Azure Arc-enabled servers prerequisites
Microsoft's edit ·
Microsoft's commit message in MicrosoftDocs/azure-management-docs · commit e2b4fa2 · +50 −63 lines · also on GitHub
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---
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title: Connected Machine agent prerequisites
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description: Learn about the prerequisites for installing the Connected Machine agent for Azure Arc-enabled servers.
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−ms.date: 03/21/2025
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+ms.date: 10/15/2025
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ms.topic: concept-article
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ms.custom: devx-track-azurepowershell
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# Customer intent: "As an IT administrator managing physical and virtual servers, I want to understand the prerequisites for installing the Connected Machine agent for Azure Arc, so that I can ensure successful onboarding and optimal operation within my environment."
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# Connected Machine agent prerequisites
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−This article outlines the technical prerequisites, supported environments, and specifications required for successfully onboarding physical and virtual servers to Azure Arc-enabled servers. It serves as a reference for administrators and engineers planning to implement Azure Arc in their environments. Some [onboarding methods](deployment-options.md) may have more requirements.
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+This article outlines the technical prerequisites, supported environments, and specifications required for successfully onboarding physical and virtual servers to Azure Arc-enabled servers. Administrators and engineers planning to implement Azure Arc in their environments should review this information. Some [onboarding methods](deployment-options.md) may have more requirements.
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## Supported environments
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* Other cloud environments
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> [!NOTE]
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−> You shouldn't install Azure Arc on virtual machines hosted in Azure, Azure Stack Hub, or Azure Stack Edge, as they already have similar capabilities. You can, however, [use an Azure VM to simulate an on-premises environment](plan-evaluate-on-azure-virtual-machine.md) for testing purposes, only.
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−>
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+> You shouldn't install Azure Arc on virtual machines hosted in Azure, Azure Stack Hub, or Azure Stack Edge, as they already have similar capabilities. You can [use an Azure VM to simulate an on-premises environment](plan-evaluate-on-azure-virtual-machine.md) for testing purposes only.
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### Cloned and golden image considerations
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* Restored from backup as a second instance of the server
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* Used to create a "golden image" from which other virtual machines are created
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−If two agents use the same source id, you'll encounter inconsistent behaviors when both agents try to act as one Azure resource. The best practice for these situations is to use an automation tool or script to onboard the server to Azure Arc after its cloned, restored from backup, or created from a golden image. For more information about cloning machines to use as Arc-enabled servers, see [Cloning guidelines](agent-overview.md#cloning-guidelines).
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+If two agents use the same source ID, you'll encounter inconsistent behaviors when both agents try to act as one Azure resource. The best practice for these situations is to use an automation tool or script to onboard the server to Azure Arc after it's cloned, restored from backup, or created from a golden image. For more information about cloning machines to use as Arc-enabled servers, see [Cloning guidelines](agent-overview.md#cloning-guidelines).
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> [!NOTE]
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> For more information on using Azure Arc-enabled servers in VMware environments, see the [VMware FAQ](vmware-faq.md).
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## Supported operating systems
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−Azure Arc supports Windows and Linux operating systems as listed in the table. x86-64 (64-bit) architecture is fully supported, while only some features are supported on Arm64 as noted in the table. The Azure Connected Machine agent doesn't run on 32-bit architectures.
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+Azure Arc supports Windows and Linux operating systems as listed in the table. If an OS version isn't listed, it's not supported by Azure Arc.
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+x86-64 (64-bit) architecture is fully supported, while [only some features may be supported on Arm64](#arm64-architecture-support). The Azure Connected Machine agent doesn't run on 32-bit architectures.
