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. 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 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. 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.
Interactive 3D Charts
The charts of all three calculators are 3D and built into each calculator, without external libraries. Hover or tap a slice or bar to see its value and share, click a legend entry to hide or show that part, drag to rotate the view and double-click to reset it. With the keyboard, focus a chart with Tab and read each value with the arrow keys. Every value is also listed in the legend or in the Full Overview table.
Import from ODIN
All three calculators include an Import from ODIN button that loads a configuration exported from ODIN for Azure Local. Both the Sizer “Export JSON” file and the Designer “Export Configuration” file are supported, for every cluster type ODIN offers: Single Node, Hyperconverged, Rack Aware, Disaggregated Storage and Disconnected Operations. The file is read locally in your browser and is never uploaded. After the import, the calculator fills in the matching fields, recalculates and shows a summary of what was applied and what could not be mapped.
You only need to import once. The configuration is applied to all three calculators on this page at the same time and stays available until you close the browser tab, so reloading the page keeps your design.
| Calculator | Fields imported from ODIN |
|---|---|
| CPU | Cluster type, total workload vCPUs including future growth (the fixed control plane appliance for an ALDO management cluster), vCPU to core ratio, node count, sockets, management overhead per node (the ODIN host core reservation) and the ODIN CPU as a selectable model |
| Storage | Deployment type, node count, capacity drives per node and drive size, resiliency (Simple, two-way, three-way or four-way mirror) and target effective storage from the workload total including future growth. Disaggregated designs get the SAN capacity plan with Fibre Channel or iSCSI |
| Pricing | Deployment model (L1, L2 or L3), node count, physical cores per node (the management cluster fields for an ALDO management cluster design), switch count and AVD vCPUs (not for L3) |
The switch count follows the ODIN Sizer network model: 2 ToR switches and 1 BMC switch per rack, 2 racks for Rack Aware, a single BMC switch for Single Node. Disaggregated Storage adds FC and spine switches on top. The Simple and Four-Way Mirror options only appear in the Storage Calculator when the imported design uses them.
Prices for nodes, switches and related costs are not part of ODIN exports and must be entered manually. Tiered ODIN layouts are imported as their capacity drives only. The Storage Calculator caps imports at 16 nodes (64 for disaggregated) and 24 drives per node. ODIN exports have no SAN vendor, so choose it after the import.
Disconnected Operations and External SAN
The calculators also cover the two deployment types that change the sizing the most: the dedicated management cluster of disconnected operations (ALDO) and external SAN storage.
| Calculator | Disconnected operations (ALDO) | External SAN |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Cluster type for the management cluster: the fixed control plane appliance (24 vCPUs), at least 24 physical cores per node, a host reservation of at least 20% of the cores and 3 nodes for production. Only catalog systems with the Disconnected operations capability are offered | Disaggregated cluster type with up to 64 nodes and only the catalog systems that support this architecture |
| Storage | Checks the standard (6 drives) or datacenter (8 drives) configuration with drives of at least 2 TB and reserves the 2 TB infrastructure volume of disconnected operations | Hyperconverged with external SAN or disaggregated: supported arrays, Fibre Channel or iSCSI host requirements, one LUN per CSV and the physical array capacity after free space headroom and data reduction |
| Pricing | L3 adds the nodes and cores of the management cluster because they are billed too. AVD is not available with disconnected operations | Both SAN variants use the L2 host fee. The SAN System section adds the array price and its monthly support |
The Storage and Pricing Calculators stay in sync. When you change the deployment type in the Storage Calculator, the Pricing Calculator switches to the matching model (hyperconverged with external SAN to L2, disaggregated to L2 disaggregated, the ALDO management cluster to L3) and the other way around. Every SAN plan of the Storage Calculator also fills in the vendor and the physical capacity of the SAN System section.
Microsoft does not publish the L3 price, so enter your quote in the Pricing Calculator. External SAN storage requires Azure Local 2604 or later. See Supported SAN solutions on Azure Local and Dedicated management cluster for disconnected operations.
CPU
The CPU Calculator sizes the physical cores for a virtual workload in two directions: from a node count to a recommended CPU, or from a CPU model to the number of nodes you need.
