Azure nodes in a VMSS node pool start but do not enter the Ready state

Eyal Gonen 20 Reputation points
2025-06-30T05:09:18.44+00:00

Hi experts,

I have deployed an AKS cluster with 3 node pools. One of them is a D8s V6 based node pool with minimum=0 and maximum=3 machines. The node pool Autoscaling Status in AKS reports it is "Scaling Up" with 2 Target nodes but it reports 0 in the Ready nodes column and because of this the pods in AKS are all stuck in the Pending state as they do not have a VM to execute on. After a few minutes the Target nodes also drops also to 0 and the Autoscaling Status shows "-".

At the beginning I had a quota issue with these DSV6 instance but I increased the maximum quota to 50.

Please help.

Azure Virtual Machine Scale Sets
Azure Virtual Machine Scale Sets
Azure compute resources that are used to create and manage groups of heterogeneous load-balanced virtual machines.
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  1. SUNOJ KUMAR YELURU 15,496 Reputation points MVP
    2025-06-30T05:47:19.1066667+00:00

    Hello @Eyal Gonen

    The AKS node pool is failing to scale up despite an increased quota, resulting in pods stuck in a Pending state. The issue likely stems from a persistent quota problem, incorrect virtual network configuration, or other constraints preventing the nodes from becoming ready.

    Reason 1: Quota Issues: Even though you increased the quota, it's possible the quota increase hasn't fully propagated across all Azure regions or resource providers. It's also possible that another resource is consuming the quota you expect to be available.

    Reason 2: Virtual Network and Subnet Configuration: The AKS cluster's virtual network and subnet might not be configured correctly to allow the new nodes to join. This could include insufficient IP addresses in the subnet, Network Security Group (NSG) rules blocking necessary traffic, or User Defined Routes (UDRs) misdirecting traffic.

    Reason 3: AKS Configuration Issues: There might be configuration issues within the AKS cluster itself, such as incorrect node pool settings, taints or labels preventing pod scheduling, or problems with the AKS control plane.

    Reason 4: Azure Policy Constraints: Azure Policies applied to the subscription or resource group could be preventing the creation of the nodes. These policies might restrict the types of VMs that can be deployed, the regions where they can be deployed, or other aspects of the deployment.


    If this answers your query, do click Accept Answer and Up-Vote for the same. And, if you have any further query do let us know.

    1 person found this answer helpful.

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