Azure Cyclecloud

Included skill

Azure Cyclecloud

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, BlobFuse2 storage, Event Grid alerts, HB/HC tuning, or Spot VMs, and other Azure CycleCloud related development tasks. Not for Azure Batch (use azure-batch), Azure HDInsight (use azure-hdinsight), Azure Databricks (use azure-databricks), Azure Virtual Machines (use azure-virtual-machines).

Source: /skills/azure-cyclecloud/SKILL.md

Azure CycleCloud Skill

This 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.

How to Use This Skill

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

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

This skill requires network access to fetch documentation content:

  • Preferred: Use mcp_microsoftdocs:microsoft_docs_fetch with query string from=learn-agent-skill. Returns Markdown.
  • Fallback: Use fetch_webpage with query string from=learn-agent-skill&accept=text/markdown. Returns Markdown.

Category Index

Category Lines Description
Troubleshooting L36-L43 Diagnosing and fixing CycleCloud errors, unhealthy VMs, and cluster/node startup issues, plus finding and using diagnostic logs for deeper troubleshooting.
Best Practices L44-L48 Tuning CycleCloud clusters on HB/HC series: VM sizing, network and storage optimization, MPI/HPC performance tweaks, and cost/performance best practices.
Decision Making L49-L58 Guidance on sizing and planning CycleCloud HPC/Slurm deployments, migration from v7, Spot VM usage, licensing terms, and support/servicing policies.
Architecture & Design Patterns L59-L64 Designing resilient multi‑region CycleCloud HPC clusters and choosing VM placement strategies (single-zone, multi-zone, regional) for performance, availability, and cost optimization.
Security L65-L79 Securing CycleCloud: auth (Entra, service principals, managed identities), SSL, SSH/Bastion access, SELinux, telemetry/data usage, and portal/cluster user authentication setup.
Configuration L80-L128 Designing and configuring CycleCloud clusters: templates, nodes, networking, storage, autoscaling, images, events, monitoring, proxies, security, and deployment/CLI setup.
Integrations & Coding Patterns L129-L149 Integrating CycleCloud with schedulers, APIs, storage, monitoring, and automation tools (Slurm, PBS, HTCondor, REST/CLI/Python, BlobFuse2, Event Grid, Prometheus/Grafana, Chef).
Deployment L150-L159 Deploying and operating CycleCloud: installing via ARM/CLI/ACI, planning production setups, importing templates, moving cluster resources, and safely upgrading or migrating installations.

Troubleshooting

Topic URL
Resolve common Azure CycleCloud error messages https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/error-messages?view=cyclecloud-8
Use CycleCloud HealthCheck services to manage unhealthy VMs https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/healthcheck?view=cyclecloud-8
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
Locate Azure CycleCloud diagnostic log files https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/log-locations?view=cyclecloud-8

Best Practices

Topic URL
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

Decision Making

Topic URL
Plan and size Azure CycleCloud HPC clusters https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/concepts/plan-and-size-hpc-clusters?view=cyclecloud-8
Plan CycleCloud Workspace for Slurm deployment https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/ccws/plan-your-deployment?view=cyclecloud-8
Plan migration for Azure CycleCloud 7 retirement https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/cyclecloud7-retirement-guide?view=cyclecloud-8
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
Apply Azure CycleCloud licensing and usage terms https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/licensing?view=cyclecloud-8
Understand Azure CycleCloud servicing and support policy https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/service-policy?view=cyclecloud-8

Architecture & Design Patterns

Topic URL
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
Choose VM placement models for CycleCloud clusters https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/availability-sets?view=cyclecloud-8

Security

Topic URL
Apply security best practices for Azure CycleCloud https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/concepts/security-best-practices?view=cyclecloud-8
Review CycleCloud telemetry and data usage policy https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/data-policy?view=cyclecloud-8
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
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
Create Entra app registration for Azure CycleCloud https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/create-app-registration?view=cyclecloud-8
Use managed identities to secure Azure CycleCloud clusters https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/managed-identities?view=cyclecloud-8
Run Azure CycleCloud nodes with SELinux enforcing https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/selinux?view=cyclecloud-8
Configure Azure CycleCloud with Microsoft Entra service principals https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/service-principals?view=cyclecloud-8
Configure SSL certificates for secure Azure CycleCloud access https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/ssl-configuration?view=cyclecloud-8
Configure user authentication for Azure CycleCloud clusters https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/user-access?view=cyclecloud-8
Configure user authentication methods for Azure CycleCloud https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/user-authentication?view=cyclecloud-8

