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azure-local/upgrade/about-upgrades-23h2.md

@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ title: About Azure Local upgrade to version 23H2
 description: Learn how to upgrade from Azure Local, version 22H2 to Azure Local, version 23H2.
 author: alkohli
 ms.topic: conceptual
-ms.date: 02/03/2025
+ms.date: 02/28/2025
 ms.author: alkohli
 ms.reviewer: alkohli
 ms.service: azure-local
@@ -15,17 +15,17 @@ ms.service: azure-local
 
 [!INCLUDE [azure-local-banner-23h2](../includes/azure-local-banner-23h2.md)]
 
-This article provides an overview of upgrading Azure Local, version 22H2 to version 23H2.
+This article provides an overview of upgrading Azure Local, version 22H2 to Azure Local 2311.2.
 
-Throughout this article, we refer to Azure Local, version 23H2 as the *new* version and Azure Local, version 22H2 as the *old* version.
+Throughout this article, we refer to Azure Local 2311.2 as the *new* version and Azure Local, version 22H2 as the *old* version.
 
 [!INCLUDE [end-of-service-22H2](../includes/end-of-service-22h2.md)]
 
-## About Azure Local, version 23H2
+## About Azure Local 2311.2
 
-The latest version of Azure Local, version 23H2, integrates the Azure Arc infrastructure that provisions and manages the workloads such as Arc VMs, Azure Kubernetes Services, and Azure Virtual Desktop. For more information, see [What's new in Azure Local, version 23H2](../whats-new.md#features-and-improvements-in-2311).
+Azure Local 2311.2 integrates the Azure Arc infrastructure that provisions and manages the workloads such as Arc VMs, Azure Kubernetes Services, and Azure Virtual Desktop. For more information, see [What's new in Azure Local](../whats-new.md#features-and-improvements-in-2311).
 
-With version 23H2, Azure Local evolved from a cloud-connected operating system (OS) to an Arc-enabled solution. The OS forms the base layer of this solution, with the Arc and the Orchestrator (also known as the Lifecycle Manager) components layered on top. These components are packaged together into a solution that follows an [Infrastructure as code (IaC)](/devops/deliver/what-is-infrastructure-as-code) model.
+Starting with version 2311.2, Azure Local has evolved from a cloud-connected operating system (OS) to an Arc-enabled solution. The OS forms the base layer of this solution, with the Arc and the Orchestrator (also known as the Lifecycle Manager) components layered on top. These components are packaged together into a solution that follows an [Infrastructure as code (IaC)](/devops/deliver/what-is-infrastructure-as-code) model.
 
 - This IaC model takes a set of input parameters that are specific to each customer and environment.
 - The lifecycle manager then orchestrates the desired state across all the layers to meet the desired state and version.
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ The following diagram illustrates the components of the new version of Azure Loc
 
 An upgrade is a whole new version of software that represents a significant change or major improvement. An update, on the other hand, is a process of applying a set of changes to the software to improve its performance, security, or stability.
 
-Azure Local, version 23H2, is a new version of the solution with a multitude of new capabilities. To move from Azure Local, version 22H2 to version 23H2, you need to upgrade your existing system. On the other hand, to ensure that you have the most recent features and security improvements for your current version of Azure Local, you would need to update your existing system.
+Azure Local 2311.2 is the latest version of the solution, offering a multitude of new capabilities. To transition from the *old* version of Azure Local to the *new* version, you need to upgrade your existing system. On the other hand, to ensure that you have the most recent features and security improvements for your current version of Azure Local, you would need to update your existing system.
 
