Install Azure HCI Stack Cluster on VMware Workstation

If you want to install Azure HCI Stack on VMware workstation it IS possible though there are a few issues.

There's a great YouTube video here on installing Azure Stack HCI in general

And there's a specific article on installing it on VMware

In summary there's a few things to think about in terms of VMware

  • Use the latest version of VMware workstation (it has better support for encryption).

  • Encrypt the virtual machines.

  • Enable UEFI and Secure Boot.

  • Use at least 4 cores in the virtual processors (else cluster creation will fail with AzStackHci_MOCStack_CpuCoreCount).

  • Enable Virtualize Intel VT-x/EPT or AMD-V/RVI as you always have to with nested virtualization.

  • Use two NICs

  • Use 3 NVMe drives

    • 200GB (boot)
    • 500GB
    • 500GB

  • Add a TPM to the hardware

  • Modify the .vmx file for all HCI stack hosts and change ethernet0 and ethernet1 from the e1000e adapter to the vmxnet3 otherwise you will get a out of box driver error.

    ethernet0.virtualDev = "e1000e"
    ethernet0.virtualDev = "vmxnet3"

  • Use strong passwords for the Administrator account on the HCI stack hosts because it'll be enforced later.

  • Install VMware tools (needed for the VMware network adapter drivers)

  • Install app compatibility so you can get to ncpa.cpl and Device Manager else it'll be a nightmare
    Add-WindowsCapability -Online -Name ServerCore.AppCompatibility~~~~0.0.1.0

  • Modify the advanced settings of the network adapters and set them all to VLANID 0 (unless you have proper VLANs set up) else the cluster configuration will fail.

  • Make sure you disconnect the CD-ROM drive (proabably with the VMware tools disk in) otherwise the cluster creation will fail.
    https://david-homer.blogspot.com/2024/09/azure-hci-stack-cluster-creation-error.html

  • The cluster installation will fail on the first day the virtual machines are with a AzStackHci_Hardware_Test_Tpm_Certificate_Properties error - you have to wait a day and try again.
    https://david-homer.blogspot.com/2024/09/solved-azure-hci-stack-deploy-cluster.html

  • When you're configuring the networking in the cluster setup wizard click “Customize Network Settings” and set the RDMA protocol to disabled for all intents.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Windows Server 2016, 2019, 2022, Windows 10 and Windows 11: Date and time "Some settings are managed by your organization".

Image
When you're using the new "Modern" date and time settings in Windows Server 2016, 2019, 2022, Windows 10 and Windows 11 you may find that you can't set the correct date and time and the value "Some settings are managed by your organization". - While you're here - Why not check out our Windows Server Documentation and Audit Tool? The simplest way around this is to go back to the proper control panel using Start, Run, "Control.exe" and searching for "Set the date".  Within here you can set the date and time manually as required If you try and click the Change time zone button you may again get access denied... To resolve this open an elevated command prompt by right clicking the command prompt and selecting Run as Administrator  From there run the command rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL timedate.cpl This will open the Data and Time control panel app elevated as an Administrator.
Read more

TFTPD32 or TFTPD64 reports Bind error 10013 An attempt was made to access a socket in a way forbidden by its access permissions.

Image
When you start the trivial FTP (TFTP) server application TFTPD32 or TDTPD64 you may see the following error Bind error 10013 An attempt was made to access a socket in a way forbidden by its access permissions. This can be because another application is using this port. The easiest way to check if (and which) application is using the port is as administrator run an elevated command prompt and enter netstat -anb > ports.txt Then open ports.txt in Notepad and search for :69, you'll quickly be able to see the process using the required port - While you're here - Why not check out our Windows Server Documentation and Audit Tool?
Read more

Windows Server 2019 desktop icons such as My Computer, Windows cannot access the specified device, path, or file.

Image
In Windows Server 2019 you may notice that the desktop icons such as My Computer are missing, however when you goto Personalization > Themes > Desktop icon settings You see the error Windows cannot access the specified device, path, or file. You may not have the appropriate permissions to access the item. The quickest way to resolve this is to ignore the modern UI and desk.cpl ,5 From here you can easily add the My Computer icon - While you're here - Why not check out our Windows Server Documentation and Audit Tool?
Read more