How to Use This Runbook

DOCUMENT CATEGORY: Runbook SCOPE: Implementation options and configuration PURPOSE: Guide users through deployment approach selection MASTER REFERENCE: Microsoft Learn - Deploy Azure Local

Status: Active

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This document provides detailed provisioning instructions with tabbed execution options for each step. Choose the option that best fits your environment and expertise.

Understanding the Execution Options

Each task page uses tabs so you can switch between methods without scrolling. Not every task supports all options — only genuinely applicable methods are shown.

Option	Best For	You Will Need
Manual (Azure Portal, on-site, vendor UI)	Learning, single deployments, visual preference, physical tasks	Web browser / physical access / vendor UI
Direct Script (On Node)	Direct console/RDP access to nodes	PowerShell on target nodes, variables.yml, helpers
Orchestrated Script (Mgmt Server)	Managing from jump box, multiple nodes	Management server, PSRemoting, variables.yml, helpers
Standalone Script (Copy-Paste)	Sharing externally, demos, one-off runs	PowerShell only — no config file, no helpers needed

⚡ Looking for full automation (IaC/CI/CD)?

The fully automated deployment instructions (Terraform, Bicep, Ansible, CI/CD pipelines) are documented separately in the Automation section. Use that guide for pipeline-driven, repeatable deployments.

Configuration File: variables.yml

All scripts and procedures now reference values from a single variables.yml configuration file. Before starting:

1. Copy the template: variables.example.yml → variables.yml
2. Edit values to match your environment:

• Azure tenant and subscription IDs
• Resource group names
• Network configuration
• Tags and naming conventions

3. Store secrets in Key Vault (do not put secrets directly in YAML):

# Variable placeholder — replace {{platform.kv_platform_name}} with your Key Vault name
credentials:
 local_admin:
 password: "keyvault://{{platform.kv_platform_name}}/local-admin-password"

# Example: Infinite azurelocal Corp
credentials:
 local_admin:
 password: "keyvault://kv-iic-platform/local-admin-password"

📋 Configuration Reference: See Scripting Framework for complete variables.yml structure and variable path conventions.

Execution Workflow

1. Review Stage Details — Understand objectives and tasks
2. Select your tab for each step (Manual, Direct, Orchestrated, or Standalone)
3. Complete the step following that tab's procedure
4. Validate using the verification steps provided
5. Proceed to next step

You can mix options throughout the runbook (e.g., use Portal for some steps, scripts for others). Your tab selection persists across pages.

Script Language Support

Primary Documentation: PowerShell with Azure PowerShell modules (Az.*)

Alternative Implementations Available: For each documented script, the following variants exist in the scripts/ directory:

Variant	Naming Pattern	Example	Description
PowerShell + Az Modules	Verb-AzResource.ps1	New-AzKeyVault.ps1	Primary. Uses Azure PowerShell modules (Connect-AzAccount, New-AzResourceGroup, etc.)
PowerShell + Azure CLI	.azcli.ps1	Register-ResourceProviders.azcli.ps1	PowerShell script using Azure CLI commands (az login, az group create, etc.)
Bash + Azure CLI	az-verb-resource.sh	az-create-vnet.sh	Bash script using Azure CLI commands
Standalone (no config)	Verb-Noun-Standalone.ps1	New-AzKeyVault-Standalone.ps1	Self-contained script with inline variables — no external dependencies
Orchestrated (remote)	Invoke-{VerbNoun}.ps1	Invoke-DeployCluster.ps1	Runs from management server via PSRemoting — reads variables.yml

Note: This runbook documents PowerShell with Azure PowerShell modules as the primary language due to widespread familiarity and cross-platform support (PowerShell 7+). Alternative implementations follow the same logic and variable paths.

Authentication

Before running any scripts or accessing Azure resources, you must authenticate to Azure. This runbook assumes manual authentication for each session.

Authentication Options:

• Authentication Methods - Manual authentication scripts for PowerShell, Azure CLI, and Bash.
• Appendix C: Authentication & Session Setup - Detailed authentication details and troubleshooting.

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Navigation

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Purpose and Scope	Implementation Guide	Key Inputs and Variables

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Version Control

• Created: 2026-01-15 by Azure Local Cloudnology Team
• Last Updated: 2026-03-02 by Azure Local Cloudnology Team
• Version: 2.0.0
• Tags: azure-local, runbook-usage, execution-options
• Keywords: how to use, execution options, deployment approaches
• Author: Azure Local Cloudnology Team