 ## High-level steps for Azure Local upgrade
 
@@ -63,24 +63,23 @@ The following diagram illustrates the Azure Local upgrade process:
 
 > [!IMPORTANT]
 > - Consult your hardware OEM before you upgrade Azure Local. Validate that your OEM supports the version and the upgrade.
-> - Upgrading your Azure Local from version 22H2 is only supported for regions where Azure Local, version 23H2 is available. For more information, see [Azure Local region availability](../concepts/system-requirements-23h2.md#azure-requirements).
-> - Use of 3rd party tools to install upgrades is not supported.
+> - Upgrading your Azure Local from the *old* version is supported only for regions where Azure Local 2311.2 is available. For more information, see [Azure Local region availability](../concepts/system-requirements-23h2.md#azure-requirements).
+> - Use of 3rd party tools to install upgrades isn't supported.
 
 Azure Local upgrade supports the following services and workloads:
 
-
-|Workload/Configuration  |Currently supported  |
-|---------|---------|
-| Azure Kubernetes (AKS) on Azure Local     | See notes <br> Kubernetes versions are incompatible between Azure Local, version 22H2, and version 23H2. <br> Remove AKS and all the settings from AKS enabled by Azure Arc before you apply the solution upgrade.        |
-| Arc VMs on Azure Local     | See notes <br> Preview versions of Arc VMs can't be upgraded.        |
-| Stretched clusters on Azure Local     | Yes <br> You must upgrade to Azure Stack HCI Operating System, version 23H2 to maintain your cluster in a supported state. <br> The solution upgrade isn't applicable for stretched clusters.      |
-| System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM)    | Yes <br> If your Azure Local instance running version 22H2 is managed by SCVMM 2025, the OS upgrade is supported.          |
-| Azure Local, version 22H2SP    | No <br> This upgrade process isn't supported for upgrading from Azure Local, version 22H2 Supplemental Package clusters.        |
-
+| Workload/Configuration | Currently supported |
+|--|--|
+| Azure Kubernetes (AKS) on Azure Local | See notes <br> Kubernetes versions are incompatible between the *old* and *new* Azure Local versions. <br> Remove AKS and all the settings from AKS enabled by Azure Arc before you apply the solution upgrade. |
+| Arc VMs on Azure Local | See notes <br> Preview versions of Arc VMs can't be upgraded. |
+| Stretched clusters on Azure Local | Yes <br> You must upgrade to Azure Stack HCI OS, version 23H2 to maintain your cluster in a supported state. <br> The solution upgrade isn't applicable for stretched clusters. |
+| System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) | Yes <br> If your Azure Local instance running version 22H2 is managed by SCVMM 2025, the OS upgrade is supported. |
+| Azure Local, version 22H2SP | No <br> This upgrade process isn't supported for upgrading from Azure Local, version 22H2 Supplemental Package clusters. |
 
 ## Next steps
 
-Choose one of the following options to upgrade your Azure Local, version 22H2 to Azure Local, version 23H2:
+Choose one of the following options to upgrade your Azure Local system from the *old* to the *new* version:
+
 - [Use PowerShell](./upgrade-22h2-to-23h2-powershell.md).
 - [Use Windows Admin Center](./upgrade-22h2-to-23h2-windows-admin-center.md).
 - [Use other methods](./upgrade-22h2-to-23h2-other-methods.md).

azure-local/upgrade/install-enable-network-atc.md

@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ author: ronmiab
 ms.author: robess
 ms.topic: how-to
 ms.reviewer: alkohli
-ms.date: 10/22/2024
+ms.date: 02/28/2025
 ms.service: azure-local
 #Customer intent: As a Senior Content Developer, I want to provide customers with content and steps to help them successfully install and enable Network ATC on their existing Azure Local, version 22H2 instance.
 ---
@@ -195,7 +195,7 @@ In this example, there are three intents that are managed across machines.
 
 The `Get-NetIntentStatus` command shows the deployment status of the requested intents. The result returns one object per intent for each machine in the system. For example, if you have a three-node system with two intents, you should see six objects, each with their own status, returned by the command.
 
