1---2name: azure-cyclecloud3description: Expert knowledge for Azure CycleCloud development including troubleshooting, best practices, decision making, architecture & design patterns, security, configuration, integrations & coding patterns, and deployment. Use when building Azure CycleCloud Slurm/PBS clusters, autoscaling HB/HC VMs, using BlobFuse2, Event Grid, or Prometheus/Grafana, and other Azure CycleCloud related development tasks. Not for Azure Batch (use azure-batch), Azure HDInsight (use azure-hdinsight), Azure Virtual Machines (use azure-virtual-machines), Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) (use azure-kubernetes-service).4---5# Azure CycleCloud Skill
6
7This skill provides expert guidance for Azure CycleCloud. Covers troubleshooting, best practices, decision making, architecture & design patterns, security, configuration, integrations & coding patterns, and deployment. It combines local quick-reference content with remote documentation fetching capabilities.
8
9## How to Use This Skill
10
11> **IMPORTANT for Agent**: Use the **Category Index** below to locate relevant sections. For categories with line ranges (e.g., `L35-L120`), use `read_file` with the specified lines. For categories with file links (e.g., `[security.md](security.md)`), use `read_file` on the linked reference file
12
13> **IMPORTANT for Agent**: If `metadata.generated_at` is more than 3 months old, suggest the user pull the latest version from the repository. If `mcp_microsoftdocs` tools are not available, suggest the user install it: [Installation Guide](https://github.com/MicrosoftDocs/mcp/blob/main/README.md)
14
15This skill requires **network access** to fetch documentation content:
16- **Preferred**: Use `mcp_microsoftdocs:microsoft_docs_fetch` with query string `from=learn-agent-skill`. Returns Markdown.
17- **Fallback**: Use `fetch_webpage` with query string `from=learn-agent-skill&accept=text/markdown`. Returns Markdown.
18
19## Category Index
20
21| Category | Lines | Description |
22|----------|-------|-------------|
23| Troubleshooting | L36-L44 | Diagnosing and fixing CycleCloud cluster/node startup errors, unhealthy VMs, Slurm 4 issues, and locating/logging common error and health check diagnostics. |
24| Best Practices | L45-L49 | Tuning CycleCloud clusters on HB/HC series: VM sizing, network and storage optimization, MPI/HPC performance tweaks, and cost/performance best practices. |
25| Decision Making | L50-L59 | Guidance on planning, sizing, and migrating CycleCloud HPC clusters, Slurm workspaces, Spot VM usage, licensing terms, and servicing/support policies. |
26| Architecture & Design Patterns | L60-L65 | Designing resilient multi‑region CycleCloud HPC clusters and choosing VM placement strategies (single-zone, multi-zone, regional) for performance, availability, and cost optimization. |
27| Security | L66-L80 | Securing CycleCloud: auth (Entra, service principals, managed identities), SSL, SSH/Bastion access, SELinux, telemetry/data usage, and portal/cluster user authentication setup. |
28| Configuration | L81-L131 | Designing and tuning CycleCloud clusters: templates, networking, autoscaling, storage, node config (Jetpack/cloud-init), Slurm/Open OnDemand, proxies, security, monitoring, backup, and CLI setup. |
29| Integrations & Coding Patterns | L132-L151 | Integrating CycleCloud with schedulers, APIs, storage, monitoring, and automation tools (Slurm, PBS, HTCondor, REST/CLI/Python, BlobFuse2, Event Grid, Prometheus/Grafana, Chef). |
30| Deployment | L152-L161 | Deploying and operating CycleCloud: installing via ARM/CLI/ACI, planning production setups, importing templates, moving cluster resources, and safely upgrading or migrating installations. |
31
32### Troubleshooting
33| Topic | URL |
34|-------|-----|
35| Resolve common Azure CycleCloud error messages | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/error-messages?view=cyclecloud-8 |
36| Use CycleCloud HealthCheck services to manage unhealthy VMs | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/healthcheck?view=cyclecloud-8 |
37| Diagnose and report Azure CycleCloud cluster and node startup issues | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/report-issues?view=cyclecloud-8 |
38| Locate Azure CycleCloud diagnostic log files | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/log-locations?view=cyclecloud-8 |
39| Operate and troubleshoot Azure CycleCloud Slurm 4 clusters | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/slurm-4-operations?view=cyclecloud-8 |
40
41### Best Practices
42| Topic | URL |
43|-------|-----|
44| Optimize CycleCloud clusters on HB/HC series VMs | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/hb-hc-best-practices?view=cyclecloud-8 |