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+
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| Operating system | Version | x86-64 | ARM64 | Notes |
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| ----------------------------------- | ----------- | ------ | ----- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
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−| AlmaLinux | 8 | ✅ | ✅ | |
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+| AlmaLinux | 8 | ✅ | ✅ | |
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| AlmaLinux | 9 | ✅ | ❌ | |
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−| Amazon Linux | 2 | ✅ | ✅ | |
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−| Amazon Linux | 2023 | ✅ | ✅ | see [ARM64 architecture support](#arm64-architecture-support) |
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−| Azure Linux (CBL-Mariner) | 1.0 | ⚠️ | ❌ | **Limited support**, see [Limited support operating systems](#limited-support-operating-systems) |
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−| Azure Linux (CBL-Mariner) | 2.0 | ✅ | ✅ | |
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−| Azure Linux (CBL-Mariner) | 3.0 | ✅ | ❌ | |
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−| Azure Local | | | | |
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−| Centos | 7 | ⚠️ | ❌ | **Limited support**, see [Limited support operating systems](#limited-support-operating-systems) |
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−| Centos | 8 | ⚠️ | ❌ | **Limited support**, see [Limited support operating systems](#limited-support-operating-systems) |
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−| Debian | 10 | ⚠️ | ❌ | **Limited support**, see [Limited support operating systems](#limited-support-operating-systems) |
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−| Debian | 11 | ✅ | ❌ | |
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+| Amazon Linux | 2 | ✅ | ✅ | Expected [limited support](#limited-support-operating-systems) date: 07/03/2026 |
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+| Amazon Linux | 2023 | ✅ | ✅ | |
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+| Azure Linux (CBL-Mariner) | 2.0 | ⚠️ | ❌ | [Limited support](#limited-support-operating-systems) |
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+| Azure Linux (CBL-Mariner) | 3.0 | ✅ | ❌ | Expected [limited support](#limited-support-operating-systems) date: 07/03/2026 |
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+| Azure Local | | | | |
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+| Debian | 11 | ✅ | ❌ | Expected [limited support](#limited-support-operating-systems) date: 07/03/2026 |
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| Debian | 12 | ✅ | ✅ | |
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| Oracle Linux | 7 | ✅ | ❌ | |
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| Oracle Linux | 8 | ✅ | ❌ | |
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| Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) | 7 | ✅ | ❌ | |
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| Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) | 8 | ✅ | ❌ | |
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| Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) | 9 | ✅ | ❌ | |
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−| Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) |10| ✅ | ❌||
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+| Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) | 10 | ✅ | ❌ | |
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| Rocky Linux | 8 | ✅ | ❌ | |
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| Rocky Linux | 9 | ✅ | ❌ | |
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−| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) | 12 SP3-SP5 | ✅ | ❌ | |
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−| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) | 15 | ✅ | ✅ | see [ARM64 architecture support](#arm64-architecture-support) |
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−| Ubuntu | 16.04 | ⚠️ | ❌ | **Limited support**, see [Limited support operating systems](#limited-support-operating-systems) |
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+| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) | 12 SP5 | ✅ | ❌ | |
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+| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) | 15 SP3 | ⚠️ | ⚠️ | [Limited support](#limited-support-operating-systems) |
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+| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) | 15 SP4 | ✅ | ✅ | Expected [limited support](#limited-support-operating-systems) date: 07/03/2026 |
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+| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) | 15 SP5-7 | ✅ | ✅ | |
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| Ubuntu | 18.04 | ✅ | ❌ | |
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| Ubuntu | 20.04 | ✅ | ✅ | |
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| Ubuntu | 22.04 | ✅ | ✅ | |
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| Ubuntu | 24.04 | ✅ | ✅ | |
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−| Windows Client | 10 | ✅ | ❌ | see [client operating system guidance](#client-operating-system-guidance) |
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−| Windows Client | 11 | ✅ | ❌ | see [client operating system guidance](#client-operating-system-guidance) |
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−| Windows IoT Enterprise | 10 (22H2) | ✅ | ❌ | see [client operating system guidance](#client-operating-system-guidance) |
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−| Windows IoT Enterprise | 11 | ✅ | ❌ | see [client operating system guidance](#client-operating-system-guidance) |
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−| Windows IoT Enterprise LTSC | 10 (2021) | ✅ | ❌ | see [client operating system guidance](#client-operating-system-guidance) |
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−| Windows IoT Enterprise LTSC | 11 (2024) | ✅ | ❌ | see [client operating system guidance](#client-operating-system-guidance) |
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−| Windows Server | 2008 R2 SP1 | ⚠️ | ❌ | **Limited support**, see [Limited support operating systems](#limited-support-operating-systems) |
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+| Windows Client | 10 | ✅ | ❌ | see [client operating system guidance](#client-operating-systems) |
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+| Windows Client | 11 | ✅ | ❌ | see [client operating system guidance](#client-operating-systems) |
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+| Windows IoT Enterprise | 10 (22H2) | ✅ | ❌ | see [client operating system guidance](#client-operating-systems) |
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+| Windows IoT Enterprise | 11 | ✅ | ❌ | see [client operating system guidance](#client-operating-systems) |
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+| Windows IoT Enterprise LTSC | 10 (2021) | ✅ | ❌ | see [client operating system guidance](#client-operating-systems) |
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+| Windows IoT Enterprise LTSC | 11 (2024) | ✅ | ❌ | see [client operating system guidance](#client-operating-systems) |
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| Windows Server | 2012 | ✅ | ❌ | |
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| Windows Server | 2012 R2 | ✅ | ❌ | |
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| Windows Server | 2016 | ✅ | ❌ | |
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| Windows Server | 2022 | ✅ | ❌ | |
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| Windows Server | 2025 | ✅ | ❌ | |
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For Windows Server, both Desktop and Server Core experiences are supported. Azure Editions are supported on Azure Local.
