| title | description | services | ms.topic | ms.date | ms.custom |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Archive for What's new in Azure Automation |
The What's new release notes in the Overview section of this content set contains six months of activity. Thereafter, the items are removed from the main article and put into this article. |
automation |
overview |
10/27/2021 |
references_regions |
The primary What's new in Azure Automation? article contains updates for the last six months, while this article contains all the older information.
What's new in Azure Automation? provides you with information about:
- The latest releases
- Known issues
- Bug fixes
Type: New feature
Azure Automation has added five new built-in policy definitions:
- Automation accounts should disable public network access,
- Azure Automation accounts should use customer-managed keys to encrypt data at rest
- Configure Azure Automation accounts to disable public network access
- Configure private endpoint connections on Azure Automation accounts
- Private endpoint connections on Automation Accounts should be enabled.
For more information, see Azure Policy reference.
Type: New feature
Use Process Automation and State Configuration feature in South India. Read the announcement for more information.
Type: New feature
Use Process Automation and State Configuration feature in UK West. For more information, read announcement.
Type: New feature
Use Process Automation and State Configuration feature in UAE Central. Read the announcement for more information.
Support for Automation and State Configuration available in Australia Central 2, Norway West, and France South
Type: New feature
See more information on the Data residency page by selecting the geography for each region.
Type: New feature
Two new scripts have been added to the Azure Automation GitHub repository addressing one of Azure Automation's key scenarios of setting up a Hybrid Runbook Worker on either a Windows or a Linux machine. The script creates a new VM or uses an existing one, creates a Log Analytics workspace if needed, installs the Log Analytics agent for Windows or Log Analytics agent for Linux, and registers the machine to the Log Analytics workspace. The Windows script is named Create Automation Windows HybridWorker and the Linux script is Create Automation Linux HybridWorker.
Type: New feature
For more information, see Use a webhook from an ARM template.
Azure Update Management now supports CentOS 8.x, Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server 8.x, and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15
Type: New feature
See the full list of supported Linux operating systems for more details.
Type: New feature
In all regions except Brazil South and Southeast Asia, Azure Automation data is stored in a different region (Azure paired region) for providing Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (BCDR). For the Brazil and Southeast Asia regions only, we now store Azure Automation data in the same region to accommodate data-residency requirements for these regions. For more information, see Geo-replication in Azure Automation.
Type: New feature
Automation account and State Configuration availability in Japan West region. For more information, read announcement.
Type : New feature
You can use the new Azure Policy compliance rule to allow creation of jobs, webhooks, and job schedules to run only on Hybrid Worker groups. Read the details in Use Azure Policy to enforce job execution on Hybrid Runbook Worker
Type: New feature
Automation Update Management feature is available in East US, France Central, and North Europe regions. See Supported region mapping for updates to the documentation reflecting this change.
Type: New feature
Automation account and State Configuration availability in the Switzerland West region. For more information, read the announcement.
Type: New feature
The script is available for download from our GitHub repository.
Type. New feature
The Hybrid Runbook Worker feature supports CentOS 8.x, REHL 8.x, and SLES 15 distributions for only process automation on Hybrid Runbook Workers. See Supported operating systems for updates to the documentation to reflect these changes.
Update Management and Change Tracking availability in Australia East, East Asia, West US, and Central US regions
Type: New feature
Automation account, Change Tracking and Inventory, and Update Management are available in Australia East, East Asia, West US, and Central US regions.
Type: New feature Azure Automation introduces public preview support of Python 3 cloud and hybrid runbook execution in US Government cloud regions. For more information, see the announcement.
Type: Plan for change
The TechNet Script Center is retiring and all runbooks hosted in the Runbook gallery have been moved to our Automation GitHub organization. For more information, read Azure Automation Runbooks moving to GitHub.
Type: New feature
Azure Automation and Update Management support announced as GA for Azure global and Government clouds. Azure Automation enabled Private Link support to secure execution of a runbook on a hybrid worker role, using Update Management to patch machines, invoking a runbook through a webhook, and using State Configuration service to keep your machines complaint. For more information, read Azure Automation Private Link support
Type: New feature
Accessibility features of Microsoft products help agencies address global accessibility requirements. On the blog announcement page, search for Azure Automation to read the Accessibility conformance report for the Automation service.