45
46### Decision Making
47| Topic | URL |
48|-------|-----|
49| Plan and size Azure CycleCloud HPC clusters | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/concepts/plan-and-size-hpc-clusters?view=cyclecloud-8 |
50| Plan CycleCloud Workspace for Slurm deployment | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/ccws/plan-your-deployment?view=cyclecloud-8 |
51| Plan migration for Azure CycleCloud 7 retirement | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/cyclecloud7-retirement-guide?view=cyclecloud-8 |
52| Decide when and how to use Spot VMs in Azure CycleCloud | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/use-spot-instances?view=cyclecloud-8 |
53| Apply Azure CycleCloud licensing and usage terms | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/licensing?view=cyclecloud-8 |
54| Understand Azure CycleCloud servicing and support policy | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/service-policy?view=cyclecloud-8 |
55
56### Architecture & Design Patterns
57| Topic | URL |
58|-------|-----|
59| Design and operate multi‑region Azure CycleCloud HPC clusters | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/concepts/multi-region-cluster-deployment?view=cyclecloud-8 |
60| Choose VM placement models for CycleCloud clusters | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/availability-sets?view=cyclecloud-8 |
61
62### Security
63| Topic | URL |
64|-------|-----|
65| Apply security best practices for Azure CycleCloud | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/concepts/security-best-practices?view=cyclecloud-8 |
66| Review CycleCloud telemetry and data usage policy | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/data-policy?view=cyclecloud-8 |
67| Securely SSH to CycleCloud login nodes via Bastion | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/ccws/connect-to-login-node-with-bastion?view=cyclecloud-8 |
68| Secure CycleCloud portal access through Azure Bastion | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/ccws/connect-to-portal-with-bastion?view=cyclecloud-8 |
69| Create Entra app registration for Azure CycleCloud | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/create-app-registration?view=cyclecloud-8 |
70| Use managed identities to secure Azure CycleCloud clusters | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/managed-identities?view=cyclecloud-8 |
71| Run Azure CycleCloud nodes with SELinux enforcing | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/selinux?view=cyclecloud-8 |
72| Configure Azure CycleCloud with Microsoft Entra service principals | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/service-principals?view=cyclecloud-8 |
73| Configure SSL certificates for secure Azure CycleCloud access | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/ssl-configuration?view=cyclecloud-8 |
74| Configure user authentication for Azure CycleCloud clusters | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/user-access?view=cyclecloud-8 |
75| Configure user authentication methods for Azure CycleCloud | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/user-authentication?view=cyclecloud-8 |
76
77### Configuration
78| Topic | URL |
79|-------|-----|
80| Configure cluster-init specs and project sources in Azure CycleCloud | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/cluster-references/cluster-init-reference?view=cyclecloud-8 |
81| Configure the cluster section in Azure CycleCloud templates | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/cluster-references/cluster-reference?view=cyclecloud-8 |
82| Understand Azure CycleCloud cluster template structure and hierarchy | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/cluster-references/cluster-template-reference?view=cyclecloud-8 |
83| Configure Azure CycleCloud cluster configuration objects | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/cluster-references/configuration-reference?view=cyclecloud-8 |
84| Define environment objects in CycleCloud cluster templates | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/cluster-references/environment-reference?view=cyclecloud-8 |
85| Configure input endpoints and ports in Azure CycleCloud templates | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/cluster-references/input-endpoint-reference?view=cyclecloud-8 |
86| Configure network-interface objects in Azure CycleCloud templates | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/cluster-references/network-interface-reference?view=cyclecloud-8 |
87| Configure nodes and nodearrays in Azure CycleCloud templates | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/cluster-references/node-nodearray-reference?view=cyclecloud-8 |
