Merge pull request #280429 from khdownie/kendownie-acstor-ga-july

ACStor Summer GA

Author: Stacyrch140

articles/storage/container-storage/TOC.yml

@@ -40,9 +40,13 @@
   - name: Remove Azure Container Storage
     href: remove-container-storage.md
   - name: Troubleshoot Azure Container Storage
-    href: troubleshoot-container-storage.md    
+    href: troubleshoot-container-storage.md
+  - name: Install Azure Container Storage using Azure Arc (optional)
+    href: install-container-storage-azure-arc.md    
 - name: Concepts
   items:
+  - name: Understand billing
+    href: container-storage-billing.md 
   - name: FAQ
     href: container-storage-faq.md
 - name: Reference

articles/storage/container-storage/clone-volume.md

@@ -1,20 +1,20 @@
 ---
-title: Clone persistent volumes in Azure Container Storage Preview
+title: Clone persistent volumes in Azure Container Storage
 description: Clone persistent volumes in Azure Container Storage. You can only clone volumes of the same size that are in the same storage pool.
 author: khdownie
 ms.service: azure-container-storage
 ms.topic: how-to
-ms.date: 03/12/2024
+ms.date: 07/23/2024
 ms.author: kendownie
 ---
 
-# Clone persistent volumes in Azure Container Storage Preview
+# Clone persistent volumes in Azure Container Storage
 
 You can clone persistent volumes in [Azure Container Storage](container-storage-introduction.md). A cloned volume is a duplicate of an existing persistent volume. You can only clone volumes of the same size that are in the same storage pool.
 
 ## Prerequisites
 
-- This article requires version 2.0.64 or later of the Azure CLI. See [How to install the Azure CLI](/cli/azure/install-azure-cli). If you're using Azure Cloud Shell, the latest version is already installed. If you plan to run the commands locally instead of in Azure Cloud Shell, be sure to run them with administrative privileges.
+- This article requires the latest version (2.35.0 or later) of the Azure CLI. See [How to install the Azure CLI](/cli/azure/install-azure-cli). If you're using Azure Cloud Shell, the latest version is already installed. If you plan to run the commands locally instead of in Azure Cloud Shell, be sure to run them with administrative privileges.
 - You'll need an Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) cluster with a node pool of at least three virtual machines (VMs) for the cluster nodes, each with a minimum of four virtual CPUs (vCPUs).
 - This article assumes you've already installed Azure Container Storage on your AKS cluster, and that you've created a storage pool and persistent volume claim (PVC) using either [Azure Disks](use-container-storage-with-managed-disks.md) or [ephemeral disk (local storage)](use-container-storage-with-local-disk.md). Azure Elastic SAN doesn't support resizing volumes.
 

articles/storage/container-storage/container-storage-aks-quickstart.md

@@ -1,18 +1,21 @@
 ---
-title: Quickstart for using Azure Container Storage Preview with Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
+title: Quickstart for using Azure Container Storage with Azure Kubernetes Service
 description: Connect to a Linux-based Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) cluster, install Azure Container Storage, and create a storage pool.
 author: khdownie
 ms.service: azure-container-storage
 ms.topic: quickstart
-ms.date: 06/21/2024
+ms.date: 07/24/2024
 ms.author: kendownie
 ms.custom: devx-track-azurecli, ignite-2023-container-storage, linux-related-content
 ---
 
-# Quickstart: Use Azure Container Storage Preview with Azure Kubernetes Service
+# Quickstart: Use Azure Container Storage with Azure Kubernetes Service
 
 [Azure Container Storage](container-storage-introduction.md) is a cloud-based volume management, deployment, and orchestration service built natively for containers. This Quickstart shows you how to connect to a Linux-based [Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)](../../aks/intro-kubernetes.md) cluster, install Azure Container Storage, and create a storage pool using Azure CLI.
 
+> [!IMPORTANT]
+> Azure Container Storage is now generally available (GA) beginning with version 1.1.0. The GA version is recommended for production workloads.
+
 ## Prerequisites
 
 - If you don't have an Azure subscription, create a [free account](https://azure.microsoft.com/free/?WT.mc_id=A261C142F) before you begin.
@@ -101,15 +104,15 @@ Azure Container Storage requires certain node resources to run components for th
 | Azure Elastic SAN | None | None |
 | Azure Disks | 1 | 1 GiB |
 | Ephemeral Disk - Temp SSD |  1 | 1 GiB |
-| Ephemeral Disk - Local NVMe |  25% of cores (depending on node size)\* | 2 GiB |
+| Ephemeral Disk - Local NVMe (standard tier) |  25% of cores (performance tier can be updated)\* | 1 GiB |
 
 The resources consumed are per node, and will be consumed for each node in the node pool where Azure Container Storage will be installed. If your nodes don't have enough resources, Azure Container Storage will fail to run. Kubernetes will automatically re-try to initialize these failed pods, so if resources get liberated, these pods can be initialized again.
 
