services now available for free to Windows Server Software Assurance and Pay as you Go customers via Azure Arc management

Published: Nov 21, 2024

azure cloud data hero scaled

SHARE ARTICLE

Key Takeaways:

  • Azure benefits for Windows Server SA and active subscription licence holders
  • Includes Azure Update Manager and Azure Machine Configuration
  • Azure services still available individually for those without SA

At their Ignite 2024 tech conference this week, Microsoft announced a restructuring of sorts for Windows Server Management features and SKUs and brought them under Azure Arc. They are advertising the features as a ‘free add-on’ bundle for companies utilizing Windows Server Pay as you Go, or active Software Assurance (SA) agreements. This is why I put ‘free’ in quotes.

Benefits for SA and active subscription licence holders

The key benefits for customers with Windows Server licenses that include Software Assurance or active subscription licenses include:

  • Azure Change Tracking and Inventory
  • Azure Update Manager
  • Azure Machine Configuration
  • Windows Admin Center in Azure Arc
  • Remote Support
  • Network HUD
  • Best Practices Assessment
  • Azure Site Recovery (Config Only)

There are no explicit costs associated with these features beyond associated networking, compute, storage, and log ingestion charges for customers enrolled in Windows Server Pay as you Go or Software Assurance.

Azure benefits with Azure Arc and Windows Server
Azure benefits with Azure Arc and Windows Server (Image Credit: Microsoft)

This table shows each benefit, the minimum supported Windows Server version, and the description of the feature.

BenefitSupported OSDescription
Azure Update ManagerWindows Server 2012 and aboveAssess the update status and deploy updates to machines (one off, recurring, maintenance windows) with visibility into update compliance and auditing.
Azure Change Tracking and InventoryWindows Server 2012 and aboveDiscovery of and changes of software, services/daemons, files, and registries of Azure Arc-enabled servers.
Azure Machine ConfigurationWindows Server 2012 and aboveConfiguration of machine properties for OS, app, and environment settings, with Azure Policy. Available natively with the Azure Connected Machine agent.
Windows Admin Center in Azure for ArcWindows Server 2025 onlySecurely manage hybrid machines from anywhere without needing a VPN, public IP address, or other inbound connectivity to your machine with RDP, Hyper-V management, event viewer, and much more.
Remote SupportWindows Server 2025 onlyOffers customers with professional support the ability to grant JIT access with detailed execution transcripts and revocation rights.
Network HUDWindows Server 2025 onlyA host networking diagnostics and operational tool. Runs spot checks, health checks, and cluster wide checks to make sure your host networking set-up is healthy and set up in an optimal and expected way.
Best Practices AssessmentWindows Server 2025 onlyCollection and analysis of server data to generate issues and remediation guidance and performance improvements.
Azure Site Recovery ConfigurationWindows Server 2025 onlyConfiguration of Azure Site Recovery to ensure business continuity, provides replication and data resilience for critical workloads.

Requirements

Requirements to run these features include:

  • Connected Machine Agent: Version 1.38 or higher is required. Version 1.46 or higher is recommended.
  • Operating Systems: Azure Arc-enabled servers must be running Windows Server 2016 or higher. Both Standard and Datacenter editions are fine.
  • Licensing: Azure Arc-enabled servers must be licensed through a valid licensing channel. Windows Server Pay as you Go, and Software Assurance are valid.
  • Connectivity: Connection to the Internet is required.
  • Regions: The only regions NOT supported are US Gov Virginia, US Gov Arizona, China North 2, China North 3, and China East 2.

Enrolling Windows Server with Azure Arc

PowerShell is your go-to choice for getting your servers enrolled in Windows Server Management enabled through Azure Arc.

The following script can be used for attestation at scale of Azure Arc-enabled servers.

$subscriptionId = '' #Your subscription id
$resourceGroupName = '' # your Resource Group
$machineName = '' # Arc resource name
$location = "" # The region where the test machine is arc enabled.

$account = Connect-AzAccount
$context = Set-azContext -Subscription $subscriptionId
$profile = [Microsoft.Azure.Commands.Common.Authentication.Abstractions.AzureRmProfileProvider]::Instance.Profile
$profileClient = [Microsoft.Azure.Commands.ResourceManager.Common.rmProfileClient]::new( $profile )
$token = $profileClient.AcquireAccessToken($context.Subscription.TenantId)
$header = @{
'Content-Type'='application/json'
'Authorization'='Bearer ' + $token.AccessToken
}

$uri = [System.Uri]::new( "https://management.azure.com/subscriptions/$subscriptionId/resourceGroups/$resourceGroupName/providers/Microsoft.HybridCompute/machines/$machineName/licenseProfiles/default?api-version=2023-10-03-preview" )
$contentType = "application/json"
$data = @{
location = $location;
properties = @{
softwareAssurance = @{
softwareAssuranceCustomer= $true;
};
};
};
$json = $data | ConvertTo-Json;
$response = Invoke-RestMethod -Method PUT -Uri $uri.AbsoluteUri -ContentType $contentType -Headers $header -Body $json;
$response.properties

The individual products, Azure Change Tracking and Inventory and Azure Update Manager etc., are still available to those without SA or Windows Server Pay as you Go with their associated costs.

SHARE ARTICLE