88| Use NodeRef objects in CycleCloud cluster templates | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/cluster-references/noderef-reference?view=cyclecloud-8 |
89| Configure parameters in Azure CycleCloud cluster templates | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/cluster-references/parameter-reference?view=cyclecloud-8 |
90| Apply special parameter parsing in Azure CycleCloud | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/cluster-references/special-parsing?view=cyclecloud-8 |
91| Define and configure volume objects in Azure CycleCloud templates | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/cluster-references/volume-reference?view=cyclecloud-8 |
92| Configure Azure CycleCloud service monitoring integrations | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/concepts/monitoring?view=cyclecloud-8 |
93| Configure CycleServer via cycle_server.properties | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/cycleserver-configuration-reference?view=cyclecloud-8 |
94| Configure CycleCloud node events and Event Grid | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/events?view=cyclecloud-8 |
95| Configure Azure managed disks in CycleCloud nodes | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/add-disk?view=cyclecloud-8 |
96| Configure node arrays for Azure CycleCloud clusters | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/add-node-array?view=cyclecloud-8 |
97| Configure backup and restore for Azure CycleCloud | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/backup-and-restore?view=cyclecloud-8 |
98| Configure Slurm cloud bursting with Azure CycleCloud | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/bursting/slurm-cloud-bursting-setup?view=cyclecloud-8 |
99| Configure Open OnDemand for Azure CycleCloud Slurm | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/ccws/configure-open-ondemand?view=cyclecloud-8 |
100| Use cloud-init to customize CycleCloud VMs on boot | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/cloud-init?view=cyclecloud-8 |
101| Define and customize Azure CycleCloud cluster templates | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/cluster-templates?view=cyclecloud-8 |
102| Configure Azure networking for CycleCloud deployments | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/configuration?view=cyclecloud-8 |
103| Configure autoscaling for Azure CycleCloud clusters | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/configure-autoscaling?view=cyclecloud-8 |
104| Use custom and marketplace images in CycleCloud clusters | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/create-custom-image?view=cyclecloud-8 |
105| Create and export NFS file shares in CycleCloud | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/create-fileserver?view=cyclecloud-8 |
106| Configure Azure CycleCloud environment resources via ARM | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/environments?view=cyclecloud-8 |
107| Configure Flex VM scale sets in Azure CycleCloud | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/flex-scalesets?view=cyclecloud-8 |
108| Install and configure the Azure CycleCloud CLI | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/install-cyclecloud-cli?view=cyclecloud-8 |
109| Manually install Jetpack on CycleCloud-managed VMs | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/install-jetpack?view=cyclecloud-8 |
110| Manually install and configure Azure CycleCloud | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/install-manual?view=cyclecloud-8 |
111| Configure keep-alive settings for Azure CycleCloud nodes | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/keep-alive?view=cyclecloud-8 |
112| Configure alerts and logging for Azure CycleCloud clusters | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/monitor-clusters?view=cyclecloud-8 |
113| Configure volume mountpoints in Azure CycleCloud templates | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/mount-disk?view=cyclecloud-8 |
114| Configure NFS mounts and shares in Azure CycleCloud | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/mount-fileserver?view=cyclecloud-8 |
115| Configure multiple Azure CycleCloud instances on one host | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/multiple-installs?view=cyclecloud-8 |
116| Customize network security settings for Azure CycleCloud nodes | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/network-security?view=cyclecloud-8 |
117| Define and use projects and specs in Azure CycleCloud | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/projects?view=cyclecloud-8 |
118| Configure return proxy nodes for Azure CycleCloud clusters | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/return-proxy?view=cyclecloud-8 |