-\*In a storage pool type Ephemeral Disk - Local NVMe, if you're using multiple VM SKU types for your cluster nodes, the 25% of CPU cores consumed applies to the smallest SKU used. For example, if you're using a mix of 8-core and 16-core VM types, resource consumption is 2 cores.
+\*In a storage pool type Ephemeral Disk - Local NVMe with the standard (default) performance tier, if you're using multiple VM SKU types for your cluster nodes, the 25% of CPU cores consumed applies to the smallest SKU used. For example, if you're using a mix of 8-core and 16-core VM types, resource consumption is 2 cores. You can [update the performance tier](use-container-storage-with-local-disk.md#optimize-performance-when-using-local-nvme) to use a greater percentage of cores and achieve greater IOPS.
 
 ## Ensure VM type for your cluster meets the following criteria
 
-To use Azure Container Storage, you'll need a node pool of at least three Linux VMs. Each VM should have a minimum of four virtual CPUs (vCPUs). Azure Container Storage will consume one core for I/O processing on every VM the extension is deployed to.
+To use Azure Container Storage, you'll need a node pool of at least three Linux VMs. If you're using local NVMe for your storage pool, the node pool should contain a minimum of four Linux VMs. Each VM should have a minimum of four virtual CPUs (vCPUs). Azure Container Storage will consume one core for I/O processing on every VM the extension is deployed to.
 
 Follow these guidelines when choosing a VM type for the cluster nodes. You must choose a VM type that supports [Azure premium storage](../../virtual-machines/premium-storage-performance.md).
 
@@ -119,7 +122,13 @@ Follow these guidelines when choosing a VM type for the cluster nodes. You must
 
 ## Install Azure Container Storage on your AKS cluster
 
-If your AKS cluster meets the [VM requirements](#ensure-vm-type-for-your-cluster-meets-the-following-criteria), run the following command to install Azure Container Storage on the cluster and create a storage pool. Replace `<cluster-name>` and `<resource-group>` with your own values. Replace `<storage-pool-type>` with `azureDisk`, `ephemeraldisk`, or `elasticSan`. If you select `ephemeralDisk`, you can also specify `--storage-pool-option`, and the values can be `NVMe` or `Temp`.
+If you already have a preview instance of Azure Container Storage running on your cluster, you can skip this section. However, we recommend updating to the latest generally available (GA) version by running the following command. Remember to replace `<cluster-name>` and `<resource-group>` with your own values.
+
+```azurecli-interactive
+az k8s-extension update --cluster-type managedClusters --cluster-name <cluster-name> --resource-group <resource-group> --name azurecontainerstorage --version 1.1.0 --auto-upgrade false --release-train stable
+```
+
+Once your AKS cluster meets the [VM requirements](#ensure-vm-type-for-your-cluster-meets-the-following-criteria), run the following command to install Azure Container Storage on the cluster and create a storage pool. Replace `<cluster-name>` and `<resource-group>` with your own values. Replace `<storage-pool-type>` with `azureDisk`, `ephemeralDisk`, or `elasticSan`. If you select `ephemeralDisk`, you can also specify `--storage-pool-option`, and the values can be `NVMe` or `Temp`.
 
 Running this command will enable Azure Container Storage on the system node pool, which by default is named `nodepool1`\*. If you want to enable it on other node pools, see [Install Azure Container Storage on specific node pools](#install-azure-container-storage-on-specific-node-pools). If you want to specify additional storage pool parameters, see [this table](container-storage-faq.md#storage-pool-parameters).
 
@@ -139,15 +148,15 @@ The deployment will take 10-15 minutes. When it completes, you'll have an AKS cl
 
 ### Install Azure Container Storage on specific node pools
 
-If you want to install Azure Container Storage on specific node pools, follow these instructions. The node pools must contain at least three Linux VMs each.
+If you want to install Azure Container Storage on specific node pools, follow these instructions. The node pools must contain at least three Linux VMs each. If you're using local NVMe for your storage pool, then the node pools must contain at least four Linux VMs each.
 
 1. Run the following command to view the list of available node pools. Replace `<resource-group>` and `<cluster-name>` with your own values.
 
