Introduction
This page presents a set of web-based calculators built to estimate key metrics within an Azure Local environment. These tools are custom-made and designed for storage planning, infrastructure cost estimation and license impact assessment.
While the calculators have been thoroughly tested, they are provided as-is and without any warranties. If you notice any inconsistencies or potential issues, I would greatly appreciate your feedback 🤗 feel free to get in touch!
These tools are intended to supplement the official Microsoft Azure Local Sizer, which is currently still in Preview. The Sizer offers a helpful approximation of how the final solution might look once deployed, and this calculator set aims to provide deeper visibility into specific resource planning areas.
More insights on planning, sizing, and migration strategies will be shared in my upcoming blog post: “Planning, Sizing and Migration for Azure Local”.
Azure Local Calculator
Azure Local Calculator is a GitHub-based repository offering a collection of interactive calculators focused on the Azure Local with emphasis on Storage, CPU (working on it) and Pricing estimations.
The source code for the calculators is available on GitHub, but the calculators themselves can be used interactively right here on this page.
The storage configuration used in the calculator is based on the Express mode. While I acknowledge that this is not the most efficient setup in terms of capacity optimization, it serves well as a first approximation to get a general understanding of the storage architecture.
If you aim to implement more advanced storage configurations, you will likely need to customize the deployment by manually configuring storage to suit your needs, and in those cases, you probably already have an Excel sheet from your vendor or internal team that provides more accurate figures than what this calculator is designed to offer. For this reason, configurations other than Two-Way and Three-Way Mirror have been intentionally excluded from the scope.
Storage Calculator
Redundancy Disclaimer: When using 1 or 2 nodes, S2D employs two-way mirror redundancy. When using 3 or more nodes, three-way mirror redundancy is used. For a single-node configuration, no storage network is required ( Optional – this pattern doesn't require a storage network ). We assume that in this case a local mirror is used to avoid data loss in case of disk failure.
Reserved Capacity Disclaimer: For multi-node configurations, the calculation reserves capacity equivalent to one disk per node (i.e. Reserved Capacity = Number of Nodes × Capacity per Disk) to ensure there is sufficient unallocated space for repairs after a disk failure. For a single-node configuration, no reserved capacity is applied.
NVMe & Performance Disclaimer: In Azure Local, NVMe drives are used as both cache and capacity. For optimal performance, RDMA must be used. Increasing the number of NVMe drives per node enhances IOPS and throughput via parallelism, but it also requires proper RDMA network configuration to avoid potential bottlenecks.
Capacity Efficiency Factor: The specified capacity of an NVMe is typically higher than the usable capacity due to OS overhead, overprovisioning, spare sectors, and recovery partitions. In this calculator, a capacity efficiency factor (default 92%) is applied to convert the specified capacity to usable capacity. This value can be increased to 100% if you wish to use the full specified capacity.
Storage Configuration Disclaimer: Storage is configured in Azure Local using the configurationMode parameter (
Documentation
). By default, this mode is set to Express and storage is configured as per best practices based on the number of nodes in the cluster. Allowed values are 'Express', 'InfraOnly', and 'KeepStorage'. However, the exact best practices cannot be verified, and therefore the calculator assumes the reserved capacity as described.
Volume Assignment Disclaimer: During cloud deployment, the assignment of volumes within the storage pool (named SU1_Pool) is automated. This includes a fixed 250 GB (Infrastructure_1) volume for the ARC Resource Bridge and AKS images, a 20 GB (ClusterPerformanceHistory) volume for cluster statistics, and the remaining usable capacity (minus an extra 7 GB) is divided equally among UserStorage volumes (one per node). These values are approximate and subject to change based on deployment specifics.
Pricing Calculator
Infrastructure Price
License Price
Related Licenses/Cost (e.g. third‑party SW or extra HW)
Azure Local services Price
Disclaimer for Pricing Calculator:
This Pricing Calculator is provided for informational purposes only and includes:
- Infrastructure Price: Node and switch costs (one‑time).
- License Price: Host fee (€10/core), Windows Server fee (€23.30/core) – or, if using custom pricing, a monthly cost per node plus a one‑time cost per node for Datacenter licenses.
- Related Costs: Additional one‑time and monthly costs for external services (e.g., Backup, security software, etc.).
- Service Price: Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) and SQL Managed Instance (SQLmi) usage costs (monthly).
Hybrid Benefit Disclaimer:
The Azure Local Host fee (€10/core) and Windows Server fee (€23.30/core) can be waived if you qualify for Azure Hybrid Benefit under an Enterprise Agreement (EA) or a Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) subscription. MPSA or OEM + SA is not supported, and Hybrid Benefit is not defined for Open Value. Consult the
Microsoft Azure Product Terms (EA/CSP),
Microsoft Product Terms for Windows Server (EA/CSP), and
Azure Hybrid Benefit for Windows Server
for specifics. Product Terms override general documentation.
Windows Server License Disclaimer:
By default, a Windows Server guest fee of €23.30/core/month is applied unless waived or supplemented by custom pricing. For custom pricing, you can enter a monthly cost per node plus a one‑time cost per node for Datacenter licenses. Confirm eligibility and final costs with your licensing provider.
Third‑Party License Disclaimer:
This calculator includes fields for additional one‑time and monthly third‑party costs (e.g., Backup, security software, etc.). These values are illustrative; actual third‑party costs depend on vendor quotes and licensing agreements.
AVD and SQLmi Disclaimer:
Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) costs are estimated at €0.01 per vCPU per hour. SQL Managed Instance (SQLmi) pricing depends on tier (General Purpose or Business Critical), licensing model (License Included or Azure Hybrid Benefit), and reservation term (PAYG, 1 Year RI, or 3 Year RI). These calculations are illustrative. For more information on Azure Arc–enabled data services, please visit Azure Arc Data Services Pricing. Always refer to official Microsoft documentation for up-to-date pricing.
No Warranty:
All information in this Pricing Calculator is provided “as is” with no warranties, express or implied. It does not represent official Microsoft documentation. Always verify your specific agreements, product terms, and quotes for accurate pricing and licensing details.
Contributors
-
Florian Hildesheim
Contributed insights and reference values for the Storage Calculator.
LinkedIn -
Karl Wester-Ebbinghaus
Provided valuable feedback and data for the Pricing Calculator and early CPU modeling discussions.
LinkedIn
The Storage Calculator is inspired by Cosmos Darwin’s work on the S2D Calculator.
LinkedIn – Cosmos Darwin
- Cristian Schmitt Nieto
Author of the calculators and blog.
LinkedIn
General Disclaimer
-
Unofficial:
These calculators are community-built tools and do not represent official Microsoft products or documentation. -
No Endorsement:
They are provided as reference material only and do not imply endorsement of any architectural decision. -
Provided “AS IS”:
All code and tools are provided with no warranties, either express or implied. -
No Standard Support:
These tools are not covered by any Microsoft support program. -
Use at Your Own Risk:
It is your responsibility to validate and test the results for your specific environment. -
Limitation of Liability:
Neither the author(s) nor Microsoft will be liable for any damages resulting from the use of these tools, including (but not limited to) loss of business, profits or data.