Unsupported VM Image in Azure Update Manager for Production Workload

Hi @guest,

Unsupported Operating Systems:

Client operating systems like Windows 10 and Windows 11 are not supported for update management via Azure Update Manager.

 Microsoft Intune is recommended for managing updates for these client OSes instead.

 Supported VM Operating Systems:

 AUM supports various server OS versions on Azure VMs, excluding automatic guest patching. Configuration changes on these VMs (e.g., packages or repositories) might cause failures.

 Marketplace Images:

 AUM supports specific publisher, offer, SKU, and version configurations. Ensure that the VM image meets the supported criteria.

 Publisher: The organization that creates the image. Examples are Canonical and MicrosoftWindowsServer. Offer: The name of the group of related images created by the publisher. Examples are UbuntuServer and WindowsServer. SKU: An instance of an offer, such as a major release of a distribution. Examples are 18.04LTS and 2019-Datacenter. Version: The version number of an image SKU.

More details on supported OS versions can be found in the Update Manager Support Matrix refer below

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/update-manager/unsupported-workloads

 https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/update-manager/support-matrix-updates?tabs=mpir-winos%2Cci-win&pivots=azure-vm#azure-marketplacepir-images

Workarounds for Unsupported VMs

 1.Reclassify the VM to a Supported Configuration:

 Modify the VM's image reference to align with supported configurations (e.g., using a supported version of Windows Server).

 Some users have reported success by changing the offer information on the VM, effectively reclassifying it in a way that AUM recognizes as supported. However, please note that this workaround is not officially endorsed by Microsoft and may cause issues down the road, so it's best to test it in a non-production environment first.

 Steps for modifying the VM image reference:

 Go to Azure Portal > VM > Configuration > Image.

 Update the image reference to a supported Publisher (e.g., MicrosoftWindowsServer, Canonical).

 Update the Offer and SKU to a supported version (e.g., WindowsServer 2019-Datacenter).

 After modifying, attempt the update again through Azure Update Manager.

 2.Create a New VM from Snapshot:

 Take a snapshot of the unsupported VM and create a new VM from that snapshot.

 The newly created VM may be able to align with supported configurations, allowing it to be managed through AUM.

 You can test this approach before implementing it in a production environment.

 Important Considerations:

• Only x64 architectures are currently supported. ARM64 and x86 architectures are not supported for any OS version.
• Ensure that your VM configurations and operating system images meet the specific criteria outlined in the support matrix before using Azure Update Manager.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/update-manager/unsupported-workloads

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