- Node Type: the systems listed as “Current (2026 or later)” in the Azure Local solutions catalog. Once you select one, the calculator only offers the CPU models that system can use (same generation, a cores per socket option the catalog lists and support for the selected sockets) and sizes the cluster with a real CPU instead of a theoretical core count.
- CPU Recommendations: the recommended CPU is highlighted. Click any other card, including a smaller one, to size the cluster with it. When the CPU is too small, the charts show the missing cores of each node.
- Cluster Type: hyperconverged, disaggregated with external SAN storage or the management cluster of disconnected operations.
- Results and charts recalculate when you change the node type, the CPU or any input.
Virtual Workloads
CPU Ratio and Overhead
Cluster Settings
Calculation Mode
Choose your starting point: either specify how many nodes you have and get CPU recommendations, or select a CPU model and find out how many nodes you need.
Notes and Disclaimers
vCPU to Physical Core Ratio Disclaimer:
The vCPU to physical core ratio (overcommit ratio) determines how many virtual CPUs share a single physical core. A ratio of 1:1 means no overcommit (dedicated cores). Common ratios range from 2:1 to 8:1 depending on workload type. VDI workloads typically use 4:1 to 8:1, while database or latency-sensitive workloads should stay closer to 1:1 or 2:1. Higher ratios reduce hardware cost but may impact performance under load.
Management Overhead Disclaimer:
Each Azure Local node reserves CPU cores for the host OS, Azure Arc agents, Storage Spaces Direct, and cluster services. The default of 4 cores is a reasonable estimate, but actual overhead may vary based on enabled features (e.g., AKS-HCI, ARC Resource Bridge). Consult
Azure Local system requirements
for specifics.
High Availability (N+1) Disclaimer:
When N+1 HA is enabled, the calculator reserves one full node worth of capacity so workloads can failover if a single node goes down. This is the standard recommendation for production clusters. If your cluster has only 1 node, HA reservation is automatically disabled.
CPU Recommendations Disclaimer:
The CPU models listed are based on publicly available specifications and represent common server-grade processors. However, not all CPUs are available on all OEM platforms. Server vendors (Dell, HPE, Lenovo, Supermicro, etc.) each qualify a specific subset of processors for their platforms, and availability may vary by region, server model, and generation. Always verify CPU availability and compatibility directly with your OEM or hardware vendor before purchasing. Not all CPUs listed may be validated for Azure Local.
Newer CPU Generations Disclaimer:
Newer processor generations (e.g., Intel Xeon 6 Granite Rapids/Sierra Forest, AMD EPYC 5th Gen Turin) typically offer improved IPC (Instructions Per Clock), higher core counts, better power efficiency, and enhanced virtualization features compared to older generations. This means that with a newer CPU, you may safely use a higher vCPU-to-physical-core ratio (overcommit) while maintaining the same or better performance per VM. When planning new deployments, consider selecting the latest available generation to maximize density and efficiency. Always validate performance expectations with your workload profile and OEM recommendations.
Cluster Type Disclaimer:
Disaggregated clusters use external SAN storage instead of Storage Spaces Direct and support up to 64 nodes. A disconnected operations (ALDO) management cluster is a dedicated cluster that only hosts the local control plane appliance: production needs 3 nodes with at least 24 physical cores, 128 GB (standard) or 512 GB (datacenter) memory, 6 or 8 data drives of at least 2 TB and a 960 GB boot drive per node. The appliance size (24 vCPUs, 78 GB) and the 20% host core reservation follow the ODIN Sizer. Only catalog systems with the Disconnected operations capability are offered for it. See
dedicated management cluster for disconnected operations.
No Warranty:
All information in this CPU Calculator is provided "as is" with no warranties, express or implied. It does not represent official Microsoft documentation. Always verify with your hardware vendor and Microsoft licensing team for accurate sizing and configuration.
Storage Calculator
For detailed Storage Spaces Direct sizing I recommend the dedicated tool Armin created: s2d-calculator.com. My original Storage Calculator is outdated. The version on this page is its redesign and adds the deployment types that a pure Storage Spaces Direct calculator does not cover.
The Storage Calculator estimates raw, effective and usable capacity, either from your drive layout or from a capacity target.