Type: New feature
Automation account and State Configuration availability in the UAE North region. For more information, read announcement.
Type: New feature
Automation account and State Configuration availability in Germany West region. For more information, read announcement.
Type: New feature
Manage Oracle Linux 6 and 7 machines with Automation State Configuration. See Supported Linux distros for updates to the documentation to reflect these changes.
Type: New feature
Azure Automation now supports Python 3 cloud and hybrid runbook execution in public preview in all regions in Azure global cloud. For more information, see the [announcement]((https://azure.microsoft.com/updates/azure-automation-python-3-public-preview/).
Type: New feature
See Supported Linux Distros for updates to the documentation reflecting these changes.
Type: New feature
Automation account and State Configuration availability in Switzerland North. For more information, read announcement.
Type: New feature
Automation account and State Configuration availability in Brazil South East. For more information, read announcement.
Type: New feature
Azure Automation region mapping updated to support Update Management feature in South Central US region. See Supported region mapping for updates to the documentation to reflect this change.
Type: New feature
Start/Stop VM runbooks have been updated to use Az modules in place of Azure Resource Manager modules. See Start/Stop VMs during off-hours overview for updates to the documentation to reflect these changes.
Type: New feature
Use Azure Automation State Configuration to centrally store configurations and maintain the desired state of hybrid connected machines enabled through the Azure Arc enabled servers DSC VM extension. For more information, read Arc enabled servers VM extensions overview.
Type: New feature
Use Azure Private Link to securely connect virtual networks to Azure Automation using private endpoints. For more information, read the announcement.
Type: New feature
Automation Hybrid Runbook Worker supports the Windows Server 2008 R2 operating system. See Supported operating systems for updates to the documentation to reflect these changes.
Type: New feature
Update Management supports assessing and patching the Windows Server 2008 R2 operating system. See Supported operating systems for updates to the documentation to reflect these changes.
Type: New feature
Changed the schema of Azure Automation log data in the Log Analytics service. To learn more, see Forward Azure Automation job data to Azure Monitor logs.
Type: New feature
Azure Lighthouse enables delegated resource management with Update Management for service providers and customers. Read more here.
Type: New feature
Automation account and Update Management are available in US Gov Arizona. For more information, see announcement.
Type: New feature
The New-OnPremiseHybridWorker runbook has been updated to support Az modules. For more information, see the package in the PowerShell Gallery.
Type: New feature
Azure Automation region mapping updated to support Update Management feature in China East 2 region. See Supported region mapping for updates to the documentation to reflect this change.
Type: New feature
Azure Automation DNS records have been updated to support Private Links. For more information, read the announcement.
Type: New feature
In addition to improve security of assets, runbooks, and DSC scripts are also encrypted to enhance Azure Automation security.
Type: Plan for change
Azure Logic Apps is now the recommended and supported way to monitor for events, schedule recurring tasks, and trigger actions. There will be no further investments in Watcher task functionality. To learn more, see Schedule and run recurring automated tasks with Logic Apps.
Type:
Azure Automation Hybrid Runbook Worker can be used in Azure Government to support Impact Level 5 workloads. To learn more, see our documentation.
Type: New feature
Automation support of service tags allows or denies the traffic for the Automation service, for a subset of scenarios. To learn more, see the documentation.
Type: Plan for change
Azure Automation fully supports TLS 1.2 and all client calls (through webhooks, DSC nodes, and hybrid worker). TLS 1.1 and TLS 1.0 are still supported for backward compatibility with older clients until customers standardize and fully migrate to TLS 1.2.
Type: New feature
Customers can manage and secure encryption of Azure Automation assets using their own managed keys. For more information, see Use of customer-managed keys.
Type: Retire
Azure Service Management (ASM) REST APIs for Azure Automation will be retired and no longer supported after January 30, 2020. To learn more, see the announcement.
If you'd like to contribute to Azure Automation documentation, see the Docs Contributor Guide.