Task 09: Disable Unused Network Adapters

DOCUMENT CATEGORY: Runbook SCOPE: Disable network adapters not used for management to prevent configuration iss... PURPOSE: Disable network adapters not used for management to prevent configuration issues during cluster deployment MASTER REFERENCE: Azure Local Network Adapter Requirements

Status: Active

Overview

Disable network adapters that are not connected. Only the management adapter needs to remain enabled at this stage. Compute and storage adapters are configured later in Phase 16.

Do not disable the management adapter

Verify which adapter is your active management connection before running. Disabling the wrong adapter requires console access to recover.

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Prerequisites

Requirement	Details
Tasks 01–08 complete	OS configured, ICMP enabled
Management adapter identified	Know which NIC is your active connection

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Variables from variables.yml

Path	Type	Description
cluster_nodes[].management_ip	string	PSRemoting target IP (orchestrated mode)
cluster.management_nic_name	string	Adapter name to preserve (do not disable)

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Execution Options

Direct (On Node)

Run on each node individually via console, KVM, or RDP.

Toolkit script: scripts/deploy/04-cluster-deployment/phase-03-os-configuration/task-09-disable-unused-network-adapters/powershell/Disable-UnusedAdapters.ps1

# Task 09 - Disable Unused Network Adapters
# No variables required - targets all adapters with Status = Disconnected

Get-NetAdapter | Format-Table Name, Status, LinkSpeed -AutoSize

Get-NetAdapter | Where-Object { $_.Status -eq "Disconnected" } | Disable-NetAdapter -Confirm:$false

Get-NetAdapter | Format-Table Name, Status, LinkSpeed -AutoSize

Orchestrated Script

Run from the management server against all nodes.

Toolkit script: scripts/deploy/04-cluster-deployment/phase-03-os-configuration/task-09-disable-unused-network-adapters/powershell/Invoke-DisableAdapters-Orchestrated.ps1

# Task 09 - Disable Unused Network Adapters (orchestrated, all nodes)
# variables.yml variables:
# cluster_nodes[].management_ip -> $ServerList

$ConfigPath = "$env:USERPROFILE\variables.yml"
$ServerList = (Get-Content $ConfigPath | Select-String 'management_ip:\s+"?([^"'' ]+)' |
 ForEach-Object { $_.Matches[0].Groups[1].Value.Trim() })

Invoke-Command ($ServerList) {
 Get-NetAdapter | Where-Object { $_.Status -eq "Disconnected" } | Disable-NetAdapter -Confirm:$false
 Get-NetAdapter | Format-Table Name, Status, LinkSpeed -AutoSize
} | Sort -Property PsComputerName

Standalone Script

When to use: Use this option for a self-contained deployment without a shared configuration file.

Script: See azurelocal-toolkit → scripts/deploy/ for the standalone script for this task.

Content Pending

Standalone script content references the toolkit repository. See the Orchestrated Script tab for the primary implementation.

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Validation

# Confirm no Disconnected adapters remain enabled
Get-NetAdapter | Format-Table Name, Status, LinkSpeed -AutoSize

Expected: Only the management adapter shows Up. All others show Disabled.

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Validation Checklist

• Management adapter remains Up on all nodes
• All unused adapters show Disabled
• Nodes still accessible over management network

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Troubleshooting

Issue	Resolution
Lost connectivity after running	Re-enable the adapter from console: Enable-NetAdapter -Name "<name>"
Adapter won't disable	Check for active sessions on that adapter

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Alternatives

The procedures in this task use the scripted methods shown in the tabs above. Additional deployment methods including Azure CLI and Bash scripts are available in the azurelocal-toolkit repository under scripts/deploy/.

Method	Description
Azure CLI	PowerShell-based Azure CLI scripts for Azure resource operations
Bash	Linux/macOS compatible shell scripts for pipeline environments

Navigation

← Task 08: Enable ICMP · ↑ Phase 03 · Task 10: Configure Hostname →

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Version Control

Version	Date	Author	Changes
1.0.0	2025-03-25	Azure Local Cloud	Initial release