- Deployment Type: hyperconverged (Storage Spaces Direct), hyperconverged with external SAN, disaggregated (SAN only, up to 64 nodes) or the management cluster of disconnected operations.
- External SAN: the supported arrays from Dell, Everpure, Hitachi, HPE, Lenovo and NetApp with their MPIO registration, the Fibre Channel or iSCSI host requirements, the LUN layout (one LUN per CSV) and the physical capacity to buy after free space headroom and data reduction.
- Disconnected operations: checks the drive count and drive size of the management cluster and reserves its 2 TB infrastructure volume.
Cluster Configuration
Calculation Mode
Choose your starting point: specify your drives to calculate effective storage, or set a storage target to find the required drives.
Storage Resiliency
Available options depend on your cluster size.
Notes and Disclaimers
Storage Spaces Direct (S2D) Disclaimer:
This calculator estimates storage capacity for Storage Spaces Direct deployments on Azure Local using Full-Flash NVMe configurations. Calculations are based on current best practices and deployment guidelines. Actual results may vary depending on firmware, driver versions, and workload patterns. Always refer to the
official Microsoft documentation
for the most up-to-date information.
Redundancy Disclaimer:
When using 1 or 2 nodes, S2D employs Two-Way Mirror redundancy, which stores 2 copies of data. With 3+ nodes, Three-Way Mirror becomes available, storing 3 copies across different fault domains. Dual Parity requires 4+ nodes and uses erasure coding with 2 parity stripes. For a single-node configuration, a local mirror is used across drives within the same node.
Dual Parity Warning:
Dual Parity deviates from the standard Azure Local recommended configuration. It provides better storage efficiency than mirroring but with significantly lower write performance and higher rebuild times after a failure. It is only suitable for specific use cases (e.g., cold or archival data workloads) and should only be used if you fully understand the implications. The standard recommendation for Azure Local production deployments is Three-Way Mirror.
Reserved Capacity Disclaimer:
For multi-node configurations, the calculator reserves capacity equivalent to one capacity drive per node to ensure sufficient unallocated space for automatic repairs after a drive failure. For single-node clusters, no reserved capacity is applied. Actual reserve behavior may differ based on
Microsoft reserve capacity documentation.
Infrastructure Overhead:
Approximately 300 GB is reserved for infrastructure volumes including Infrastructure_1 (ARC Resource Bridge and AKS images, ~250 GB), ClusterPerformanceHistory (~20 GB), and additional system overhead (~7 GB). These values are approximate and may change based on deployment specifics.
Volume Distribution Disclaimer:
During cloud deployment, the assignment of volumes within the storage pool (SU1_Pool) is automated. The remaining usable capacity after infrastructure volumes is divided equally among UserStorage volumes (one per node). These values are approximate and subject to change.
Dual Parity Efficiency:
Dual parity efficiency depends on the number of fault domains (nodes). With N nodes, the efficiency is calculated as (N-2)/N, up to a maximum of 6 data columns + 2 parity columns (75% efficiency at 8+ nodes). Dual parity provides better storage efficiency than mirrors but with lower write performance.
External SAN Disclaimer:
Azure Local 2604 or later can use Fibre Channel or iSCSI block storage from supported arrays (Dell PowerStore, Everpure FlashArray, Hitachi VSP, HPE Alletra MP 10000, Lenovo ThinkSystem DS/DM/DG and NetApp ONTAP) next to Storage Spaces Direct (hyperconverged with external storage) or instead of it (disaggregated). SAN-backed CSVs must be NTFS, ReFS isn't supported for them in this preview, and each LUN backs a single CSV. The data reduction and free space headroom are planning assumptions, so size the array with your storage vendor. Infrastructure volume sizes on the SAN follow the ODIN Sizer. See
supported SAN solutions and
enable external storage on Azure Local.
Disconnected Operations Disclaimer:
The disconnected operations (ALDO) management cluster is a dedicated cluster for the local control plane. Production needs 3 nodes, each with 6 (standard) or 8 (datacenter) SSD/NVMe data drives of at least 2 TB and a 960 GB boot drive. The deployment creates a thinly provisioned 2 TB infrastructure volume, which this calculator reserves in full. See
dedicated management cluster for disconnected operations.
