Azure
End of Support Reminder for Unsupported Batch Node Agents
Summary
Azure Batch regularly retires for end-of-support operating systems. Batch pools that continue to run with active compute nodes using these retired operating systems are susceptible to security issues from both the operating system and a Batch Node Agent SKU that no longer receives updates.
This notice is intended to provide you with a warning that the Batch service will mark all unsupported Batch Node Agent SKUs due to end-of-support operating systems as unusable and force scale down of these pools to zero nodes. The Affected Batch Node Agent SKUs are:
- batch.node.centos 7
- batch.node.centos 8
- batch.node.debian 8
- batch.node.debian 9
- batch.node.debian 10
- batch.node.ubuntu 14.04
- batch.node.ubuntu 16.04
- batch.node.ubuntu 18.04
As these Batch Node Agent SKUs have been retired, workloads continuing to use these for Batch pools are entirely unsupported by the Batch service. Support requests for workloads running on Batch pools with these retired agents will not be serviced. If your workload still uses an unsupported Batch node agent via Marketplace images or your own custom images, please migrate your workload to a supported Batch Node Agent no later than 31 December 2024.
After 31 December 2024, no new Batch pools can be created with unsupported Batch Node Agent SKUs referencing relevant Marketplace and Compute Image Gallery images. In addition, existing pools with affected Batch Node Agent SKUs will no longer be able to scale out and will be subject to forced resize to zero nodes.
We recommend reviewing the Batch best practices guide which outlines support expectations, recommendations on Batch pool image freshness, and how to query for Batch image support end of support dates.
Required Action
To avoid service disruptions, migrate your Batch pools with unsupported Batch Node Agent SKUs to a supported configuration before 31 December 2024. Please refer to the article on how to update pool properties for migration guidance. We recommend testing the migration before updating production configurations.
More information
Azure Batch VM Size and Image Guide Azure Batch Best Practices
