azure-cyclecloud - SKILL.md Agent Skill

name: azure-cyclecloud description: Expert knowledge for Azure CycleCloud development including troubleshooting, best practices, decision making, architecture & design patterns, security, configuration, integrations & coding patterns, and deployment. Use when automating CycleCloud via REST/CLI, integrating Slurm, tuning HB/HC VMs, securing SSL/auth, or planning Spot VM use, and other Azure CycleCloud related development tasks. Not for Azure Batch (use azure-batch), Azure HPC Cache (use azure-hpc-cache), Azure Virtual Machines (use azure-virtual-machines), Azure Virtual Machine Scale Sets (use azure-vm-scalesets). compatibility: Requires network access. Uses mcp_microsoftdocs:microsoft_docs_fetch or fetch_webpage to retrieve documentation. metadata: generated_at: "2026-06-21" generator: "docs2skills/1.0.0"

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-L42	Diagnosing and fixing CycleCloud server, cluster, and node startup errors, understanding common error messages, and finding relevant server/node log files for troubleshooting.
Best Practices	L43-L47	Guidance for configuring and tuning Azure HB/HC-series HPC VMs in CycleCloud, including networking, storage, MPI, BIOS, and performance best practices.
Decision Making	L48-L55	Guidance on choosing VM placement and availability sets, using custom images, planning migration from CycleCloud 7, and deciding when/how to use Spot VMs for clusters.
Architecture & Design Patterns	L56-L60	Architectural guidance for designing, deploying, and operating resilient, scalable multi‑region Azure CycleCloud HPC clusters and managing workloads across regions.
Security	L61-L74	Securing CycleCloud: SSL, auth (Entra, service principals, managed identities), SSH/Bastion access, SELinux, and best‑practice hardening for clusters and the web portal.
Configuration	L75-L122	Designing and tuning CycleCloud clusters: template structure, nodes, networking, storage, autoscaling, security, monitoring, and server/CLI installation and configuration
Integrations & Coding Patterns	L123-L143	Using CycleCloud programmatically (REST, CLI, Python), integrating schedulers (Slurm, Grid Engine, HTCondor, OpenPBS, LSF, HPC Pack), and wiring up monitoring, events, and shared storage.
Deployment	L144-L154	Planning, deploying, upgrading, and moving Azure CycleCloud environments and Slurm workspaces, including ARM/CLI setups, container-based runs, and safe migration of cluster resources.

Troubleshooting

Topic	URL
Interpret and resolve common Azure CycleCloud error messages	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/error-messages?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 server and node log files	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/log-locations?view=cyclecloud-8

Best Practices

Topic	URL
Apply HB/HC VM best practices in Azure CycleCloud	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/hb-hc-best-practices?view=cyclecloud-8

Decision Making

Topic	URL
Choose VM placement models and availability sets in CycleCloud	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/availability-sets?view=cyclecloud-8
Select and configure custom images for CycleCloud clusters	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/create-custom-image?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

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

Security

Topic	URL
Apply security best practices for Azure CycleCloud deployments	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/concepts/security-best-practices?view=cyclecloud-8
SSH to CycleCloud login nodes via Azure Bastion	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/ccws/connect-to-login-node-with-bastion?view=cyclecloud-8
Access the CycleCloud portal securely through 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 cycle_server.properties for Azure CycleCloud	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/cycleserver-configuration-reference?view=cyclecloud-8
Configure CycleCloud node events and Event Grid routing	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/events?view=cyclecloud-8
Configure Azure CycleCloud managed disk volumes	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/add-disk?view=cyclecloud-8
Configure node arrays and scaling behavior in CycleCloud	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/add-node-array?view=cyclecloud-8
Backup and restore Azure CycleCloud application data	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/backup-and-restore?view=cyclecloud-8
Use cloud-init scripts in Azure CycleCloud templates	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 clusters	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/configuration?view=cyclecloud-8
Configure autoscaling policies for Azure CycleCloud clusters	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/configure-autoscaling?view=cyclecloud-8
Configure SSH/RDP access to Azure CycleCloud nodes	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/connect-to-node?view=cyclecloud-8
Configure environment resources with ARM in CycleCloud	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/environments?view=cyclecloud-8
Configure VMSS Flex orchestration in Azure CycleCloud	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/flex-scalesets?view=cyclecloud-8
Configure VM health checks and remediation in CycleCloud	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/healthcheck?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 Azure CycleCloud VMs	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/install-jetpack?view=cyclecloud-8
Manually install and configure Azure CycleCloud server	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 Jetpack for Azure CycleCloud cluster nodes	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/jetpack?view=cyclecloud-8

Integrations & Coding Patterns

Topic	URL
Call Azure CycleCloud REST API operations and resources	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/api?view=cyclecloud-8
Manage Azure CycleCloud with the CLI commands	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/cli?view=cyclecloud-8
Author and use Chef cookbooks in Azure CycleCloud	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/cookbook-reference?view=cyclecloud-8
Set up Grid Engine scheduler integration in CycleCloud	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/gridengine?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
Configure Open OnDemand for CycleCloud Slurm clusters	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/ccws/configure-open-ondemand?view=cyclecloud-8
Create a simple NFS file server for CycleCloud clusters	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/create-fileserver?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
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 integration with CycleCloud	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/hpcpack?view=cyclecloud-8
Configure HTCondor scheduler clusters in Azure CycleCloud	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/htcondor?view=cyclecloud-8
Connect IBM Spectrum LSF to Azure CycleCloud	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/lsf?view=cyclecloud-8
Configure OpenPBS scheduler clusters in Azure CycleCloud	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/openpbs?view=cyclecloud-8
Use the Azure CycleCloud Python API client	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/python-api?view=cyclecloud-8
Use Slurm 3.0+ features in Azure CycleCloud	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/slurm-3?view=cyclecloud-8
Integrate Slurm scheduler with Azure CycleCloud clusters	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/slurm?view=cyclecloud-8

Deployment

Topic	URL
Download and import CycleCloud cluster projects and templates	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/download-cluster-templates?view=cyclecloud-8
Deploy CycleCloud Workspace for Slurm using Azure CLI	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cyclecloud/how-to/ccws/deploy-with-cli?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
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