At some point in the future, one or more AKS-HCI workload clusters may begin to saturate the ASHCLUSTER resources like processor, memory, and storage. We primarily use Windows Admin Center to monitor the resource utilization at this layer. If we must expand the Azure Stack HCI cluster, we can use the Dell EMC OpenManage Integration with Microsoft Windows Admin Center cluster expansion feature. This feature helps simplify the cluster expansion process by preparing new cluster nodes before adding them to the cluster.
This preparation includes the following checks:
In the lab, we did not have a fifth AX-740xd node available to expand our cluster. However, we tested the process on another cluster, bdc-ax6515clu.test.lab, which was running three AX-6515 nodes. Before attempting to add one more node to the cluster, we completed the following tasks:
The following figure shows the first step in the workflow, which involved the high-level compatibility, license availability, and HCI Configuration Profile checks.
Figure 35. Expand cluster completed checks
The following figure shows the tests performed during the HCI Configuration Profile check.
Figure 36. Dell EMC HCI Configuration Profile tests
We generated a compliance report comparing the BIOS, firmware, and driver levels with the Dell Technologies solution catalog validated for Azure Stack HCI. The following figure shows that the existing bdc-ax6515clu cluster nodes were fully compliant with the offline solution catalog. However, the new ax6515rn3 node was non-compliant.
Figure 37. New node showing not compliant
We reviewed which components required updating by clicking View Details. To remediate the non-compliant components, we clicked Finish.
Figure 38. Remediation successful on new node
We were confident that the ax6515rn3 node could be added to the cluster. The remaining steps to add the node to the cluster were found in the HCI Operations Guide (under Expanding the Azure Stack HCI cluster). Many variables can affect the time that is required to perform this expansion procedure:
Note: To go through the Cluster Expansion process, see the Interactive Demo: OpenManage Integrations with Microsoft Windows Admin Center.