Azure ARC - Update Management - Scoping Deployment

[Paul Bendall]

I'm new to Azure Arc but enjoying what I'm learning and the potential to solve customer problems. 

An element I can't work out is the preferred way to scope Arc Enabled Servers at scale for Update Deployment. The blogs I've read and the jumpstart both discuss the addition of each Arc enabled server under "Machines to Update" but that doesn't seem very dynamic. For a scale solution, I'd expect to be able to use some form of Grouping, but I can't work out how to configure this option for Arc Enabled Servers.

[#2 · Accepted solution]

As update management solution is built on Log Analytics agent – you need to first onboard your Arc machines with the Log Analytics agent. See: https://docs.microsoft.com/azure/automation/update-management/operating-system-requirements. After that they will be available for selection/use in Azure Automation as non-Azure machines; which you can select dynamically if needed as part of an update schedule. See: https://docs.microsoft.com/azure/automation/update-management/configure-groups#define-dynamic-groups... Additionally, we have a private preview for Azure Update Center; which provides native Guest OS update operations capability based on Azure Arc agent. If interested, one can sign-up at: https://aka.ms/UCpreview

[#3]

Thanks @Vijay Nagarajan you have confirmed my own assumptions, in that once a on-prem server has been onboarded to Azure Arc to make use of additional functionality you'll probably going to want to install the MMA agent.

The MMA agent is the name of the extension which includes Log Analytics agent (although I also need to keep an eye on the Azure Monitor Agent AMA which at some point will supersede the MMA)?

[#4]

Yes is it (and will be consolidated into Azure Monitor Agent at some point), then you just point the Log Analytic agent to the Workspace that you want to use.

[#5]

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