Retirement: Azure Cloud Services Guest OS Families 2, 3, and 4

In July 2024, Azure announced the upcoming retirement of Guest OS Families 2, 3, and 4 for Cloud Services and Cloud Services Extended Support. The end-of-life dates are as follows: Windows Server 2008 R2 will retire in December 2024, while Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2 will retire in February 2025. Customers utilizing these OS families need to take action to ensure their cloud services remain supported.

To identify which of your cloud services are running the soon-to-be-retired OS Families, you can use the provided Azure PowerShell script here (link will be provided when retirement notice is published). The script will help you pinpoint services that need to be migrated. If the osFamily column in the script output is empty or shows "2", "3", or "4", your services are impacted. If your ServiceConfiguration.cscfg file or the Azure portal lists any of these OS families, your services are affected.

For affected services, we recommend migrating to one of the supported Guest OS Families. Moving to Guest OS family 7 (Windows Server 2022) is highly recommended. Transitioning to a supported OS family will ensure continued functionality and support for your cloud services. For further assistance, visit the Microsoft Q&A page or contact Azure support.

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