-To verify your machines's successful deployment of the intents submitted in step 5, run the following command:
+To verify your machine's successful deployment of the intents submitted in step 5, run the following command:
 
 ```powershell
 Get-NetIntentStatus -Name <IntentName>

azure-local/upgrade/install-solution-upgrade.md

@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ title: Install solution upgrade on Azure Local
 description: Learn how to install the solution upgrade on your Azure Local instance.
 author: alkohli
 ms.topic: how-to
-ms.date: 02/14/2025
+ms.date: 02/28/2025
 ms.author: alkohli
 ms.reviewer: alkohli
 ms.service: azure-local
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ ms.service: azure-local
 
 This article describes how to install the solution upgrade on your Azure Local instance after the operating system (OS) was upgraded from version 22H2 to version 23H2.
 
-Throughout this article, we refer to OS version 23H2 as the new version and version 22H2 as the old version.
+Throughout this article, we refer to OS version 23H2 as the *new* version and version 22H2 as the *old* version.
 
 > [!IMPORTANT]
 > While the OS upgrade is generally available, the solution upgrade will have a phased rollout.

azure-local/upgrade/post-upgrade-steps.md

@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ title: Post-upgrade steps on Azure Local via PowerShell
 description: Learn how to perform the post-upgrade tasks for Azure Local using PowerShell.
 author: alkohli
 ms.topic: how-to
-ms.date: 10/22/2024
+ms.date: 03/03/2025
 ms.author: alkohli
 ms.reviewer: alkohli
 ms.service: azure-local
@@ -15,22 +15,35 @@ ms.service: azure-local
 
 This article describes how to perform the post-OS upgrade tasks after you upgraded the operating system (OS) to the new version. The post-upgrade tasks described in this article are required for the stability of the Azure Local instance.
 
-Throughout this article, we refer to Azure Local, version 23H2 as the new version and Azure Local, version 22H2 as the old version.
-
+Throughout this article, we refer to Azure Local 2311.2 as the *new* version and Azure Local, version 22H2 as the *old* version.
 
 ## Complete prerequisites
 
 Before you begin, make sure that:
 
 - You successfully upgraded the OS to version 23H2 on Azure Local as per the instructions in one of the following docs:
 
-    - [Upgrade to 23H2 OS via PowerShell](./upgrade-22h2-to-23h2-powershell.md).
-    - [Upgrade to 23H2 OS via Windows Admin Center](./upgrade-22h2-to-23h2-windows-admin-center.md).
-    - [Upgrade to 23H2 OS via other methods](./upgrade-22h2-to-23h2-other-methods.md).
-    
+   - [Upgrade to 23H2 OS via PowerShell](./upgrade-22h2-to-23h2-powershell.md).
+   - [Upgrade to 23H2 OS via Windows Admin Center](./upgrade-22h2-to-23h2-windows-admin-center.md).
+   - [Upgrade to 23H2 OS via other methods](./upgrade-22h2-to-23h2-other-methods.md).
+
 - Make sure that all the machines in your system are healthy and show as **Online**.
 - You have access to a client that can connect to your system. This client should be running PowerShell 5.0 or later.
 
+## Step 0: Update registry keys
+
+Post-OS upgrade, update registry keys on each machine in the system to ensure that Resilient File System (ReFS) volume upgrade is enabled and metadata validation is turned on.
+
+Run the following command on each machine in the system to update registry keys:
+
+```powershell
+# Set RefsDisableVolumeUpgrade to 0
+Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem" -Name "RefsDisableVolumeUpgrade" -Value 0 -Type DWord -ErrorAction Stop
+
+# Set RefsEnableMetadataValidation to 1
+Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem" -Name "RefsEnableMetadataValidation" -Value 1 -Type DWord  -ErrorAction Stop
+```
+
 ## Step 1: Connect to your system
 
 Follow these steps on your client to connect to one of the machines of your system.
@@ -86,41 +99,50 @@ InstallResults           : Microsoft.ClusterAwareUpdating.UpdateInstallResult[]
 
