Virtual machine extension management with Azure Arc-enabled servers

Virtual machine (VM) extensions are small applications that provide post-deployment configuration and automation tasks on Azure VMs. For example, if a virtual machine requires software installation, anti-virus protection, or to run a script in it, a VM extension can be used.

Azure Arc-enabled servers enables you to deploy, remove, and update Azure VM extensions to non-Azure Windows and Linux VMs, simplifying the management of your hybrid machine through their lifecycle. VM extensions can be managed using the following methods on your hybrid machines or servers managed by Arc-enabled servers:

• The Azure portal
• The Azure CLI
• Azure PowerShell
• Azure Resource Manager templates

Key benefits

Azure Arc-enabled servers VM extension support provides the following key benefits:

• Collect log data for analysis with Logs in Azure Monitor by enabling the Azure Monitor agent VM extension. Log data analysis makes it useful for doing complex analysis across log data from different kinds of sources.

• With VM insights, it analyzes the performance of your Windows and Linux VMs, and monitors their processes and dependencies on other resources and external processes. This is achieved through enabling both the Azure Monitor agent and Dependency agent VM extensions.

• Download and execute scripts on hybrid connected machines using the Custom Script Extension. This extension is useful for post deployment configuration, software installation, or any other configuration or management tasks.

• Automatically refresh of certificates stored in an Azure Key Vault.

Availability

VM extension functionality is available only in the list of supported regions. Ensure you onboard your machine in one of these regions.

Additionally, you can configure lists of the extensions you wish to allow and block on servers. See Extension allowlists and blocklists for more information.

Extensions

In this release, we support the following VM extensions on Windows and Linux machines.

To learn about the Azure Connected Machine agent package and details about the Extension agent component, see Agent overview.

Arc-enabled servers support moving machines with one or more VM extensions installed between resource groups or another Azure subscription without experiencing any impact to their configuration. The source and destination subscriptions must exist within the same Microsoft Entra tenant. This support is enabled starting with the Connected Machine agent version 1.8.21197.005. For more information about moving resources and considerations before proceeding, see Move resources to a new resource group or subscription.

Windows extensions

Linux extensions

Prerequisites

This feature depends on the following Azure resource providers in your subscription:

• Microsoft.HybridCompute
• Microsoft.GuestConfiguration

If they aren't already registered, follow the steps under Register Azure resource providers.

Be sure to review the documentation for each VM extension referenced in the previous table to understand if it has any network or system requirements. This can help you avoid experiencing any connectivity issues with an Azure service or feature that relies on that VM extension.

Required Permissions

To deploy an extension to Arc-enabled servers, a user requires the following permissions.

• microsoft.hybridcompute/machines/read
• microsoft.hybridcompute/machines/extensions/read
• microsoft.hybridcompute/machines/extensions/write

The role Azure Connected Machine Resource Administrator includes the permissions required to deploy extensions, however it also includes permission to delete Arc-enabled server resources.

Azure Monitor agent VM extension

Before you install the extension we suggest you review the deployment options for the Azure Monitor agent to understand the different methods available and which meets your requirements.

Azure Key Vault VM extension

The Key Vault VM extension doesn't support the following Linux operating systems:

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 7 (x64)
• Amazon Linux 2 (x64)

Deploying the Key Vault VM extension is only supported using:

• The Azure CLI
• The Azure PowerShell
• Azure Resource Manager template

Before you deploy the extension, you need to complete the following:

1. Create a vault and certificate (self-signed or import).

2. Grant the Azure Arc-enabled server access to the certificate secret. If you’re using the RBAC preview, search for the name of the Azure Arc resource and assign it the Key Vault Secrets User (preview) role. If you’re using Key Vault access policy, assign Secret Get permissions to the Azure Arc resource’s system assigned identity.

Connected Machine agent

Verify your machine matches the supported versions of Windows and Linux operating system for the Azure Connected Machine agent.

The minimum version of the Connected Machine agent that is supported with this feature on Windows and Linux is the 1.0 release.

To upgrade your machine to the version of the agent required, see Upgrade agent.

Operating system extension availability

The following extensions are available for Windows and Linux machines:

Windows extension availability

Linux extension availability

For the regional availabilities of different Azure services and VM extensions available for Azure Arc-enabled servers, refer to Azure Global's Product Availability Roadmap.

Next steps

You can deploy, manage, and remove VM extensions using the Azure CLI, Azure PowerShell, from the Azure portal, or Azure Resource Manager templates.