No Warranty:
All information in this Storage Calculator is provided "as is" with no warranties, express or implied. It does not represent official Microsoft documentation. Always verify with your hardware vendor and Microsoft documentation for accurate sizing and configuration.
Pricing Calculator
The Pricing Calculator estimates the one-time and monthly cost of an Azure Local deployment, including hardware, licensing, related costs and Azure Local services.
- Deployment models: L1 hyperconverged without external storage, L2 disaggregated with SAN storage, L2 hyperconverged with external storage, L2 with an OEM license and L3 disconnected operations. Azure Hybrid Benefit for the host fee is only available for L1.
- L3: Microsoft does not publish the host fee, so enter your quote. The calculator adds the nodes and cores of the management cluster because disconnected operations bill them too. AVD is not available with disconnected operations.
- SAN System: for the L2 models, the one-time price of the SAN array and its monthly support. The vendor and the physical capacity come from the SAN plan of the Storage Calculator. The overview also shows the price per TB.
- Licensing and services: the free 60-day trial, the Windows Server subscription or custom Windows licensing, AVD and SQL Managed Instance.
Infrastructure Price
License Price
Related Licenses / Costs
Enter the relevant costs for each category. Leave blank or 0 for items that do not apply.
Azure Local Services Price
Notes and Disclaimers
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: L1 host fee (10/core), L2 host fee for disaggregated or external storage (20.10/core), L2 OEM host fee (10/core), user-provided L3 host fee, Windows Server fee (23.30/core) or custom Windows pricing.
- Related Costs: Additional one-time and monthly costs for external services (e.g., Backup, security software).
- Service Price: Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) and SQL Managed Instance (SQLmi) usage costs (monthly).
Actual costs may vary depending on vendor quotes, hardware configurations, and licensing agreements.
Azure Local Deployment Model Disclaimer:
L1 applies to cloud-connected hyperconverged deployments without external storage. L2 applies to disaggregated deployments with SAN storage (up to 64 machines) and to hyperconverged deployments with external storage. Both use the 20.10/core/month host fee. An Azure Local OEM license with external storage uses the listed 10/core/month special rate. L3 applies to disconnected operations with a locally hosted control plane. Microsoft does not publish an L3 host fee, so the calculator requires a user-provided planning rate or account-specific quote. L3 is licensed per physical core on an annual capacity term, billed monthly, and includes the cores of the dedicated management cluster that runs the control plane, so the calculator adds the management cluster nodes and cores (3 nodes with 24 cores by default) and applies no trial to the L3 host fee. Azure Hybrid Benefit can't waive the L3 host fee, but it can still cover Windows Server VMs. Azure Local host fees and the Windows Server subscription have a free trial for the first 60 days after registration. See the
Azure Local pricing page,
disaggregated deployment overview and
disconnected operations overview.
Fixed Azure rates are treated as values in the selected calculator currency. Currency selection does not perform foreign exchange conversion.
Hybrid Benefit Disclaimer:
Azure Hybrid Benefit can waive the Azure Local host fee only for L1 cloud-connected hyperconverged deployments without external storage. It does not waive the L2 host fee, including disaggregated deployments with SAN storage, or the L3 host fee. Eligible customers can exchange Windows Server Datacenter core licenses with active Software Assurance through Enterprise Agreement or CSP to waive the L1 host fee and Windows Server subscription. Consult the
Microsoft Product Terms (EA/CSP),
Microsoft Product Terms for Windows Server, 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. Confirm eligibility and final costs with your licensing provider.
Related Costs Disclaimer:
The Related Licenses / Costs section is broken down into Backup, Logs/Monitoring, Installation, External Partner Management, and Other. Each category supports both one-time (OTC) and monthly costs. These values are illustrative; actual costs depend on vendor quotes and service agreements.
AVD and SQLmi Disclaimer:
AVD costs are estimated at 0.01 per vCPU per hour. AVD isn't among the services of disconnected operations, so it is excluded for L3. SQLmi pricing depends on tier, licensing model, and reservation term. These calculations are illustrative. For more info visit
Azure Arc Data Services Pricing.
Always refer to official Microsoft documentation for up-to-date pricing.
No Warranty:
All information is provided "as is" with no warranties, express or implied. It does not represent official Microsoft documentation. Verify your specific agreements, product terms, and quotes for accurate pricing.
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.