Merge pull request #246958 from b-ahibbard/anf-smb-ca-ga1

smb ca ga announcement

Author: v-dirichards

articles/azure-netapp-files/azure-netapp-files-create-volumes-smb.md

@@ -25,7 +25,6 @@ This article shows you how to create an SMB3 volume. For NFS volumes, see [Creat
 
 * You must have already set up a capacity pool. See [Create a capacity pool](azure-netapp-files-set-up-capacity-pool.md).     
 * A subnet must be delegated to Azure NetApp Files. See [Delegate a subnet to Azure NetApp Files](azure-netapp-files-delegate-subnet.md).
-* The [SMB Continuous Availability](#continuous-availability) feature is currently in preview. You must submit a waitlist request before you can use this feature.
 * The [non-browsable shares](#non-browsable-share) and [access-based enumeration](#access-based-enumeration) features are currently in preview. You must register each feature before you can use it:
 
 1. Register the feature: 
@@ -140,10 +139,7 @@ Before creating an SMB volume, you need to create an Active Directory connection
     > Both the access-based enumeration and non-browsable shares features are currently in preview. If this is your first time using either, refer to the steps in [Before you begin](#before-you-begin) to register either feature.
 
     * <a name="continuous-availability"></a>If you want to enable Continuous Availability for the SMB volume, select **Enable Continuous Availability**.    
-
-        > [!IMPORTANT]   
-        > The SMB Continuous Availability feature is currently in preview. You need to submit a waitlist request for accessing the feature through the **[Azure NetApp Files SMB Continuous Availability Shares Public Preview waitlist submission page](https://aka.ms/anfsmbcasharespreviewsignup)**. Wait for an official confirmation email from the Azure NetApp Files team before using the Continuous Availability feature.   
-        
+      
         >[!IMPORTANT]
         >You should enable Continuous Availability for Citrix App Layering, SQL Server, and [FSLogix user profile containers](../virtual-desktop/create-fslogix-profile-container.md). Using SMB Continuous Availability shares for workloads other than Citrix App Layering, SQL Server, and FSLogix user profile containers is *not* supported. This feature is currently supported on Windows SQL Server. Linux SQL Server is not currently supported. If you are using a non-administrator (domain) account to install SQL Server, ensure that the account has the required security privilege assigned. If the domain account does not have the required security privilege (`SeSecurityPrivilege`), and the privilege cannot be set at the domain level, you can grant the privilege to the account by using the **Security privilege users** field of Active Directory connections. See [Create an Active Directory connection](create-active-directory-connections.md#create-an-active-directory-connection).
 

articles/azure-netapp-files/create-active-directory-connections.md

@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ Several features of Azure NetApp Files require that you have an Active Directory
     * Enterprise Admins 
     * Administrators 
     * Account Operators 
-    * Azure AD DC Administrators _(Azure AD DS Only)_
+    * Azure AD DS Administrators _(Azure AD DS Only)_
     * Alternatively, an AD domain user account with `msDS-SupportedEncryptionTypes` write permission on the AD connection admin account can also be used to set the Kerberos encryption type property on the AD connection admin account. 
 
     >[!NOTE]
@@ -221,7 +221,7 @@ Several features of Azure NetApp Files require that you have an Active Directory
         This feature is used for installing SQL Server in certain scenarios where a non-administrator AD DS domain account must temporarily be granted elevated security privilege.
 
         >[!NOTE]
-        > Using the Security privilege users feature requires that you submit a waitlist request through the Azure NetApp Files SMB Continuous Availability Shares Public Preview waitlist submission page. Wait for an official confirmation email from the Azure NetApp Files team before using this feature. SMB Continuous Availability is **not** supported on custom applications. It is is only supported for workloads using Citrix App Laying, [FSLogix user profile containers](../virtual-desktop/create-fslogix-profile-container.md), and Microsoft SQL Server (not Linux SQL Server).
+        > Using the Security privilege users feature relies on the [SMB Continuous Availability Shares feature](azure-netapp-files-create-volumes-smb.md#continuous-availability). SMB Continuous Availability is **not** supported on custom applications. It is is only supported for workloads using Citrix App Laying, [FSLogix user profile containers](../virtual-desktop/create-fslogix-profile-container.md), and Microsoft SQL Server (not Linux SQL Server).
 
         > [!IMPORTANT]
         > Using the **Security privilege users** feature requires that you submit a waitlist request through the **[Azure NetApp Files SMB Continuous Availability Shares Public Preview waitlist submission page](https://aka.ms/anfsmbcasharespreviewsignup)**. Wait for an official confirmation email from the Azure NetApp Files team before using this feature.  

articles/azure-netapp-files/enable-continuous-availability-existing-SMB.md

@@ -19,17 +19,6 @@ ms.author: anfdocs
 
 You can enable the SMB Continuous Availability (CA) feature when you [create a new SMB volume](azure-netapp-files-create-volumes-smb.md#continuous-availability). You can also enable SMB CA on an existing SMB volume; this article shows you how to do so.
 