 ## Step 3: Perform the post-OS upgrade steps
 
-Once the new OS is installed, you need to upgrade the *cluster functional level* and upgrade the storage pool version using PowerShell in order to enable new features.
+Once the new OS is installed, you need to upgrade the cluster functional level and the storage pool version using PowerShell to enable new features.
 
 > [!IMPORTANT]
 > - Post-OS upgrade steps are essential for the stability and performance of your system. Make sure to follow these steps after the OS upgrade.
 
-
 1. Upgrade the cluster functional level.
 
    > [!WARNING]
    > After you upgrade the cluster functional level, you can't roll back to the previous operating system version.
 
    We recommend that you upgrade the cluster functional level as soon as possible. Skip this step if you installed the feature upgrades with Windows Admin Center and checked the optional **Update the cluster functional level to enable new features** checkbox.
 
-   1. Run the following cmdlet on any machine in the system:
+   1. Run the following cmdlet on any machine in the system to check the current cluster functional level:
 
       ```PowerShell
-      Update-ClusterFunctionalLevel      
+      Write-Host "Cluster Functional Level = $((Get-Cluster).ClusterFunctionalLevel)"
+      ```
+
+   1. Run the following cmdlet on any machine in the system to update the current cluster functional level:
+
+      ```powershell
+      Update-ClusterFunctionalLevel -Verbose   
       ```
 
-   1. You see a warning that you can't undo this operation. Confirm **Y** that you want to continue.
+   1. You'll see a warning that you can't undo this operation. Confirm **Y** to continue.
+
+   1. Run the following cmdlet to check the new or updated cluster functional level:
+
+      ```powershell
+      Write-Host "Cluster Functional Level = $((Get-Cluster).ClusterFunctionalLevel)"
+      ```
 
 1. Upgrade the storage pool.
 
-   1. After the cluster functional level is upgraded, use the following cmdlet to identify the `FriendlyName` of the storage pool representing your system.
+   1. After upgrading the cluster functional level, use the following cmdlet to identify the `FriendlyName` of the storage pool representing your system.
 
       ```PowerShell
-      Get-StoragePool
+      Get-StoragePool | Where-Object -Property FriendlyName -ne "Primordial"
       ```
 
-      In this example, the `FriendlyName` is **S2D on hci-cluster1**.
-
-   1. Run the `Update-StoragePool` cmdlet to upgrade the storage pool version.
+   1. Use the following cmdlet to update the storage pool. Use the pool name from the output of the previous step.
 
       ```PowerShell
-       Update-StoragePool -FriendlyName "S2D on hci-cluster1"
+      Update-StoragePool -FriendlyName "<name of the storage pool>" -Verbose
       ```
 
    1. Confirm the action when prompted. At this point, new cmdlets are fully operational on any machine in the system.

azure-local/upgrade/troubleshoot-upgrade-to-23h2.md

@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ title: Troubleshoot Azure Local upgrade
 description: Learn how to troubleshoot upgrades on your Azure Local. 
 author: alkohli
 ms.topic: how-to
-ms.date: 10/22/2024
+ms.date: 02/28/2025
 ms.author: alkohli
 ms.reviewer: alkohli
 ms.service: azure-local

azure-local/upgrade/upgrade-22h2-to-23h2-other-methods.md

@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ title: Upgrade Azure Stack HCI OS, version 22H2 to version 23H2 via other method
 description: Learn how to upgrade from Azure Stack HCI OS, version 22H2 to version 23H2 using other manual methods on Azure Local.
 author: alkohli
 ms.topic: how-to
-ms.date: 02/03/2025
+ms.date: 02/28/2025
 ms.author: alkohli
 ms.reviewer: alkohli
 ms.service: azure-local
@@ -15,11 +15,11 @@ ms.service: azure-local
 
 [!INCLUDE [end-of-service-22H2](../includes/end-of-service-22h2.md)]
 
-This article describes how to upgrade the operating system (OS) from version 22H2 to version 23H2 on your Azure Local using manual methods such a [SConfig](/windows-server/administration/server-core/server-core-sconfig) and performing an offline upgrade.
