Microsoft Azure Linux 4.0 Released as Standalone ISO
Microsoft has released Azure Linux 4.0 as a standalone ISO image, allowing enterprises to install the Linux distribution on their own servers or virtual machines outside of the Azure cloud environment.
Azure Linux is Microsoft's server Linux distribution, originally developed as part of the CBL-Mariner (Common Base Linux) project. The distribution has been available to Azure cloud customers, but this release marks the first time it can be freely downloaded and deployed on-premises.
The move signals Microsoft's continued investment in open-source technologies and provides organizations with an additional option for enterprise Linux deployments. Azure Linux is optimized for Microsoft's cloud infrastructure but can now serve as a general-purpose server operating system for organizations that prefer to evaluate it before committing to cloud-based deployments.