    ```azurecli-interactive
    az aks nodepool list --resource-group <resource-group> --cluster-name <cluster-name>
    ```
 
-2. Run the following command to install Azure Container Storage on specific node pools. Replace `<cluster-name>` and `<resource-group>` with your own values. Replace `<storage-pool-type>` with `azureDisk`, `ephemeraldisk`, or `elasticSan`. If you select `ephemeralDisk`, you can also specify --storage-pool-option, and the values can be `NVMe` or `Temp`.
+2. Run the following command to install Azure Container Storage on specific node pools. Replace `<cluster-name>` and `<resource-group>` with your own values. Replace `<storage-pool-type>` with `azureDisk`, `ephemeralDisk`, or `elasticSan`. If you select `ephemeralDisk`, you can also specify --storage-pool-option, and the values can be `NVMe` or `Temp`.
 
    ```azurecli-interactive
    az aks update -n <cluster-name> -g <resource-group> --enable-azure-container-storage <storage-pool-type> --azure-container-storage-nodepools <comma separated values of nodepool names>

articles/storage/container-storage/container-storage-billing.md

@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+---
+title: Understand billing for Azure Container Storage
+description: Understand the billing and pricing model for Azure Container Storage, including backing storage costs and applicable service fees for orchestration.
+author: khdownie
+ms.service: azure-container-storage
+ms.date: 07/09/2024
+ms.author: kendownie
+ms.topic: conceptual
+---
+
+# Understand Azure Container Storage billing
+
+[Azure Container Storage](container-storage-introduction.md) is a cloud-based volume management, deployment, and orchestration service built natively for containers. This article describes the billing and pricing model for Azure Container Storage. It also presents some examples to help you understand the pricing for Azure Container Storage used with different backing storage options.
+
+## Azure Container Storage pricing model
+
+Azure Container Storage pricing is comprised of two components:
+
+1. The cost of the **backing storage resources** you choose: Azure Disks, Ephemeral Disk, or Azure Elastic SAN.
+1. A **service fee** for Azure Container Storage orchestration. This fee only applies to storage pools larger than 5 TiB. If the storage pool is less than 5 TiB, there is no service fee. If the storage pool is greater than 5 TiB, the storage fee is based on the amount by which the storage pool capacity exceeds 5 TiB. For example, if you deploy a 9 TiB storage pool, the service fee will be calculated on 4 TiB.
+
+The amount of the Azure Container Storage service fee (if applicable) varies by target region. See [Azure Container Storage Pricing](https://aka.ms/AzureContainerStoragePricingPage) for details.
+
+> [!NOTE]
+> If your Azure Container Storage deployment isn't in the **Active** state, for example if you've stopped the Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) cluster on which Azure Container Storage is installed, the service fee won't apply. However, you'll still be charged for the backing storage.
+
+## Azure Container Storage with Azure Disks
+
+Here are two use case scenarios with Azure Disks as the backing storage resource.
+
+Let's say you want to deploy Azure Container Storage with a storage pool capacity of 4 TiB, using one 4 TiB P50 Premium SSD managed disk with locally redundant storage (LRS) as the backing storage option. The price breakdown is as follows. Notice that there's no service fee for Azure Container Storage orchestration because the storage pool is less than 5 TiB. Only the cost for the backing storage (Premium SSD) applies.
+
+| **Cost type** | **Deployment** | **Price**                 |
+|---------------|----------------|---------------------------|
+| Service fee   | 4 TiB          | $0 (storage pool < 5 TiB) |
+| Storage costs | One 4 TiB P50 Premium SSD managed disk, East US (LRS) | Price of P50 Premium Disk (LRS) |
+
+Now, let's say you want to deploy Azure Container Storage with a storage pool capacity of 9 TiB using a Premium SSD v2 disk. In this case, there's a service fee for Azure Container Storage orchestration because the storage pool is greater than 5 TiB. The service fee is calculated on 4 TiB (the difference between 9 TiB and 5 TiB).
+
+| **Cost type** | **Deployment** | **Price**                 |
+|---------------|----------------|---------------------------|
+| Service fee   | 9 TiB          | 4 * 1024 * Azure Container Storage service fee per GiB |
+| Storage costs | Premium SSD v2 managed disk, East US (LRS) | Price of 9 TiB Premium SSD v2 |
+
+See [Azure Managed Disks pricing](https://azure.microsoft.com/pricing/details/managed-disks/).
+
+## Azure Container Storage with Ephemeral Disk
+
+If you're using ephemeral disks on your AKS cluster nodes, you won't be charged for backing storage, as this is already included as part of your AKS virtual machine (VM) costs. If you deploy storage pools greater than 5 TiB in capacity, you'll be charged the Azure Container Storage service fee. Otherwise, the cost to use Azure Container Storage with Ephemeral Disk is zero.
+
+## Azure Container Storage with Azure Elastic SAN
+
+In this example, you deploy a 9 TiB storage pool capacity backed by Azure Elastic SAN in the East US region with LRS. In this case, there's a service fee for Azure Container Storage orchestration because the storage pool is greater than 5 TiB. The service fee is calculated on 4 TiB (the difference between 9 TiB and 5 TiB).
+
+| **Cost type** | **Deployment** | **Price**                 |
+|---------------|----------------|---------------------------|
+| Service fee   | 9 TiB          | 4 * 1024 * Azure Container Storage service fee per GiB |
+| Storage costs | Azure Elastic SAN, East US (LRS) | Price of 9 TiB Azure Elastic SAN |
+
+See [Azure Elastic SAN pricing](https://azure.microsoft.com/pricing/details/elastic-san/).
+
+## See also
+
+- [What is Azure Container Storage?](container-storage-introduction.md)
+- [Azure Container Storage Pricing](https://aka.ms/AzureContainerStoragePricingPage)