-> [!IMPORTANT]   
-> The SMB Continuous Availability feature is currently in public preview. You need to submit a waitlist request for accessing the feature through the **[Azure NetApp Files SMB Continuous Availability Shares Public Preview waitlist submission page](https://aka.ms/anfsmbcasharespreviewsignup)**. The SMB Continuous Availability feature is expected to be enabled within a week after you submit the waitlist request. You can check the status of feature registration by using the following command: 
->
-> ```azurepowershell-interactive
-> Get-AzProviderFeature -ProviderNamespace Microsoft.NetApp -FeatureName ANFSMBCAShare                                                      
-> 
-> FeatureName   ProviderName     RegistrationState   
-> -----------   ------------     -----------------   
-> ANFSMBCAShare Microsoft.NetApp Registered
-> ```
-
 >[!IMPORTANT]
 > Custom applications are not supported with SMB Continuous Availability.
 > 
@@ -40,18 +29,17 @@ You can enable the SMB Continuous Availability (CA) feature when you [create a n
 > If you are using a non-administrator (domain) account to install SQL Server, ensure that the account has the required security privilege assigned. If the domain account does not have the required security privilege (`SeSecurityPrivilege`), and the privilege cannot be set at the domain level, you can grant the privilege to the account by using the **Security privilege users** field of Active Directory connections. See [Create an Active Directory connection](create-active-directory-connections.md#create-an-active-directory-connection).
  
 ## Steps
-
-1. Make sure that you have [registered the SMB Continuous Availability Shares](https://aka.ms/anfsmbcasharespreviewsignup) feature.             
-2. Select the SMB volume that you want to have SMB CA enabled. Then select **Edit**.  
-3. On the Edit window that appears, select the **Enable Continuous Availability** checkbox.   
+       
+1. Select the SMB volume that you want to have SMB CA enabled. Then select **Edit**.  
+1. On the Edit window that appears, select the **Enable Continuous Availability** checkbox.   
     ![Snapshot that shows the Enable Continuous Availability option.](../media/azure-netapp-files/enable-continuous-availability.png)
 
-4. Reboot the Windows systems connecting to the existing SMB share.   
+1. Reboot the Windows systems connecting to the existing SMB share.   
 
     > [!NOTE]
     > Selecting the **Enable Continuous Availability** option alone does not automatically make the existing SMB sessions continuously available. After selecting the option, be sure to reboot the server for the change to take effect.  
 
-5. Use the following command to verify that CA is enabled and used on the system that’s mounting the volume:
+1. Use the following command to verify that CA is enabled and used on the system that’s mounting the volume:
 
     ```powershell-interactive
     get-smbconnection | select -Property servername,ContinuouslyAvailable

articles/azure-netapp-files/faq-application-resilience.md

@@ -14,15 +14,15 @@ This article answers frequently asked questions (FAQs) about Azure NetApp Files
 
 ## What do you recommend for handling potential application disruptions due to storage service maintenance events?
 
-Azure NetApp Files might undergo occasional planned maintenance (for example, platform updates, service or software upgrades). From a file protocol (NFS/SMB) perspective, the maintenance operations are non-disruptive, as long as the application can handle the IO pauses that might briefly occur during these events. The I/O pauses are typically short, ranging from a few seconds up to 30 seconds. The NFS protocol is especially robust, and client-server file operations continue normally. Some applications might require tuning to handle IO pauses for as long as 30-45 seconds. As such, ensure that you're aware of the application’s resiliency settings to cope with the storage service maintenance events. For human interactive applications leveraging the SMB protocol, the standard protocol settings are usually sufficient. 
+Azure NetApp Files might undergo occasional planned maintenance (for example, platform updates, service or software upgrades). From a file protocol (NFS/SMB) perspective, the maintenance operations are nondisruptive, as long as the application can handle the IO pauses that might briefly occur during these events. The I/O pauses are typically short, ranging from a few seconds up to 30 seconds. The NFS protocol is especially robust, and client-server file operations continue normally. Some applications might require tuning to handle IO pauses for as long as 30-45 seconds. As such, ensure that you're aware of the application’s resiliency settings to cope with the storage service maintenance events. For human interactive applications leveraging the SMB protocol, the standard protocol settings are usually sufficient. 
 
 >[!IMPORTANT]
 >To ensure a resilient architecture, it is crucial to recognize that the cloud operates under a _shared responsibility_ model. This model encompasses the Azure cloud platform, its infrastructure services, the OS-layer, and application vendors. Each of these components plays a vital role in gracefully handling potential application disruptions that may arise during storage service maintenance events.
 