+This article describes how to upgrade the operating system (OS) for Azure Local from version 22H2 to version 23H2 using manual methods, such as [SConfig](/windows-server/administration/server-core/server-core-sconfig) and performing an offline upgrade.
 
 While you can use these other methods, PowerShell is the recommended method to upgrade the OS. For more information, see [Upgrade the Azure Stack HCI OS, version 22H2 to version 23H2 via PowerShell](./upgrade-22h2-to-23h2-powershell.md).
 
-Throughout this article, we refer to Azure Stack HCI OS, version 23H2 as the **new** version and Azure Stack HCI OS, version 22H2 as the **old** version.
+Throughout this article, we refer to Azure Stack HCI OS, version 23H2 as the *new* version and Azure Stack HCI OS, version 22H2 as the *old* version.
 
 > [!IMPORTANT]
 > To keep your Azure Local service in a supported state, you have up to six months to install this new OS version. The update is applicable to all the Azure Local instances running version 22H2. We strongly recommend that you install this version as soon as it becomes available.
@@ -31,14 +31,14 @@ The Azure Stack HCI operating system update is available via the Windows Update
 To upgrade the OS on your system, follow these high-level steps:
 
 1. [Complete prerequisites.](#complete-prerequisites)
+1. [Update registry keys.](#step-0-update-registry-keys)
 1. [Connect to your system.](#step-1-connect-to-your-system)
 1. Install new OS using one of the other methods:
    1. [Manual upgrade of a Failover Cluster using SConfig.](#method-1-perform-a-manual-os-update-of-a-failover-cluster-using-sconfig)
    1. [Offline manual upgrade of all machines in a system.](#method-2-perform-a-fast-offline-os-update-of-all-machines-in-a-system)
 1. Check the status of the updates.
 1. [Perform post-upgrade steps, after the OS is upgraded.](#next-steps)
 
-
 ## Complete prerequisites
 
 Before you begin, make sure that:
@@ -49,6 +49,20 @@ Before you begin, make sure that:
 - You have access to the Azure Stack HCI OS, version 23H2 software update. This update is available via Windows Update or as a downloadable media. The media is an ISO file that you can download from the [Azure portal](https://portal.azure.com/#view/Microsoft_Azure_HybridCompute/AzureArcCenterBlade/~/hciGetStarted).
 - You have access to a client that can connect to your Azure Local. This client should be running PowerShell 5.0 or later.
 
+## Step 0: Update registry keys
+
+To avoid issues with Resilient File System (ReFS) during OS upgrade, update registry keys on each machine in the system to ensure ReFS volume upgrade is disabled and metadata validation is turned off.
+
+Run the following command on each machine in the system to update registry keys:
+
+```powershell
+# Set RefsDisableVolumeUpgrade to 1
+Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem" -Name "RefsDisableVolumeUpgrade" -Value 1 -Type DWord -ErrorAction Stop
+
+# Set RefsEnableMetadataValidation to 0
+Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem" -Name "RefsEnableMetadataValidation" -Value 0 -Type DWord  -ErrorAction Stop
+```
+
 ## Step 1: Connect to your system
 
 Follow these steps on your client to connect to one of the machines on your system.
@@ -85,7 +99,7 @@ Depending upon your requirements, you can manually update the OS using SConfig o
 
 To do a manual feature update of a failover cluster, use the **SConfig** tool and Failover Clustering PowerShell cmdlets. For more information about **SConfig**, see [Configure a Server Core installation of Windows Server and Azure Local with the Server Configuration tool (SConfig)](/windows-server/administration/server-core/server-core-sconfig).
 
-For each node in the cluster, run these commands on the target node:
+For each machine in the cluster, run these commands on the target node:
 
 1. `Suspend-ClusterNode -Node <Node Name> -Drain`
 
@@ -131,7 +145,6 @@ If there's a critical security update <!--ASK-->that you need to apply quickly o
 
 You're now ready to perform the post-upgrade steps for your system.
 
-
 ## Next steps
 
 - [Learn how to perform the post-upgrade steps for your Azure Local.](./post-upgrade-steps.md)