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Tech Book—Dell Integrated System For Microsoft Azure Stack HCI
Preface Business Transformation and Data Center Modernization Evolution of Data Centers to HCI and Hybrid Cloud A Closer Look at Microsoft Azure Stack HCI Azure Stack HCI Architecture and Building Blocks Dell Integrated System for Microsoft Azure Stack HCI Portfolio – AX Nodes Networking Topologies for Azure Stack HCI Solutions Stretch Clustering with Azure Stack HCI
Stretch Clustering with Azure Stack HCI
Azure Stack HCI stretch clustering
Comparison of traditional and stretched clusters
Business continuity planning
Stretch clustering topology
Servers Storage pools Volumes Setup configuration Preferred site configuration Affinity and anti-affinity VMs Cloud witness
Azure Stack HCI stretch clustering scenarios and concepts
Active/passive setup Active/Active Synchronous replication Asynchronous replication
Stretch clustering best practices with Azure Stack HCI
Validated network topology
Basic configuration High throughput configuration Server and site affinity rules for VMs
Managing the Hybrid Cloud Sizing and Configuration Best Practices Dell Support and Services Conclusion Additional Resources

Azure Stack HCI stretch clustering

Home > Integrated Products > Microsoft HCI Solutions from Dell Technologies > Guides 22H2 and earlier > Tech Book—Dell Integrated System For Microsoft Azure Stack HCI > Azure Stack HCI stretch clustering

Azure Stack HCI stretch clustering



  • As organizations modernize their infrastructure and application architectures, they rely more heavily on the digital assets that support their business operations. Because these workloads and data form the lifeblood of businesses, a flexible and robust DR solution is crucial.

    Resiliency has become the watchword for organizations facing an array of threats, in the form of natural disasters, major IT failures, or cyberattacks. A Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (BCDR) plan ensures an organization`s ability to remain operational after an adverse event has occurred. However, implementing a DR solution can be costly, complex, and time consuming to design and maintain. It also taxes already-strained IT staff and budgets. In addition, aging infrastructure often requires manual intervention during a DR scenario, which can be error-prone and can lead to unacceptable recovery time objectives (RTOs) and recovery point objectives (RPOs).

    Dell Integrated System for Microsoft Azure Stack HCI addresses these challenges by providing a native DR solution through automated failovers to restore production quickly without manual intervention.

    Figure 41. Stretch cluster in Azure Stack HCI


    Grouping two or more servers in a single failover domain forms a cluster. By contrast, a stretched cluster is formed by extending the connectivity of servers to two different failover domains at multiple sites. This enables system administrators to increase resiliency for their IT infrastructure.

    The following figure shows a stretch cluster that is implemented with servers in New York City and London. Both sites are connected to each other over the network. If one site fails, all the workloads automatically fail over to the secondary site, ensuring business continuity. This failover occurs without the need for an IT administrator to take action.

    Figure 42. Business continuity with Azure Stack HCI clusters


    Azure Stack HCI features integrate stretch clustering capabilities that use storage replica for volume replication. Stretch clustering enables organizations to split a single HCI cluster across two locations that might be in different rooms or buildings, cities, or even different geographical regions for DR.