119| Configure web proxy settings for Azure CycleCloud traffic | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/running-behind-proxy?view=cyclecloud-8 |
120| Run Azure CycleCloud in locked-down network environments | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/running-in-locked-down-network?view=cyclecloud-8 |
121| Configure Azure Scheduled Events handling in CycleCloud nodes | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/scheduled-events?view=cyclecloud-8 |
122| Configure project and user blob storage in Azure CycleCloud | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/storage-blobs?view=cyclecloud-8 |
123| Use and understand Azure CycleCloud node tagging | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/tag-nodes?view=cyclecloud-8 |
124| Customize Azure CycleCloud UI theming with CSS | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/theming?view=cyclecloud-8 |
125| Configure CycleCloud nodes with Jetpack | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/jetpack?view=cyclecloud-8 |
126| Configure and manage Azure CycleCloud Slurm 4 clusters | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/slurm-4?view=cyclecloud-8 |
127
128### Integrations & Coding Patterns
129| Topic | URL |
130|-------|-----|
131| Use Azure CycleCloud REST API endpoints | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/api?view=cyclecloud-8 |
132| Manage Azure CycleCloud with CLI commands | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/cli?view=cyclecloud-8 |
133| Author Chef cookbooks for CycleCloud clusters | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/cookbook-reference?view=cyclecloud-8 |
134| Configure Grid Engine clusters in CycleCloud | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/gridengine?view=cyclecloud-8 |
135| Submit and manage Slurm jobs on Azure CycleCloud | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/ccws/submit-job-with-slurm?view=cyclecloud-8 |
136| Integrate Azure CycleCloud events with Event Grid | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/event-grid?view=cyclecloud-8 |
137| Integrate Prometheus and Azure Managed Grafana with CycleCloud clusters | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/monitor-cyclecloud-cluster-using-prometheus-grafana?view=cyclecloud-8 |
138| Mount Azure Blob Storage on CycleCloud nodes with BlobFuse2 | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/mount-blob-storage?view=cyclecloud-8 |
139| Use the Azure CycleCloud REST API for automated cluster management | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/use-rest-api?view=cyclecloud-8 |
140| Configure Microsoft HPC Pack with CycleCloud | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/hpcpack?view=cyclecloud-8 |
141| Integrate HTCondor scheduler with CycleCloud | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/htcondor?view=cyclecloud-8 |
142| Connect IBM Spectrum LSF to CycleCloud | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/lsf?view=cyclecloud-8 |
143| Integrate OpenPBS scheduler with CycleCloud | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/openpbs?view=cyclecloud-8 |
144| Install and use CycleCloud Python API | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/python-api?view=cyclecloud-8 |
145| Configure CycleCloud Slurm integration v3.0+ | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/slurm-3?view=cyclecloud-8 |
146| Enable Slurm scheduler on CycleCloud clusters | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/slurm?view=cyclecloud-8 |
147
148### Deployment
149| Topic | URL |
150|-------|-----|
151| Download and import CycleCloud cluster templates | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/download-cluster-templates?view=cyclecloud-8 |
152| Deploy CycleCloud Workspace for Slurm using CLI | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/ccws/deploy-with-cli?view=cyclecloud-8 |
153| Deploy Azure CycleCloud using ARM templates | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/install-arm?view=cyclecloud-8 |
154| Move Azure CycleCloud cluster resources between resource groups | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/move-resource-group?view=cyclecloud-8 |
155| Plan a production-grade Azure CycleCloud deployment | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/plan-prod-deployment?view=cyclecloud-8 |
156| Run Azure CycleCloud in Azure Container Instances | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/run-in-container?view=cyclecloud-8 |
157| Upgrade or migrate Azure CycleCloud installations safely | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/upgrade-and-migrate?view=cyclecloud-8 |
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