This topic explains how to deploy Dell HCI Configuration Profile (HCP) policies in Azure Arc from Windows Admin Center to monitor the compliance of Azure Stack HCI clusters.
- Cluster must be Dell Integrated System for Microsoft Azure Stack HCI, version 23H2.
- OMIWAC premium license must be installed on each cluster node.
- The target servers that you want to manage must have Internet connectivity to access Azure.
- Deploying Azure policies requires that you have administrator rights on the target Windows machine or server to install and configure the agent. Also, you must be a member of the Gateway users role.
- Azure Stack HCI Cluster and WAC gateway must be registered into Azure and use the same account to sign in with resource group edit right. For more information about Azure registration, see Register Windows Admin Center with Azure.
- In all cluster nodes, ensure that all RDMA enabled network adapters are connected to the same NIC ports as recommended by Dell.
Azure Arc is one of the primary management tools for managing resources at cloud and hybrid platforms. Dell Technologies recommends using Dell HCP policies in Azure Arc to maintain compliance with Dell Technologies recommended configurations throughout the life cycle of the Azure Stack HCI cluster/host. By using OpenManage Integration in Microsoft Windows Admin Center, you can deploy Dell HCP policies to Azure Arc. And then use these policies in Azure Arc to monitor your cluster. In addition, if multiple clusters are onboarded under the same Azure subscription, you can use the same policy to manage and monitor multiple clusters in the Azure Arc.
Perform the following steps to deploy Dell HCP policies to Azure Arc.
- Sign in to Windows Admin Center.
- From the All connections page, select a cluster to connect to it.
- From the left-hand pane, under Extensions, click .
- Click Sign In. A sign-in window opens to let you sign into the Azure account. Specify your Azure subscription account details.
When finished, the button shows as Signed-in.
- In the Onboarding Checklist section, OpenManage Integration extension verifies and displays the list of prerequisites and shows recommendations if prerequisites are not met.
- Click Show Details to see the list of prerequisites, status, and recommendations if prerequisites do not match. You cannot move to the next step until all the prerequisites match.
- Click Refresh Checklist to see the prerequisites with updated status.
- In the Onboard Policies section:
- Click View Subcription Details to see the Azure account subscription details.
- To edit network topology and deployment model settings, click Edit Cluster Settings, specify the details, and click Save to save the settings for future use.
- If policies are not onboarded to Azure Arc, click Onboard Policies to see the details of applicable Dell HCP policies for onboard and go to the next step.
- If policies are already onboarded to Azure Arc, click View Details to see the details about already onboarded policies. To export the onboarded policies in a CSV format, click Export Details.
- Onboard Dell HCI Configuration Profile policies for Azure window appears on the right side showing the available policies for onboarding or updating. It also shows the version of the previously onboarded policy, if any. All the mandatory policies are selected by default and you cannot change it. You can clear the optional policies, if any. To onboard or update the onboarded policies, click Onboard.
- After the policies are onboarded, next to the Onboard Policies button, the policy onboarding status appears. Click View Details to see the Policy Onboarding Status page that displays the status of each policy that was onboarded to the Azure Arc.
- To export the onboarded policies in a CSV format, click Export Details.
- After the policies are successfully onboarded, to monitor your cluster using Dell HCP policies, log in to Azure portal (Azure Arc) using the same subscription account. Click the Resource Groups to find the resources you want to manage (Go to step 6 to find the resource group in the view subscription details).
Cluster node details are displayed.
- To check the cluster compliance, click Policies under Settings.
The
Policy page displays the cluster compliance and lists all the applicable policies including the default policies.
Note: Ignore the policy details of the Dell Exempted Policy as it only helps in tracking policy versions of onboarded Dell HCP policies and it does not impact cluster performance or compliance.
- In the Search box, enter Dell to find the policies that are onboarded from the OpenManage Integration extension. Select a policy to have a deeper look at the compliance for that particular policy. For more information about viewing compliance data in Azure portal, see Microsoft Azure Policy documentation.