Cristian Schmitt Nieto

Azure Consultant with over 10 years of IT experience, sharing insights and solutions here 😊

AzSHCI - Azure Stack HCI Deployment Scripts


Welcome to AzSHCI—your comprehensive set of PowerShell scripts to deploy, configure, and manage Azure Local for testing, lab, or proof-of-concept scenarios. This repository brings together multiple scripts, each with its own purpose and structure, allowing you to spin up a fully functioning Azure Stack HCI environment quickly.

For a deeper walk-through and best practices, check out the blog post: schmitt-nieto.com/blog/azure-stack-hci-demolab/

Repository Structure

AzSHCI/
├── scripts/
│   ├── 01Lab/
│   │   ├── 00_Infra_AzHCI.ps1
│   │   ├── 01_DC.ps1
│   │   ├── 02_Cluster.ps1
│   │   ├── 03_TroubleshootingExtensions.ps1
│   │   ├── 99_Offboarding.ps1
│   ├── 02Day2/
│   │   ├── 10_StartStopAzSHCI.ps1
│   │   ├── 11_ImageBuilderAzSHCI.ps1
│   └── 03VMDeployment/
│       ├── 20_SSHRDPArcVM.ps1
├── README.md
└── LICENSE

Each folder under scripts/ is dedicated to a specific lifecycle phase of your Azure Stack HCI environment:

  • 01Lab: Infrastructure setup, cluster creation, domain configuration, and environment cleanup.
  • 02Day2: Day-two operations (e.g., start/stop routines, image import/build).
  • 03VMDeployment: Scripts related to deploying and managing VMs (including SSH connectivity and Azure Arc integration).

Detailed Script Breakdown

01Lab

  1. 00_Infra_AzHCI.ps1
    • Provisions virtual switches, NAT networking, and folder structures.
    • Creates the Azure Stack HCI Node VM and the Domain Controller VM.
    • Ensures TPM checks and Hyper-V prerequisites are met.
  2. 01_DC.ps1
    • Configures the Domain Controller VM: network settings, time zone, Active Directory installation, and DNS setup.
    • Creates foundational OUs and prepares AD for Azure Stack HCI.
  3. 02_Cluster.ps1
    • Renames and reconfigures the Node VM.
    • Installs Windows features needed for clustering and Arc integration.
    • Registers the node with Azure Arc for management.
  4. 03_TroubleshootingExtensions.ps1
    • Manages Azure Connected Machine (Arc) extensions for your Azure Stack HCI environment.
    • Removes failed extensions, reinstalls them, and ensures required extensions are present.
  5. 99_Offboarding.ps1
    • Cleans up the entire lab environment by removing VMs, NAT settings, virtual switches, and associated folder structures.

02Day2

  1. 10_StartStopAzSHCI.ps1
    • A simple script to stop or start your entire Azure Stack HCI lab environment in an orderly sequence.
    • Ensures the Domain Controller is turned on or off before the Node, and gracefully shuts down cluster services.
  2. 11_ImageBuilderAzSHCI.ps1
    • Automates downloading official Azure VM images (Windows or Linux) and storing them in your Azure Stack HCI environment.
    • Uses AzCopy for high-speed transfers, converts the retrieved VHD into VHDX, and optimizes it for deployment.

03VMDeployment

  1. 20_SSHRDPArcVM.ps1
    • Searches for Azure Arc-connected VMs in a specified resource group.
    • Validates the presence of SSH extensions and, if necessary, installs them.
    • Initiates an SSH connection to your Arc-enabled VMs, enabling RDP tunneling or direct SSH.

Prerequisites

Hardware

  • TPM Chip: Required for VM-based security features (vTPM, Key Protector).
  • Hyper-V Capable Processor: Essential for nested virtualization.
  • Minimum 32 GB RAM (64 GB or more recommended for advanced scenarios).
  • Sufficient Disk Space for VM data and ISO files.

Software

  • Active Azure Subscription to register the node(s) with Azure Arc and deploy HCI.
  • Windows Server 2025 Evaluation ISO (or later), placed in C:\ISO\WS2025.iso.
  • Azure Stack HCI OS ISO, placed in C:\ISO\HCI23H2.iso.
  • PowerShell running with administrative privileges and Execution Policy set to RemoteSigned or Bypass.

Usage

  1. Clone the Repository 
    git clone https://github.com/schmittnieto/AzSHCI.git
  2. Navigate to the Scripts Directory 
    cd AzSHCI/scripts/01Lab
  3. Set the Execution Policy (If needed) 
    Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser
  4. Edit Script Variables
    • Update credentials: $defaultUser, $defaultPwd in each script if you use different local admin accounts.
    • Place your ISO images in C:\ISO\ or modify the paths in the scripts accordingly.
  5. Run the Scripts in Order 
    .\00_Infra_AzHCI.ps1      # Creates infrastructure, Node VM, DC VM
.\01_DC.ps1               # Configures Domain Controller
.\02_Cluster.ps1          # Sets up the cluster node & Arc registration
.\03_TroubleshootingExtensions.ps1  # Optional troubleshooting
# Use .\99_Offboarding.ps1 when you want to remove everything

Day-2 Operations

  • Start/Stop: 
    .\scripts\02Day2\10_StartStopAzSHCI.ps1

    Ensures an orderly start or shutdown of your environment.

  • Image Building: 
    .\scripts\02Day2\11_ImageBuilderAzSHCI.ps1

    Pulls images from Azure, converts them, and stores them as VHDX for local deployment.

VM Deployment & Arc Integration

  • SSH or RDP to Arc VMs: 
    .\scripts\03VMDeployment\20_SSHRDPArcVM.ps1

    Ensures the SSH extension is present on your Arc VMs and then establishes a secure connection.

Advanced Features & Roadmap

  • Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) on Azure Stack HCI: Planned integration scripts for a hybrid K8s setup.
  • Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD): Future templates to deploy AVD in conjunction with Azure Stack HCI.
  • Azure Arc Enhancements: Extended support for policy, monitoring, and DevOps pipelines.

Stay tuned for additional automation scripts and integration points!

Contributing

We welcome all contributors—your insights, bug fixes, and feature requests are invaluable. Feel free to:

  • Fork the repository and make pull requests.
  • Open issues for suggestions or bugs.
  • Contact us directly if you have specialized requirements or questions.

License

This project is under the MIT License. Refer to the license file for usage details.

Contact & Further Information

Thank you for using AzSHCI! We hope these scripts accelerate your Azure Stack HCI journey.