These instructions are for manual deployment of the Windows Server 2016 or Windows Server 2019 operating system on Dell EMC AX nodes. Unless otherwise specified, perform the steps on each physical node in the infrastructure that will be a part of Azure Stack HCI.

Note: The steps in the subsequent sections are applicable to either the full operating system or Server Core.

Note: The command output that is shown in the subsequent sections might show only Mellanox ConnectX-4 LX adapters as physical adapters. The output is shown only as an example.

Note:  For the PowerShell commands in this section and subsequent sections that require a network adapter name, run the Get-NetAdapter cmdlet to retrieve the correct value for the associated physical network port. The network adapter names that are used in the commands are shown only as examples; they might not represent the correct naming convention for the adapters in your system.

Manual operating system deployment

Dell Lifecycle Controller and integrated Dell Remote Access Controller (iDRAC) provide options for operating system deployment. Options include manual installation or unattended installation by using virtual media and the operating system deployment feature in Lifecycle Controller.

The step-by-step procedure for deploying the operating system is not within the scope of this guide.

The remainder of this guide assumes that:

• Windows Server 2016 or Windows Server 2019 Datacenter operating system or Server Core installation on the physical server is complete.
• You have access to the iDRAC virtual console of the physical server.

Factory-installed operating system deployment

If the cluster nodes are shipped from Dell with a preinstalled operating system, complete the out-of-box experience (OOBE):

• Select language and locale settings.
• Accept the Microsoft and OEM EULAs.
• Set up a password for the local administrator account.
• Update the operating system partition size, and shrink it as needed.

The OEM operating system is preactivated, and the Hyper-V role is predeployed. After completing the OOBE steps, perform the steps in Installing roles and features to complete the cluster deployment and Storage Spaces Direct configuration.