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The Azure Connected Machine agent isn't tested on operating systems hardened by the Center for Information Security (CIS) Benchmark.
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−## Arm64 architecture support
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+### Arm64 architecture support
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Not all features, virtual machine extensions, and services are supported on Arm64 at this point. For full details on Arm64 compatibility or to check if other services are supported, refer to the documentation for the service you wish to use. The following are a few features known to be supported on Arm64:
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−- RunCommand
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−- CustomScriptExtension
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−- Azure Monitor Agent
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+* RunCommand
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+* CustomScriptExtension
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+* Azure Monitor Agent
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> [!NOTE]
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−>
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−> Machine configuration is not compatible with Arm64 at this time.
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+> Machine configuration isn't compatible with Arm64 at this time.
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## Limited support operating systems
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−The following operating system versions have **limited support**. In each case, newer agent versions won't support these operating systems. The last agent version that supports the operating system is listed, and newer agent releases won't be made available for that system.
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−The listed version is supported until the **End of Arc Support Date**. If critical security issues are identified that affect these agent versions, the fixes can be backported to the last supported version but new functionality or other bug fixes won't be.
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+The following operating system versions have **limited support**. In each case, newer agent versions won't support these operating systems. The last agent version that supports the operating system is listed, and newer agent releases won't be made available for that system.
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−| Operating system | Last supported agent version | End of Arc Support Date | Notes |
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−|--|--|--|--|
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−| Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 | 1.39 [Download](https://aka.ms/AzureConnectedMachineAgent-1.39) | 03/31/2025 | Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2 reached End of Support in January 2020. See [End of support for Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2](/troubleshoot/windows-server/windows-server-eos-faq/end-of-support-windows-server-2008-2008r2). |
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−| CentOS 7 | 1.44 | 07/15/2025 | |
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−| CentOS 8 | 1.44 | 07/15/2025 | |
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−| Debian 10 | 1.44 | 07/15/2025 | |
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−| Ubuntu 16.04 | 1.44 | 07/15/2025 | |
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−| Azure Linux (CBL-Mariner) 1.0 | 1.44 | 07/15/2025 | |
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+The listed version is supported on the specified agent version until the **End of Arc support date**. If critical security issues are identified that affect these agent versions, the fixes can be backported to the last supported version. However, those versions won't be updated with new functionality or other bug fixes.
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+| Operating system | Last supported agent version | End of Arc support date | Notes |
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+|--|--|--|--|
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+| Azure Linux (CBL-Mariner) 2.0 | TBD | 07/03/2026 | |
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+| ASUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) 15 SP3 | TBD | 07/03/2026 | |
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+
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### Connect new limited support servers
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−To connect a new server running a Limited Support operating system to Azure Arc, you will need to make some adjustments to the onboarding script.
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+To connect a new server running a limited support operating system to Azure Arc, you may need to make adjustments to the onboarding script.
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For Windows, modify the installation script to specify the version required, using the -AltDownload parameter.
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−Instead of
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+Instead of the standard command:
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−```pwsh
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+```powershell
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# Install the hybrid agent
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& "$env:TEMP\install_windows_azcmagent.ps1";
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```
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−Use
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+Use the following command, replacing the URL with the one for the last supported agent version:
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−```pwsh
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+```powershell
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# Install the hybrid agent
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& "$env:TEMP\install_windows_azcmagent.ps1" -AltDownload https://aka.ms/AzureConnectedMachineAgent-1.39;
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```
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−For Linux, the relevant package repository will only contain releases that are applicable, so no special considerations are required.
