Update 2.1.x release branch for 2.1.1
This PR cherry picks the changes from the following PRs onto the release/2.1.x branch to finalise the 2.1.1 release:
- #1403
- #1409
- #1410
- #1412
- #1414
- #1417
- #1420
- #1421
This PR cherry picks the changes from the following PRs onto the release/2.1.x branch to finalise the 2.1.1 release: