Azure updates

Generally Available: AKS cost views

The Kubernetes clusters and Kubernetes namespaces cost views are now generally available in Cost analysis within Azure portal. You can view the aggregated costs for all your AKS clusters and namespaces across a subscription and drill down into infrastructure and namespaces costs of a cluster.

• Microsoft Cost Management
• Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
• Management

Preview: New Features in Azure Container Storage

Azure Container Storage is a fully managed volume orchestration service built natively for containers. New capabilities include support for Temp SSD, simplified installation via AKS CLI, and scalable storage for cost-efficient workload management.

• Azure Container Storage
• Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
• Features

Microsoft open sources Retina: A cloud-native container networking observability platform

The Microsoft's Azure Container Networking team is announcing Retina, a cloud-native container networking observability platform that enables Kubernetes users, admins, and developers to visualize, observe, debug, and analyze Kubernetes’ workload traffic irrespective of Container Network Interface (CNI), operating system (OS), and cloud.

• Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
• Network Watcher
• Services
• Features
• Open Source

Public preview: Kubernetes AI Toolchain Operator (KAITO) add-on for AKS

You can now choose from preset LLMs with images hosted by AKS and split inferencing across multiple lower-GPU count VMs

• Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
• Features

Open-Source Fleet Workload Placement Scheduling and Override

You can now schedule workloads in Fleet based on cost and availability of resource heuristics.

• Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
• Open Source

Generally Available: Cost analysis add-on for AKS

You can now better understand the infra costs associated with running applications at the namespace and cluster levels and identify opportunities to optimize resource utilization through an Azure native experience.

• Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
• Features

Public preview: Windows GPU support in AKS

You can now run GPU workloads, such as machine learning, video encoding, large simulations, and gaming, on Windows nodepools in AKS.

• Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
• Features

Generally Available: Kubernetes 1.29 support in AKS

You can now take advantage of Kubernetes 1.29 version with AKS in production environment.

• Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
• Features

Public preview: Deployment safeguards in AKS

You can now use deployment safeguards to implement Kubernetes best practices and get warnings on deployment or deny the deployment of manifest files that are not following best practices.

• Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
• Features

Public preview: Trusted launch support in AKS

Administrators can now deploy AKS nodes with verified and signed bootloaders, OS kernels, and drivers.

• Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
• Security
• Features

Generally Available: Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) support for 5K Node limit by default for standard tier clusters

You can now scale your AKS cluster to larger than 1000 nodes without having to request any special limit increases or whitelisting.

• Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
• Features

Generally Available: AKS support for node soak duration for upgrades

You can now stagger AKS node upgrades and minimize application downtime.

• Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
• Features

GA: Istio-based service mesh add-on for Azure Kubernetes Service

You can deploy an officially supported Istio addon for AKS

• Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
• Features

General availability: Application Gateway for Containers

Application Gateway for Containers is the next evolution to Application Gateway's Ingress Controller; bringing performance, scale, deployment, and feature enhancements.

• Application Gateway for Containers
• Application Gateway
• Security
• Features

Public Preview: Regional Disaster Recovery by Azure Backup for AKS

Customers can now utilize Azure Backup for AKS to recover their containerized applications and data during a regional disaster scenario.

• Azure Backup
• Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
• Features

Public preview: AKS cluster control plane metrics in managed Prometheus

You can now monitor the health, load and performance of the API server and etcd in the control plane of your AKS clusters

• Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
• Azure Monitor
• Features

Generally Available: Azure Stack HCI latest feature release

Target availability: Q1 2024

Azure Stack HCI is the Microsoft Azure Arc-enabled infrastructure. Now, customers who have an Azure Stack HCI subscription can download the latest feature release for their infrastructure. This new Azure Stack HCI release is the version of the product required to run Azure Virtual Desktop on- prem which is also now in GA and called Azure Virtual Desktop for Azure Stack HCI. This is an exciting development as the public preview of this product is in high demand specifically in Healthcare and Financial Services. 

• Azure Virtual Desktop
• Services
• Operating System
• Features