Information About the Linux Azure Agent
The primary requirement of a Linux-based virtual machine in the Azure cloud is to run the Microsoft Linux Azure Agent.
The Microsoft Azure Linux agent manages Linux provisioning and virtual machine interaction with the Azure Fabric Controller. It provides the following functionality for Linux deployments:
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Image Provisioning
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Networking
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Kernel
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Diagnostics
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System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) Deployments
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VM Extensions
See the Microsoft Azure Linux VM Agent documentation or search for information about Microsoft Linux Azure Agent for more details.
Linux Azure Agent in the Cisco CSR 1000v
You can create a Cisco CSR 1000v in the Microsoft Azure cloud, running inside a Linux-based virtual machine. Although the Cisco CSR 1000v code runs on a Linux-based operating system, the Cisco CSR 1000v is not a generic Linux machine. Cisco IOS XE does not expose all the commands and functions of Linux to the user or to the Azure cloud.
In order for a Linux-based virtual machine to participate in various Azure management services, the virtual machine must support a minimal subset of Linux commands and functions.
Early in the initialization process for the Cisco CSR 1000v, it runs a minimalistic version of the Linux Azure Agent. This version only contains enough functionality to perform basic provisioning of the image. After completing this step, the Linux Agent loses its connectivity to the network, as ownership of all Cisco CSR 1000v interfaces are transferred to Cisco IOS XE.
This leaves the Cisco CSR 1000v in a state where it can no longer support the ongoing capabilities of the Linux Azure Agent. The Cisco CSR 1000v stops reporting its status on a periodic basis and cannot download/install any VM extensions. In order to restore this functionality, the Cisco CSR 1000v restarts the Linux Azure Agent in a guest shell container. The container provides an environment where all the Linux functions required by the agent are available.