Pre-Discovery Planning

DOCUMENT CATEGORY: Runbook SCOPE: Pre-discovery alignment and preparation PURPOSE: Prepare deployment teams for discovery sessions MASTER REFERENCE: Microsoft Learn - Azure Local Planning

Status: Active

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Before beginning discovery workshops, deployment teams must align internally on standards, requirements, and technical approach to ensure consistent and successful Azure Local deployments.

Internal Alignment Meeting

Before beginning workshops, deployment teams must align on standards, requirements, and approach.

Meeting Participants

• Sales Engineer (Lead): Technical requirements and sizing
• Solution Architect: Design standards and architecture patterns
• Implementation Engineer: Deployment considerations
• Network Engineer: Network design and VLAN allocation
• deployment team Representative: Azure resource planning
• Project Manager: Timeline and resource coordination

Meeting Agenda Items

1. Review Deployment Scope and Constraints

• Deployment specifications and requirements
• SLA requirements and service levels
• Budget constraints and optimization opportunities
• Timeline expectations and milestones

2. Establish Naming Standards

Standard Naming Convention Planning:
├── Organization Short Name: [lowercase, hyphens]
├── Environment Tags: prod, dev, test, dr
├── Region Codes: eus (East US), scus (South Central US)
├── Resource Type Identifiers:
│   ├── Cluster Nodes: {customer}AX01, {customer}AX02
│   ├── Resource Groups: rg-{customer}-azlocal-{env}-{region}
│   ├── Virtual Networks: vnet-{customer}-{env}-{region}
│   ├── Storage Accounts: st{customer}azlocal{env}
│   └── Key Vaults: kv-{customer}-{env}-{region}

3. Network Architecture Planning

Network Component	Standard Allocation	Site Specific	Notes
Management VLAN	100-199 range	TBD	Site preference
Storage VLAN 1	711 (default)	TBD	Can be customized
Storage VLAN 2	712 (default)	TBD	Can be customized
VM Network VLANs	200-299 range	TBD	Application specific
Backup VLAN	300-399 range	TBD	If segregated
Management IP Range	/24 minimum	TBD	6+ IPs required
VM Network IP Ranges	Based on sizing	TBD	Growth considered

4. Azure Resource Planning

• Subscription model (single vs. multi-subscription)
• Resource group structure and governance
• Azure region selection and compliance
• Cost estimation and optimization strategies

Technical Standards Review

Infrastructure Standards Documentation

Dell Hardware Configuration Standards

• AX node model selection criteria
• Memory and storage configuration patterns
• Network adapter assignments
• BIOS/firmware baseline versions

Azure Local Build Standards

• Current supported build: 2601 (Windows Server 2025 foundation)
• Dell Gold Image: 2510 (updates to 2601 during Arc registration)
• OS Version: 26100.1742 for new deployments
• Dell Solution Version: 12.2510.0.3165
• Solution Builder Extension: 4.2.2512.1616
• Upgrade path planning for existing 2506 deployments (OS version 26100.x)
• Feature enablement decisions including new SDN preview features
• Enhanced security baseline configuration (407 evaluated rules)

Operational Standards

• Monitoring and alerting thresholds
• Backup schedules and retention
• Patching windows and maintenance schedules
• Change management procedures

Pre-Discovery Checklist

Information to Gather Before Discovery Meeting

• Environment Background Research:

• Industry vertical and compliance requirements

• Current infrastructure platform (VMware, Hyper-V, etc.)

• Known pain points and drivers for Azure Local

• Previous deployments and infrastructure relationships

• Technical Preparation:

• Discovery workbook templates prepared

• Network design templates ready

• Sizing calculators updated

• Migration tool licenses available

• Documentation Preparation:

• Deployment-specific document templates

• Naming convention proposals

• Network allocation proposals

• Sample architecture diagrams