articles/storage/container-storage/container-storage-faq.md

@@ -1,15 +1,15 @@
 ---
-title: Frequently asked questions (FAQ) for Azure Container Storage Preview
-description: Get answers to Azure Container Storage frequently asked questions.
+title: Frequently asked questions for Azure Container Storage
+description: Get answers to Azure Container Storage frequently asked questions (FAQ).
 author: khdownie
 ms.service: azure-container-storage
-ms.date: 06/03/2024
+ms.date: 07/24/2024
 ms.author: kendownie
 ms.topic: conceptual
 ms.custom: references_regions
 ---
 
-# Frequently asked questions (FAQ) about Azure Container Storage Preview
+# Frequently asked questions (FAQ) about Azure Container Storage
 
 [Azure Container Storage](container-storage-introduction.md) is a cloud-based volume management, deployment, and orchestration service built natively for containers.
 
@@ -23,6 +23,18 @@ ms.custom: references_regions
   **In which Azure regions is Azure Container Storage available?**  
   [!INCLUDE [container-storage-regions](../../../includes/container-storage-regions.md)]
 
+* <a id="azure-container-storage-update"></a>
+  **If I already have Azure Container Storage preview installed on my AKS cluster, how can I update to the latest GA version?**  
+  If you have auto-upgrade turned on, Azure Container Storage will update to the latest version automatically. If you don't have auto-upgrade turned on, we recommend updating to the latest generally available (GA) version by running the following command. Remember to replace `<cluster-name>` and `<resource-group>` with your own values.
+
+  ```azurecli-interactive
+  az k8s-extension update --cluster-type managedClusters --cluster-name <cluster-name> --resource-group <resource-group> --name azurecontainerstorage --version 1.1.0 --auto-upgrade false --release-train stable
+  ```
+
+* <a id="azure-container-storage-autoupgrade"></a>
+  **Is there any performance impact when upgrading to a new version of Azure Container Storage?**  
+  If you leave auto-upgrade turned on (recommended), you might experience temporary I/O latency during the upgrade process. If you turn off auto-upgrade and install the new version manually, there won't be any impact; however, you won't get the benefit of automatic upgrades and instant access to new features.
+
 * <a id="storage-pool-parameters"></a>
   **What parameters can I specify for the storage pool that's created when Azure Container Storage is installed with the `az aks create` command?**  
   Refer to [this article](container-storage-storage-pool-parameters.md) for the mandatory and optional storage pool parameters, along with their default values.
@@ -35,10 +47,6 @@ ms.custom: references_regions
   **Does Azure Container Storage support read-write-many (RWX) workloads?**  
   Azure Container Storage doesn't support RWX workloads. However, Azure's first-party Files and Blob CSI drivers are great alternatives and fully supported.
 
-* <a id="azure-container-storage-autoupgrade"></a>
-  **Is there any performance impact when upgrading to a new version of Azure Container Storage?**  
-  If you leave autoupgrade turned on (recommended), you might experience temporary I/O latency during the upgrade process. If you turn off autoupgrade and install the new version manually, there won't be any impact; however, you won't get the benefit of automatic upgrades and instant access to new features.
-
 * <a id="azure-container-storage-remove"></a>
   **How do I remove Azure Container Storage?**  
   See [Remove Azure Container Storage](remove-container-storage.md).
@@ -51,7 +59,7 @@ ms.custom: references_regions
 
 * <a id="azure-container-storage-extension-operation-failed"></a>
   **How much does Azure Container Storage cost to use?**  
-  See the [Azure Container Storage pricing page](https://aka.ms/AzureContainerStoragePricingPage).
+  See the [Azure Container Storage pricing page](https://aka.ms/AzureContainerStoragePricingPage) and [Understand Azure Container Storage billing](container-storage-billing.md).
 
 ## See also