How does Arc Update Management update virtual machines hosted on an on premise hyperV host?

Question

When updating an on-premise host machine will Arc update manager create checkpoints on VMs and shut them down before re-booting the host machine.

Do the on premise VMs have to be onboarded separately to the host machine? Will Arc create a check point for the VM before updating and re-booting.

Thanks

Answer 1

Hi,

I'd be happy to help you out with your question. Sorry for the inconvenience caused.

Azure Arc Update Management uses the Azure Automation Update Management solution to update virtual machines hosted on an on-premises Hyper-V host. The Update Management solution uses a combination of push and pull mechanisms to deliver updates to virtual machines.

When updating an on-premises host machine, Arc Update Management will first create checkpoints on all VMs that are running on the host machine. This will ensure that any changes made to the VMs during the update process can be rolled back if necessary. Arc Update Management will then shut down the host machine and install the updates. Once the updates have been installed, Arc Update Management will restart the host machine.

On-premise VMs do not have to be onboarded separately to the host machine. Arc Update Management will automatically discover all VMs that are running on the host machine and add them to the update management process. Arc Update Management will create a checkpoint for each VM before updating and re-booting the VM.

Here are the steps involved in updating virtual machines hosted on an on-premises Hyper-V host with Azure Arc Update Management:

1. In the Azure portal, go to the Azure Arc resource bridge resource.
2. In the left navigation pane, select Updates.
3. On the Updates page, select the check box next to the virtual machine that you want to update.
4. In the Actions menu, select Update.
5. In the Update blade, select the check box next to the updates that you want to install.
6. Select Save.
7. Arc Update Management will create a checkpoint for the virtual machine and then install the updates.
8. Once the updates have been installed, Arc Update Management will restart the virtual machine.

Here are some additional considerations for updating virtual machines hosted on an on-premises Hyper-V host with Azure Arc Update Management:

• Make sure that the virtual machines have the latest version of the Hyper-V integration services installed.
• Make sure that the virtual machines have enough resources to handle the update process.
• If you are using a cluster, make sure that the cluster is healthy and that all of the nodes are available.
• If you are using a storage area network (SAN), make sure that the SAN is healthy and that there is enough bandwidth to support the update process.

If you have any other questions or need assistance with anything, please don't hesitate to let me know. I'm here to help.

If the reply was helpful, please don’t forget to upvote or accept as answer, thank you.

Answer 2

Hello @James Gledson !

Welcome to Microsoft QnA!

I understand you want to know more on Arc and Update Management

First of all this link by @Thomas Maurer can explain a lot so please go through if you have not already

https://www.thomasmaurer.ch/2021/06/manage-updates-of-servers-using-microsoft-azure-arc/

Azure Arc Update Management does not directly manage or update the on-premises host machines. It provides capabilities to manage updates for Azure Arc enabled servers and Kubernetes clusters, but not the underlying host machines

The Azure Update Management solution is part of Azure Automation. And with Azure Update Management you can manage operating system updates for your Windows and Linux computers in Azure, and with Azure Arc enabled servers you can also use the same Update Management solution in on-premises environments or in other cloud providers. That is right, it is not only for your Azure VMs, it also works with all your environment and provides you with a single pane of glass for your Update Management in hybrid and multicloud environments. It allows you to quickly assess the status of available updates on all virtual machines and physical servers, and manage the process of installing required updates for servers.

I hope this helps!

Kindly mark the answer as Accepted and Upvote in case it helped!

Regards