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+For Linux, the relevant package repository will only contain releases that are applicable, so no special considerations are required.
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−## Client operating system guidance
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+## Client operating systems
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The Azure Arc service and Azure Connected Machine Agent are supported on Windows 10 and 11 client operating systems only when using those computers in a server-like environment. That is, the computer should always be:
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* Connected to a power source
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* Powered on
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−For example, a computer running Windows 11 that's responsible for digital signage, point-of-sale solutions, and general back office management tasks is a good candidate for Azure Arc. End-user productivity machines, such as a laptop, which may go offline for long periods of time, shouldn't use Azure Arc and instead should consider [Microsoft Intune](/mem/intune) or [Microsoft Configuration Manager](/mem/configmgr).
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+For example, a computer running Windows 11 that's responsible for digital signage, point-of-sale solutions, and general back office management tasks is a good candidate for Azure Arc. End-user productivity machines that may go offline for long periods of time shouldn't use Azure Arc. Consider using [Microsoft Intune](/mem/intune) or [Microsoft Configuration Manager](/mem/configmgr) for those scenarios.
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## Short-lived servers and virtual desktop infrastructure
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−Microsoft doesn't recommend running Azure Arc on short-lived (ephemeral) servers or virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) VMs. Azure Arc is designed for long-term management of servers and isn't optimized for scenarios where you are regularly creating and deleting servers. For example, Azure Arc doesn't know if the agent is offline due to planned system maintenance or if the VM was deleted, so it won't automatically clean up server resources that stopped sending heartbeats. As a result, you could encounter a conflict if you re-create the VM with the same name and there's an existing Azure Arc resource with the same name.
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+Microsoft doesn't recommend running Azure Arc on short-lived (ephemeral) servers or virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) VMs. Azure Arc is designed for long-term management of servers and isn't optimized for scenarios where you are regularly creating and deleting servers. For example, Azure Arc doesn't know if the agent is offline due to planned system maintenance or because the VM was deleted, so it doesn't automatically clean up server resources that stopped sending heartbeats. As a result, you could encounter a conflict if you recreate a deleted VM with the same name and there's an existing Azure Arc resource with the same name.
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−[Azure Virtual Desktop on Azure Local](/azure/virtual-desktop/azure-local-overview) doesn't use short-lived VMs and supports running Azure Arc in the desktop VMs.
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+[Azure Virtual Desktop on Azure Local](/azure/virtual-desktop/azure-local-overview) doesn't use short-lived VMs and supports running Azure Arc on the desktop VMs.
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## Software and system requirements
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This section details the software requirements for the Azure Connected Machine agent.
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−### Windows operating system requirements
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−Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 requires PowerShell 4.0 or later. Microsoft recommends running the latest version, [Windows Management Framework 5.1](https://www.microsoft.com/download/details.aspx?id=54616).
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### Linux operating system requirements
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* systemd
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* wget (to download the installation script)
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* openssl
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−* gnupg (Debian-based systems, only)
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+* gnupg (Debian-based systems only)
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## Local user logon right for Windows systems
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−The Azure Hybrid Instance Metadata Service runs under a low-privileged virtual account, `NT SERVICE\himds`. This account needs the "log on as a service" right in Windows to run. In most cases, there's nothing you need to do because this right is granted to virtual accounts by default. However, if your organization uses Group Policy to customize this setting, you'll need to add `NT SERVICE\himds` to the list of accounts allowed to log on as a service.
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+The Azure Hybrid Instance Metadata Service runs under a low-privileged virtual account, `NT SERVICE\himds`. This account needs the "log on as a service" right in Windows to run. In most cases, there's nothing you need to do, because this right is granted to virtual accounts by default. However, if your organization uses Group Policy to customize this setting, you'll need to add `NT SERVICE\himds` to the list of accounts allowed to log on as a service.
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You can check the current policy on your machine by opening the Local Group Policy Editor (`gpedit.msc`) from the Start menu and navigating to the following policy item:
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## Azure resource providers
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−The following [Azure resource providers](/azure/azure-resource-manager/management/resource-providers-and-types) must be registered in your subscription to use Azure Arc-enabled servers.
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−:
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+The following [Azure resource providers](/azure/azure-resource-manager/management/resource-providers-and-types) must be registered in your subscription to use Azure Arc-enabled servers:
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* **Microsoft.HybridCompute**
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* **Microsoft.GuestConfiguration**
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