GeoNetwork should not format the 'catalogue-data' folder after a restart. You may want to check your mountPath and Storage Class definition.
Azure Storage Class is defined asIn your case, you defined two "volumeMounts". The second section will overwrite the first one. So your "/catalogue-data" is always a local drive.
...
provisioner: disk.csi.azure.com
parameters:
skuname: StandardSSD_LRS
reclaimPolicy: Delete
allowVolumeExpansionvolumeMounts: true
volumeBindingMode: WaitForFirstConsumer
1)deploy in AKS 2)check the mount and create a new directory
jing@l-jing-2:~$ kubectl exec -it geonetwork-8589fd8fb7-j256r -n
geonetwork-ns -- sh
$ findmnt | grepmountPath: "catalogue-data"
├─/catalogue-data /dev/sdh[/gn]
ext4 name: rw,relatimegeonetwork
$ cd /catalogue-data
$ ls
resources
$ mkdir aaaaa
$ exit
3)restart pod, check
jing@l-jing-2:~$#### kubectlvolumeMounts: rollout### restartThis deploymentline geonetworkshould -nbe geonetwork-ns
deploymentremoved.apps/geonetwork restarted
jing@l-jing-2:~$ kubectl exec -it geonetwork-699b5b4574-z62hk -n
geonetwork-ns -- sh
$ findmnt | grep "catalogue-data"
├─/catalogue-data mountPath: /dev/sdh[/gn]
metadata-import
ext4 rw,relatime
$ cdname: /cataloguegeonetwork-data
$ ls
aaaaa resourcesmetafileshare
looks like the volume was retained.