 ## Do I need to take special precautions for SMB-based applications?
 
 Yes, certain SMB-based applications require SMB Transparent Failover. SMB Transparent Failover enables maintenance operations on the Azure NetApp Files service without interrupting connectivity to server applications storing and accessing data on SMB volumes. To support SMB Transparent Failover for specific applications, Azure NetApp Files now supports the [SMB Continuous Availability shares option](azure-netapp-files-create-volumes-smb.md#continuous-availability). Using SMB Continuous Availability is only supported for workloads on:
-* Citrix App Laying
+* Citrix App Layering
 * [FSLogix user profile containers](../virtual-desktop/create-fslogix-profile-container.md)
 * Microsoft SQL Server (not Linux SQL Server)
 
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ The scale-out architecture would be comprised of multiple IBM MQ multi-instance
 
 If you're running the Apache ActiveMQ, it's recommended to deploy [ActiveMQ High Availability with Pluggable Storage Lockers](https://www.openlogic.com/blog/pluggable-storage-lockers-activemq). 
 
-ActiveMQ high availability (HA) models ensure that a broker instance is always online and able to process message traffic. The two most common ActiveMQ HA models involve sharing a filesystem over a network. The purpose is to provide either LevelDB or KahaDB to the active and passive broker instances. These HA models require that an OS-level lock be obtained and maintained on a file in the LevelDB or KahaDB directories, called "lock". There are some problems with this ActiveMQ HA model. They can lead to  a "no-master" situation, where the "slave" isn’t aware that it can lock the file.  They can also lead to a "master-master" configuration that results in index or journal corruption and ultimately message loss. Most of these problems stem from factors outside of ActiveMQ's control. For instance, a poorly optimized NFS client can cause locking data to become stale under load, leading to “no-master” downtime during failover. 
+ActiveMQ high availability (HA) models ensure that a broker instance is always online and able to process message traffic. The two most common ActiveMQ HA models involve sharing a filesystem over a network. The purpose is to provide either LevelDB or KahaDB to the active and passive broker instances. These HA models require that an OS-level lock be obtained and maintained on a file in the LevelDB or KahaDB directories, called "lock." There are some problems with this ActiveMQ HA model. They can lead to  a "no-master" situation, where the "slave" isn’t aware that it can lock the file.  They can also lead to a "master-master" configuration that results in index or journal corruption and ultimately message loss. Most of these problems stem from factors outside of ActiveMQ's control. For instance, a poorly optimized NFS client can cause locking data to become stale under load, leading to “no-master” downtime during failover. 
 
 Because most problems with this HA solution stem from inaccurate OS-level file locking, the ActiveMQ community [introduced the concept of a pluggable storage locker](https://www.openlogic.com/blog/pluggable-storage-lockers-activemq) in version 5.7 of the broker. This approach allows a user to take advantage of a different means of the shared lock, using a row-level JDBC database lock as opposed to an OS-level filesystem lock. For support or consultancy on ActiveMQ HA architectures and deployments, you should [contact OpenLogic by Perforce](https://www.openlogic.com/contact-us).
 

articles/azure-netapp-files/whats-new.md

@@ -23,6 +23,12 @@ Azure NetApp Files is updated regularly. This article provides a summary about t
 
 ## August 2023
 
+* [SMB Continuous Availability (CA) shares](azure-netapp-files-create-volumes-smb.md#add-an-smb-volume) is now generally available (GA).
+
+    To enhance resiliency during storage service maintenance operations, SMB volumes used by Citrix App Layering, FSLogix user profile containers and Microsoft SQL Server on Microsoft Windows Server can be enabled with Continuous Availability. Continuous Availability enables SMB Transparent Failover to eliminate disruptions as a result of service maintenance events and improves reliability and user experience. 
+    
+    To learn more about Continuous Availability, see the [application resiliency FAQ](faq-application-resilience.md#do-i-need-to-take-special-precautions-for-smb-based-applications) and follow the instructions to enable it on new and existing SMB volumes.
+
 * [Configure NFSv4.1 ID domain for non-LDAP volumes](azure-netapp-files-configure-nfsv41-domain.md) (Preview)
 
     To harmonize the authentication ID Domain settings in your NFSv4.1 environment, you can now configure a custom NFSv4.1 ID Domain in Azure NetApp Files for non-LDAP volumes. The ID Domain is set for all non-LDAP volumes in the same region and subscription, and can co-exist in environments with LDAP-enabled volumes. Once the ID Domain on Azure NetApp Files matches your NFSv4.1 clients, ‘root’ and non-root users will no longer be squashed to ‘nobody’. This setting helps either prepare for a future implementation of LDAP with Active Directory in the future by enabling the use of the same authentication ID Domain across all NFSv4.1 clients, or just ensures scripts and software installation routines that use ‘root’ can modify files on NFSv4.1 volumes correctly.