There are several key differences when deploying an Azure Stack HCI Cluster using a premier solution like Dell’s APEX Cloud Platform for Microsoft Azure versus using an integrated system. For detailed information about Azure Stack HCI solution categories, please visit Azure Stack HCI Solutions.
One notable difference is the use of a service principal in the cluster deployment for APEX and the necessary Azure roles that need to be assigned. In contrast, integrated systems require deployment through Microsoft Cloud, either via the portal or ARM Templates.
There are several methods to deploy an Azure Stack HCI OS Image. You can use solutions like System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM/ConfigMgr), Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT), Windows Deployment Services (WDS), or other Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools like Terraform and Ansible, with the appropriate configurations. Additionally, Canonical offers a solution called MAAS (Metal-As-A-Service).
Throughout my career, I’ve generally preferred Microsoft solutions for deploying Microsoft Operating Systems, favoring tools like MDT and WDS.
With most my blogs, they all start with me trying to do something I have done in the past and have forgotten or with something I have never had to do and now need to do it. So, is the case with this blog. I have never had to worry about establishing an ssh connection to a Linux VM in Azure via Azure Bastion until today.
I want to start this blog by showing how to connect via Bastion using the Azure Portal first.
I drink the Microsoft Kool-aid and have for many years. What you may not know is years ago, many years ago, I use to drink the Vmware Kool-aid and would attend VMUGs and was certified for VMware. This was about the version 4 days when vSphere was fairly new and there wasn’t much more to Vmware than vCenter and ESXi servers. I jumped ship to the dark side, mainly because I started working with SMS 2003 and Configuration manager 2007 after a little bit of time working with Altiris Deployment Server and Notification Server.
The 12 Days of Azure Arc-Mas: A Festive Journey Through Azure’s Hybrid and Multi-Cloud Capabilities I counted down to the end of the year, and was excited to bring you a special gift: “The 12 Days of Azure Arc-Mas.” This series was inspired by the classic carol “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” with a tech twist that celebrates the gifts Azure Arc delivers to IT professionals each day. This was a fun series that was very high level.
On the twelfth day of Arc-mas, our Azure journey culminates in a grand celebration of achievements. Azure Arc has played a pivotal role in transforming how organizations manage their hybrid and multi-cloud environments, and today, we share these triumphs.
Celebrating Success: The 12th Day of Azure Arc-Mas On the twelfth day of Arc-mas, our Azure journey culminates in a grand celebration of achievements. Azure Arc has played a pivotal role in transforming how organizations manage their hybrid and multi-cloud environments, and today, we share these triumphs.
The Beat of Progress: Twelve Drums Celebrating 🥁 Azure Arc’s story is one of innovation, efficiency, and operational excellence. As we celebrate the victories of the past, we are excited to share the real-world impacts and success stories that have been made possible through this powerful tool.
On the eleventh day of Arc-mas, we delve into the streams of logs and the symphony of insights that Azure Arc conducts across all environments. Like pipers piping a harmonious tune, Azure Arc orchestrates a continuous flow of telemetry data, ensuring a comprehensive view of your applications' health and performance.
Day 11: Eleven Logs a-Streaming - Azure Arc’s Unified Monitoring and Insights Azure Monitored Me: Eleven Logs a-Streaming On the eleventh day of Arc-mas, we delve into the streams of logs and the symphony of insights that Azure Arc conducts across all environments. Like pipers piping a harmonious tune, Azure Arc orchestrates a continuous flow of telemetry data, ensuring a comprehensive view of your applications’ health and performance.
Insights Across All Environments Azure Arc shines its beacon across containerized applications, virtual machines, and hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI), illuminating the landscape with Container Insights, VM Insights, and HCI Insights.
The 12 Days of Azure Arc-Mas: Day 10 - Ten Clouds Connecting On the tenth day of Azure Arc-Mas, Azure bridged for me: Ten Clouds Connecting, crafting a tapestry of seamless cloud integration.
Day 10: Crafting a Seamless Multi-Cloud Strategy with Azure Arc As ten lords leap across disparate clouds, Azure Arc weaves them into a single, harmonious domain, bridging gaps and aligning silos.
Uniting Diverse Cloud Landscapes: Consistent Management: Azure Arc’s orchestration extends across AWS, GCP, and Azure, bringing a cohesive governance experience.
The 12 Days of Azure Arc-Mas: Day 9 - Nine Devs a-Dancing On the ninth day of Azure Arc-Mas, Azure eased for me: Nine Devs a-Dancing, with one-click deployments enhancing their crafting.
Day 9: Simplifying Deployment for Developers with Azure Arc Azure Arc orchestrates a developer’s dance, a ballet of bits and bytes where every step is synchronized, every leap is automated, and every twirl is streamlined. Day Nine centered around “User Experience,” highlighting how Azure Arc enhances the experience for developers, operators, and IT professionals managing hybrid and multi-cloud environments.
The 12 Days of Azure Arc-Mas: Day 8 - Eight Custom Locations On the eighth day of Azure Arc-Mas, Azure carved for me: Eight Custom Locations, sculpting new possibilities for service migrations and innovations.
Day 8: Expanding Horizons with Azure Arc Custom Locations Azure Arc brings us eight maids a-milking, each nurturing the growth of Azure services in the fertile fields of our own environments, no matter how unique or specific they may be.
