chore: remove windows annual VHD build inputs

[aboodasfari]

Summary

• Remove WS23H2 / Windows Annual VHD build entries from Windows settings
• Remove WS23H2-specific cached components
• Remove 23H2 Windows VHD build parameters/stages from PR and release pipelines
• Add a Windows VHD config guard to prevent retired Windows Annual build inputs from being reintroduced

Validation

• bash .pipelines/scripts/validate-no-windows-annual-vhd-build.sh
• python3 -m json.tool vhdbuilder/packer/windows/windows_settings.json
• python3 -m json.tool parts/common/components.json

[Copilot]

Pull request overview

This PR removes Windows Server 23H2 (“Windows Annual”) VHD build inputs from the Windows VHD builder configuration and Azure DevOps pipelines, and introduces a validation guard to prevent those retired inputs from being reintroduced.

Changes:

• Removed WS23H2 base version entries and WS23H2-specific registry key overrides from windows_settings.json.
• Removed WS23H2-specific cached component entries from parts/common/components.json.
• Removed WS23H2 build parameters/stages from Windows PR/release pipelines and added a validation stage that enforces the retirement policy.

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 6 out of 6 changed files in this pull request and generated 1 comment.

Show a summary per file

File	Description
vhdbuilder/packer/windows/windows_settings.json	Drops WS23H2 base image definitions and WS23H2-specific registry key overrides.
parts/common/components.json	Removes WS23H2-specific cached container/OCI entries.
.pipelines/templates/.build-and-test-windows-vhds-template.yaml	Removes WS23H2 build parameters/stages; adds a config validation stage.
.pipelines/scripts/validate-no-windows-annual-vhd-build.sh	New guard script that fails builds if WS23H2 build inputs/tokens are detected in key configs/pipelines.
.pipelines/.vsts-vhd-builder-release-windows.yaml	Removes WS23H2 parameters wiring into the shared build template.
.pipelines/.vsts-vhd-builder-pr-windows.yaml	Removes WS23H2 as a default PR-build target.

[aboodasfari]

@microsoft-github-policy-service agree company="Microsoft"

[Copilot]

Pull request overview

Copilot reviewed 6 out of 6 changed files in this pull request and generated 1 comment.

[Copilot]

Pull request overview

Copilot reviewed 8 out of 8 changed files in this pull request and generated 1 comment.

[Copilot]

Pull request overview

Copilot reviewed 11 out of 11 changed files in this pull request and generated 2 comments.

[timmy-wright]

You can remove this file - no need to a test that we don't produce it anymore! The rest of the PR is good.

[Copilot]

Pull request overview

Copilot reviewed 10 out of 10 changed files in this pull request and generated no new comments.

Comments suppressed due to low confidence (1)

.pipelines/templates/.build-and-test-windows-vhds-template.yaml:13

• PR description/validation references bash .pipelines/scripts/validate-no-windows-annual-vhd-build.sh, but that script is not present in the repo and this template does not run such a guard step. Either add the missing script and invoke it early in the pipeline (e.g., before VHD build stages), or update the PR description/validation steps so they match what’s actually in-tree.

parameters:
  - name: build2022containerd
    displayName: Build 2022 containerd
    type: boolean
  - name: build2022containerdgen2
    displayName: Build 2022 containerd Gen 2
    type: boolean
  - name: build2025
    displayName: Build 2025
    type: boolean
  - name: build2025gen2
    displayName: Build 2025 Gen 2
    type: boolean