MANA support for Existing VM SKUs:Why Now Is the Right Time to Update Linux on your SAP on Azure VMs

Microsoft Azure Network Adapter (MANA) support for existing VM SKUs 

Microsoft recently announced support for Microsoft Azure Network Adapter (MANA) for existing VM SKUs. You can read the full announcement here . This article provides information about which existing Azure VM SKUs are eligible to run on MANA-capable hardware. 

This approach enables continued use of familiar VM SKUs, while benefiting from newer underlying platform capabilities. It also provides a transition path rather than forcing immediate infrastructure changes. 

M-series VMs are a popular choice for many SAP customers. The Mv3 family also runs on MANA capable hardware. Also, recently the Mv2 High Memory family was enabled to run on MANA-capable hardware.   

Staying Current Matters 

Many SAP on Azure environments today run on Linux distributions and service packs (SPs) that remain supported by SUSE and RedHat .  

That said, support status is not the same as optimal readiness for Microsoft Azure Network Adapter (MANA). 

Updating to the latest patch level for a Linux service pack, categorized by Microsoft as supported for MANA, brings tangible benefits for SAP workloads, including: 

• Improved compatibility with newer Azure platform features, including MANA 

• Access to performance optimizations and networking enhancements 

• Ongoing security and reliability improvements 

• Reduced operational risk as the platform continues to modernize 

For SAP systems that are expected to run for many years, staying current helps ensure that infrastructure changes remain predictable rather than disruptive.  

To understand more about the considerations around running existing VM SKUs on MANA capable hardware, review this article: Microsoft Azure Network Adapter (MANA) support for existing VM Sizes. 

We highly recommend updating VMs, running SAP workloads to a Linux kernel supporting MANA : Linux VMs with the Microsoft Azure Network Adapter. You can see the translation to Linux SPs here: Azure Accelerated Networking Overview and Benefits

Use the Opt-Out Period for existing VM  SKUs Strategically

As part of this transition, customers have access to a temporary opt-out for VM SKUs, as explained in  Temporary MANA Exception with LegacyVMNVA. It is important to note the published deadlines for applying the exception tag, as well as the point after which the tag will no longer be honored. Note that this opt-out exception tag is not applicable for M-series VM SKUs.   

This is not just a safety net – it is a time limited opportunity. We strongly encourage SAP on Azure customers to use this time to: 

• Plan and validate Linux SP upgrades in non‑production systems 

• Align OS updates with existing SAP maintenance windows 

• Reduce future urgency by upgrading on your timeline, not in reaction to a deadline 

Proactively updating during the opt-out period allows teams to move deliberately, test thoroughly, and minimize risk to Production SAP systems.