So sadly this year I couldn’t attend MS Ignite, but next year I will be there. However, with my increased focus on Hyper-V and Azure Local/Hyper Converged (Thank you Broadcom) these updates are very exciting.
Let’s get into it.
1. Disconnected Operations (Public Preview)
What it is: Ability to run Azure Local without continuous connectivity to Azure Public by deploying a local control plane appliance.
Features included:
Local Azure-like portal experience
ARM, RBAC, managed identity
Arc-enabled servers and Azure Local VMs
Connectivity modes:
Limited connectivity (occasional sync)
Air-gapped (fully offline, manual update transfer)
Why it matters: Enables sovereign, security-sensitive, and remote sites to maintain Azure governance without internet dependency.
2. AKS on Azure Local Enhancements
Disconnected AKS clusters (Public Preview) for fully offline Kubernetes operations.
Small Form Factor Bare-Metal (Private Preview) for constrained edge sites.
2-Node High Availability (Private Preview) for edge deployments.
Expanded GPU support: RTX 6000 Ada (GA) and NVIDIA L-series (Preview).
AKS Container Apps on Azure Local Medium (Public Preview).
Additional updates:
Arc Gateway (Public Preview)
KMS v2 secrets encryption
Azure Linux 3.0 support
Key Vault Secret Store extension.
3. Platform & Scale Updates
New Linux kernel-based Azure Local variant (announced roadmap):
Supports up to 128 nodes (vs. 16 nodes on Windows-based version).
Designed for reduced patching complexity and better scalability.
Windows-based Azure Local continues for customers needing Windows workloads.
Why it matters: This absolutely a game changer. There will be more in the coming weeks on this.
4. Operational Improvements
Streamlined deployment workflows for disconnected mode.
Updated PKI and DNS guidance for air-gapped environments.
REST API support for automation (Azure CLI not yet supported in preview).
5. Integration with Azure Arc
Unified governance and policy enforcement across connected and disconnected Azure Local clusters.
Enhanced monitoring and identity management via Arc.
6. Positioning
Azure Local is now the go-to solution for hybrid and edge scenarios where compliance, latency, or connectivity constraints exist.
Complements Azure Stack HCI evolution and integrates with AKS for containerized workloads.
