The audience for this document includes systems engineers, field consultants, partner engineering team members, and customers with knowledge about deploying hyperconverged infrastructures (HCIs) with Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2019, the Azure Stack HCI operating system, Hyper-V, and Storage Spaces Direct. Customers who do not have Volume License agreements with Microsoft can order AX nodes from Dell Technologies with a factory-installed operating system and OEM license or as a bare metal installation.
The Azure Stack HCI cluster can be deployed in either of the following ways:
- Dell EMC Services led—Certified deployment engineers ensure accuracy, speed, and reduced risk and downtime.
- Customer led—Customers who have the qualified level of technical expertise follow the instructions in this guide.
- Windows Admin Center—Deployment services engineers or customers perform the Azure Stack HCI solution deployment using Windows Admin Center. For more information, see the Creating a Microsoft Azure Stack HCI cluster using Windows Admin Center Deployment Guide.
- The generally available (GA) operating system build of Windows Server 2016 with the latest applicable updates
- The Windows Server 2019 GA build with the latest operating system updates
- The GA operating system build of the Azure Stack HCI operating system with the latest cumulative update
Assumptions
This guide assumes that deployment personnel understand the following concepts and tasks:
- AX nodes from Dell Technologies
- Deploying and configuring BIOS and integrated Dell Remote Access Controller (iDRAC) settings
- Deploying and configuring Windows Server core operating system Hyper-V infrastructure