### Introducing Graceful Node Shutdown (Alpha)

The `GracefulNodeShutdown` feature is now in Alpha. This allows kubelet to be aware of node system shutdowns, enabling graceful termination of pods during a system shutdown. This feature can be [enabled through feature gate](https://docs.k8s.io/concepts/architecture/nodes/#graceful-node-shutdown).

### Runtime log sanitation

#### **Audit**

*   Fixed a bug so that `kube-apiserver` now waits for open connections to finish before exiting. This fix provides graceful shutdown and ensures that the audit backend no longer drops events on shutdown. ([#53695](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/53695),[ @hzxuzhonghu](https://github.com/hzxuzhonghu))

### SIG OpenStack

- Openstack now supports the node shutdown taint. The taint is added when an instance is shutdown in openstack. ([#67982](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/67982), [@zetaab](https://github.com/zetaab))

### SIG Scheduling

- Kubelet Graceful Node Shutdown feature graduates to Beta and enabled by default. ([#99735](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/99735), [@bobbypage](https://github.com/bobbypage))

- Fix /readyz to return error immediately after a shutdown is initiated, before the --shutdown-delay-duration has elapsed. ([#88911](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/88911), [@tkashem](https://github.com/tkashem)) [SIG API Machinery]

      threadAboutToBlockForRefresh.set(Thread.currentThread());
      assertThat(cache.getOrLoad("test")).isEqualTo("testReload");
    } finally {
      refreshExecutor.shutdown();
    }
  }

  public void testSetRemovalListener() {
    RemovalListener<Object, Object> testListener = TestingRemovalListeners.nullRemovalListener();
    LocalCache<Object, Object> map =

* Do not remove shutdown nodes from api-server for vSphere. ([#70291](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/70291), [@gnufied](https://github.com/gnufied))
    * Fixes volume detach from shutdown nodes.

  the change pods which use RestartPolicy=Always may end up in the Succeeded phase in two scenarios: pod 
  deletion and graceful node shutdown. ([#115331](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/115331), [@mimowo](https://github.com/mimowo)) [SIG Cloud Provider, Node and Testing]

    connection.withLock {
      if (!connection.isHealthy(System.nanoTime())) {
        throw ConnectionShutdownException()
      }
    }
    connection.writePing()
    connection.shutdown(ErrorCode.PROTOCOL_ERROR)
    assertThat(connection.openStreamCount()).isEqualTo(1)
    connection.awaitPong() // Prevent the peer from exiting prematurely.

    // Verify the peer received what was expected.

* advanced audit: shutdown batching audit webhook gracefully ([#50577](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/50577), [@crassirostris](https://github.com/crassirostris))
* Add Priority admission controller for monitoring and resolving PriorityClasses. ([#49322](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/49322), [@bsalamat](https://github.com/bsalamat))