Configuration

Topic URL
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
Configure the cluster section in Azure CycleCloud templates https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/cluster-references/cluster-reference?view=cyclecloud-8
Understand Azure CycleCloud cluster template structure and hierarchy https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/cluster-references/cluster-template-reference?view=cyclecloud-8
Configure Azure CycleCloud cluster configuration objects https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/cluster-references/configuration-reference?view=cyclecloud-8
Define environment objects in CycleCloud cluster templates https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/cluster-references/environment-reference?view=cyclecloud-8
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
Configure network-interface objects in Azure CycleCloud templates https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/cluster-references/network-interface-reference?view=cyclecloud-8
Configure nodes and nodearrays in Azure CycleCloud templates https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/cluster-references/node-nodearray-reference?view=cyclecloud-8
Use NodeRef objects in CycleCloud cluster templates https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/cluster-references/noderef-reference?view=cyclecloud-8
Configure parameters in Azure CycleCloud cluster templates https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/cluster-references/parameter-reference?view=cyclecloud-8
Apply special parameter parsing in Azure CycleCloud https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/cluster-references/special-parsing?view=cyclecloud-8
Define and configure volume objects in Azure CycleCloud templates https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/cluster-references/volume-reference?view=cyclecloud-8
Configure Azure CycleCloud service monitoring integrations https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/concepts/monitoring?view=cyclecloud-8
Configure CycleServer via cycle_server.properties https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/cycleserver-configuration-reference?view=cyclecloud-8
Configure CycleCloud node events and Event Grid https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/events?view=cyclecloud-8
Configure Azure managed disks in CycleCloud nodes https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/add-disk?view=cyclecloud-8
Configure node arrays for Azure CycleCloud clusters https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/add-node-array?view=cyclecloud-8
Configure backup and restore for Azure CycleCloud https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/backup-and-restore?view=cyclecloud-8
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
Use cloud-init to customize CycleCloud VMs on boot https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/cloud-init?view=cyclecloud-8
Define and customize Azure CycleCloud cluster templates https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/cluster-templates?view=cyclecloud-8
Configure Azure networking for CycleCloud deployments https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/configuration?view=cyclecloud-8
Configure autoscaling for Azure CycleCloud clusters https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/configure-autoscaling?view=cyclecloud-8
Use custom and marketplace images in CycleCloud clusters https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/create-custom-image?view=cyclecloud-8
Create and export NFS file shares in CycleCloud https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/create-fileserver?view=cyclecloud-8
Configure Azure CycleCloud environment resources via ARM https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/environments?view=cyclecloud-8
Configure Flex VM scale sets in Azure CycleCloud https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/flex-scalesets?view=cyclecloud-8
Install and configure the Azure CycleCloud CLI https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/install-cyclecloud-cli?view=cyclecloud-8
Manually install Jetpack on CycleCloud-managed VMs https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/install-jetpack?view=cyclecloud-8
Manually install and configure Azure CycleCloud https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/install-manual?view=cyclecloud-8
Configure keep-alive settings for Azure CycleCloud nodes https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/keep-alive?view=cyclecloud-8
Configure alerts and logging for Azure CycleCloud clusters https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/monitor-clusters?view=cyclecloud-8
Configure volume mountpoints in Azure CycleCloud templates https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/mount-disk?view=cyclecloud-8
Configure NFS mounts and shares in Azure CycleCloud https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/mount-fileserver?view=cyclecloud-8
Configure multiple Azure CycleCloud instances on one host https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/multiple-installs?view=cyclecloud-8
Customize network security settings for Azure CycleCloud nodes https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/network-security?view=cyclecloud-8
Define and use projects and specs in Azure CycleCloud https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/projects?view=cyclecloud-8
Configure return proxy nodes for Azure CycleCloud clusters https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/return-proxy?view=cyclecloud-8
Configure web proxy settings for Azure CycleCloud traffic https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/running-behind-proxy?view=cyclecloud-8
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
Configure Azure Scheduled Events handling in CycleCloud nodes https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/scheduled-events?view=cyclecloud-8
Configure project and user blob storage in Azure CycleCloud https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/storage-blobs?view=cyclecloud-8
Use and understand Azure CycleCloud node tagging https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/tag-nodes?view=cyclecloud-8
Customize Azure CycleCloud UI theming with CSS https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/theming?view=cyclecloud-8
Configure CycleCloud nodes with Jetpack https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/jetpack?view=cyclecloud-8

Integrations & Coding Patterns

Topic URL
Use Azure CycleCloud REST API endpoints https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/api?view=cyclecloud-8
Manage Azure CycleCloud with CLI commands https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/cli?view=cyclecloud-8
Author Chef cookbooks for CycleCloud clusters https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/cookbook-reference?view=cyclecloud-8
Configure Grid Engine clusters in CycleCloud https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/gridengine?view=cyclecloud-8
Configure Open OnDemand with CycleCloud Slurm clusters https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/ccws/configure-open-ondemand?view=cyclecloud-8
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
Integrate Azure CycleCloud events with Event Grid https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/event-grid?view=cyclecloud-8
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
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
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
Configure Microsoft HPC Pack with CycleCloud https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/hpcpack?view=cyclecloud-8
Integrate HTCondor scheduler with CycleCloud https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/htcondor?view=cyclecloud-8
Connect IBM Spectrum LSF to CycleCloud https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/lsf?view=cyclecloud-8
Integrate OpenPBS scheduler with CycleCloud https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/openpbs?view=cyclecloud-8
Install and use CycleCloud Python API https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/python-api?view=cyclecloud-8
Configure CycleCloud Slurm integration v3.0+ https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/slurm-3?view=cyclecloud-8
Enable Slurm scheduler on CycleCloud clusters https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/slurm?view=cyclecloud-8

Deployment

Topic URL
Download and import CycleCloud cluster templates https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/download-cluster-templates?view=cyclecloud-8
Deploy CycleCloud Workspace for Slurm using CLI https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/ccws/deploy-with-cli?view=cyclecloud-8
Deploy Azure CycleCloud using ARM templates https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/install-arm?view=cyclecloud-8
Move Azure CycleCloud cluster resources between resource groups https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/move-resource-group?view=cyclecloud-8
Plan a production-grade Azure CycleCloud deployment https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/plan-prod-deployment?view=cyclecloud-8
Run Azure CycleCloud in Azure Container Instances https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/run-in-container?view=cyclecloud-8
Upgrade or migrate Azure CycleCloud installations safely https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/upgrade-and-migrate?view=cyclecloud-8