Version: Next

Azure Local Documentation

DOCUMENT CATEGORY: Reference SCOPE: Complete Azure Local solution documentation PURPOSE: Standardized deployment of Azure Local infrastructure MASTER REFERENCE: Microsoft Learn - Azure Local

Status: Active | Last Updated: 2025-01-30

Welcome to the Azure Local Cloud documentation site — your comprehensive guide to planning, deploying, and operating Azure Local (formerly Azure Stack HCI) infrastructure.

Quick Start

Step	Action	Section
1	Review planning requirements	Planning & Discovery
2	Review solution design	Design
3	Set up CI/CD infrastructure	CI/CD Infrastructure
4	Deploy Azure foundation	Azure Foundation
5	Prepare on-premises environment	On-Prem Readiness
6	Deploy the cluster	Cluster Deployment
7	Configure operational foundations	Operational Foundations
8	Test and validate	Testing & Validation
9	Complete handover	Go Live

Overview

Azure Local is a standardized, automation-first solution for deploying Azure Local (formerly Azure Stack HCI) infrastructure. It is designed around a Two-Repo Architecture that separates the automation logic from the documentation, ensuring portable and repeatable deployments across different customer environments.

This documentation serves as the "Master Reference" for the solution, while the accompanying Toolkit Repository (azurelocal-toolkit) contains the actual scripts, templates, and configuration files used during deployment.

Prerequisites Checklist

Before starting an Azure Local deployment, ensure you have:

Requirement	Description
Azure Subscription	Active Azure subscription with Owner or Contributor rights
Entra ID Access	Global Administrator or Privileged Role Administrator
Network Connectivity	VPN or ExpressRoute to on-premises environment
Hardware	Azure Local validated nodes racked and powered
Credentials	Access to BMC/iDRAC, network switches, and firewalls
GitHub Access	Source control account with repository access

See Prerequisites & Assumptions for complete details.

System Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ TWO-REPO ARCHITECTURE                                               │
├─────────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────────┤
│ DOCUMENTATION REPO          │ TOOLKIT REPO                          │
│ (This Site)                 │ (azurelocal-toolkit)                  │
├─────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────────────────┤
│ • High-Level Design (HLD)   │ • PowerShell Scripts                  │
│ • Low-Level Design (LLD)    │ • Ansible Playbooks                   │
│ • Standard Operating Procs  │ • Bicep/Terraform Templates           │
│ • Runbooks & Procedures     │ • CI/CD Pipeline Definitions          │
│ • Reference Documentation   │ • Customer Configuration Files        │
└─────────────────────────────┴───────────────────────────────────────┘

The Toolkit Repo is cloned and instanced for each customer deployment, while this documentation remains the single source of truth for procedures.

Documentation Sections

Section	Description	Status	Files
Design	High-level and low-level design documents	Draft	3
Planning & Discovery	Site assessment, requirements, discovery sessions	Active	8
Implementation	Complete deployment runbook (Parts 1-8)	Active	149
Automation	IaC templates, CI/CD pipelines	Draft	7
Operations	Day-2 operations, monitoring, support	Draft	8
Azure Services	Running Azure services on Azure Local	Active	—
Lab Environment	Lab access and configuration	Draft	3
Assets	Diagrams, scripts, configurations	Active	6
Reference	External links and resources	Draft	1

Deployment Stages at a Glance

The implementation is divided into 8 parts with phased tasks:

Part 1: CI/CD Infrastructure

Phase	Name	Est. Time	Link
1	CI/CD Setup	45 min	Phase 1

Part 2: Azure Cloud Foundation

Phase	Name	Est. Time	Link
1	Landing Zones	1 hour	Phase 1
2	Resource Providers	15 min	Phase 2
3	RBAC Permissions	30 min	Phase 3
4	Azure Management Infrastructure	2 hours	Phase 4
5	Identity & Access Management	1 hour	Phase 5

Part 3: On-Premises Readiness

Phase	Name	Est. Time	Link
1	Active Directory Preparation	1 hour	Phase 1
2	Enterprise Network Readiness Validation	2 hours	Phase 2
3	Network Infrastructure Configuration	2 hours	Phase 3

Part 4: Cluster Deployment

Phase	Name	Est. Time	Link
1	Hardware Provisioning & BIOS/iDRAC	1 hour	Phase 1
2	OS Installation	2 hours	Phase 2
3	OS Configuration	1 hour	Phase 3
4	Arc Registration	30 min	Phase 4
5	Cluster Deployment	2 hours	Phase 5
6	Post-Deployment Configuration	1 hour	Phase 6

Part 5: Operational Foundations

Phase	Name	Est. Time	Link
1	SDN Integration (Optional)	2 hours	Phase 1
2	Monitoring & Observability	1 hour	Phase 2
3	Backup & DR	1 hour	Phase 3
4	Security & Governance	1 hour	Phase 4
5	Licensing & Telemetry	30 min	Phase 5

Part 6: Cluster Testing & Validation

Activity	Est. Time	Link
Infrastructure Health Validation	2 hours	Testing

Part 7: Validation & Handover

Activity	Est. Time	Link
Delivery Confirmation	1 hour	Validation
Cluster Handover	2 hours	Handover

Part 8: Lifecycle Operations

Activity	Est. Time	Link
Client Training & Handover	—	Training
CMDB Creation	—	CMDB
Deprovision Steps	—	Deprovision

Total Estimated Time: 20-24 hours (spread across multiple days)

Key Capabilities

Capability	Description
Part-Based Deployment	Infrastructure delivery broken into 8 parts with phased tasks
Validation First	Pre-flight checks and post-deployment validation scripts
Infrastructure as Code	Bicep and Terraform for Azure resource management
Vendor Integration	Standardized workflows for supported hardware vendors
CI/CD Automation	CI/CD pipelines for automated deployments
Drift Detection	Continuous monitoring for configuration drift

Version History

Version	Date	Changes
1.0.0	2025-01-30	Rebrand to Azure Local, remove legacy content
0.2.0	2025-01-30	Standards compliance update, documentation restructure
0.1.0	2025-01-01	Initial documentation structure

Support & Resources

Repositories

Repository	Description	Link
Documentation	This site	GitHub
Toolkit	Scripts, templates, pipelines	GitHub

External Resources

Resource	Link
Microsoft Learn - Azure Local	Documentation
Azure Local Catalog	Validated Hardware
Azure Arc	Documentation

Quick Start​

Overview​

Prerequisites Checklist​

System Architecture​

Documentation Sections​

Deployment Stages at a Glance​

Part 1: CI/CD Infrastructure​

Part 2: Azure Cloud Foundation​

Part 3: On-Premises Readiness​

Part 4: Cluster Deployment​

Part 5: Operational Foundations​

Part 6: Cluster Testing & Validation​

Part 7: Validation & Handover​

Part 8: Lifecycle Operations​

Key Capabilities​

Version History​

Support & Resources​

Repositories​

External Resources​

Browse Documentation​