Aurnov Chattopadhyay introduces the Auto Agent Upgrade feature for Azure Arc-enabled servers, designed to automate and simplify agent updates across hybrid environments.

Public Preview: Auto Agent Upgrade for Azure Arc-Enabled Servers

Author: Aurnov Chattopadhyay

Overview

The Auto Agent Upgrade feature for Azure Arc-enabled servers is now available in public preview. This addition streamlines agent lifecycle management by automating the upgrade process for the Connected Machine agent, ensuring that servers—whether in Azure, on-premises, or on the edge—are consistently kept up to date with the latest supported version.

Key Features

  • Automatic Upgrade: Agents can automatically upgrade without manual intervention or scripting.
  • Easy Enablement: Activate via Azure CLI or PowerShell by setting enableAutomaticUpgrade to true.
  • Managed Rollout: Upgrades occur in controlled batches, maintaining stability across regions.
  • Upgrade Tracking: Monitor upgrade status through the Azure Portal under the agentUpgrade property.
  • Version Requirements: Available for agents running version 1.48 or newer.

Example: Enabling Auto Agent Upgrade via PowerShell

Set-AzContext -Subscription "YOUR SUBSCRIPTION"

$params = @{
    ResourceGroupName = "YOUR RESOURCE GROUP"
    ResourceProviderName = "Microsoft.HybridCompute"
    ResourceType = "Machines"
    ApiVersion = "2024-05-20-preview"
    Name = "YOUR MACHINE NAME"
    Method = "PATCH"
    Payload = '{"properties":{"agentUpgrade":{ "enableAutomaticUpgrade":true}}}'
}

Invoke-AzRestMethod @params

Benefits

  • Reduces operational risk by minimizing manual patching and related errors.
  • Improves consistency across hybrid estates by keeping agent versions aligned.
  • Minimizes disruption, ensuring upgrades are seamless and workloads remain unaffected.

Getting Started

To learn more and begin using Auto Agent Upgrade, visit https://aka.ms/AzureConnectedMachineAgent.

This feature is only available on agents running version 1.48 or greater.

Published Aug 12, 2025
Version 1.0

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