Provider has begun exploratory work around having a “cloud provider” e2e test suite which can be used to test common cloud provider functionalities with resources such as nodes and load balancers.

We are also continuing our long running effort to extract all the existing cloud providers that live in k8s.io/kubernetes into their own respective repos. Along with this migration, we are slowly transitioning users to use the cloud-controller-manager for any cloud provider features instead of...

  // +optional
  optional string value = 3;

  // Effect indicates the taint effect to match. Empty means match all taint effects.
  // When specified, allowed values are NoSchedule, PreferNoSchedule and NoExecute.
  // +optional
  optional string effect = 4;

  // TolerationSeconds represents the period of time the toleration (which must be
  // of effect NoExecute, otherwise this field is ignored) tolerates the taint. By default,

- Fixed a bug in the single-numa-policy of the TopologyManager. Previously, best-effort pods would result in a terminated state with a TopologyAffinity error. Now they will run as expected. ([#83777](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/83777), [@lmdaly](https://github.com/lmdaly))

### Structured Logging in Kubelet

Kubelet has adopted structured logging, thanks to community effort in accomplishing this within the release timeline. Structured logging in the project remains an ongoing effort -- for folks interested in participating, [keep an eye / chime in to the mailing list discussion](https://groups.google.com/g/kubernetes-dev/c/y4WIw-ntUR8).

  - labels/annotations that are consumed by any cloud specific controllers

In addition to the above, SIG Cloud Provider has been focusing on a long running effort to remove cloud provider code from kubernetes/kubernetes.

### SIG-cluster-lifecycle

  
  With this patch, the external provisioner can remove the finalizer in next reconcile loop. Unfortunately if the provious existing pv has the Failed state, this patch won't take effort. It requires users to remove finalizer. ([#126043](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/126043), [@carlory](https://github.com/carlory)) [SIG Apps and Storage]

### Scheduling

- Tolerations with the same key and effect will be merged into one that has the value of the latest toleration for best effort pods. ([#75985](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/75985), [@ravisantoshgudimetla](https://github.com/ravisantoshgudimetla))

  
  With this patch, the external provisioner can remove the finalizer in next reconcile loop. Unfortunately if the provious existing pv has the Failed state, this patch won't take effort. It requires users to remove finalizer. ([#125767](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/125767), [@carlory](https://github.com/carlory)) [SIG Apps and Storage]

  
  With this patch, the external provisioner can remove the finalizer in next reconcile loop. Unfortunately if the provious existing pv has the Failed state, this patch won't take effort. It requires users to remove finalizer. ([#126045](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/126045), [@carlory](https://github.com/carlory)) [SIG Apps and Storage]

  - Include taints by condition when determining if a node is unready/still starting
  - Fix `update-vendor.sh` to work on OSX and zsh
  - Add best-effort eviction for DaemonSet pods while scaling down non-empty nodes
  - Add build support for ARM64
  
  ### AliCloud
  - Add missing daemonsets and replicasets to ALI example cluster role