Deployment Guide

Solution Deployment

Topics:

• Introduction to solution deployment

• Deployment prerequisites

• Predeployment configuration

• Operating system deployment

• Installing roles and features

• Verifying firmware and software compliance with the support matrix

• Updating out-of-box drivers

• Changing the hostname

• Configuring host networking

• Joining cluster nodes to an Active Directory domain

• Deploying and configuring a host cluster

• Best practices and recommendations

• Recommended next steps

• Deployment services

Introduction to solution deployment

Dell EMC Solutions for Azure Stack HCI can be deployed in either of the following ways:

• Manual operating system deployment—Begin by manually installing the operating system on AX nodes.

• Factory-installed operating system deployment—Begin with AX nodes that have factory-installed Windows Server 2016 or Windows

Server 2019. For factory-installed operating systems, only the Windows Server 2016 or Windows Server 2019 operating system with

Desktop Experience is available. Core edition is not available as a factory-installed operating system.

Each deployment method has prerequisites, including configuring network switches, as described in this guide.

NOTE:

Instructions in this deployment guide are applicable only to:

• Windows Server 2016 generally available (GA) build with the latest applicable updates

• Windows Server 2019 GA build

These instructions are not validated with Windows Server version 1709. Dell EMC AX nodes do not support the Windows

Server Semi-Annual Channel release. Dell recommends that you update the host operating system with the latest

cumulative updates from Microsoft before starting the cluster creation and configuration tasks.

NOTE: Each task in this deployment guide requires running one or more PowerShell commands. Dell recommends using

these commands to complete the deployment tasks because the UI might not work as expected in some scenarios. For

example, the cluster validation UI wizard within the Failover Cluster Manager fails intermittently due to a known issue in

the Microsoft code.

Deployment prerequisites

Dell assumes that the management services that are required for the operating system deployment and cluster configuration are in the

existing infrastructure where the Azure Stack HCI cluster is being deployed.

The following table describes the management services:

Table 2. Management services

Management service Purpose Required/optional

Active Directory User authentication Required

10 Solution Deployment