Deployment Guide
Table Of Contents
- Microsoft HCI Solutions from Dell Technologies Deployment Guide
- Contents
- Introduction
- Solution Overview
- Solution Deployment
- 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
- References
- Appendix A: Persistent Memory for Windows Server HCI
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
Microsoft HCI Solutions from Dell Technologies 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 2019
with the Desktop Experience feature or the Azure Stack HCI operating system. The core edition is not available as a
factory-installed operating system for Windows Server 2019.
Each deployment method has its own 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
● Azure Stack HCI operating system
AX nodes from Dell Technologies do not support the Windows Server Semi-Annual Channel release. Dell Technologies
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 Technologies
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 Technologies 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:
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12 Solution Deployment