Hyper-V and Azure Stack HCI Roadmap

Monarch 66 Reputation points
2020-10-07T16:22:48.033+00:00

I currently have a 4 node Windows Server 2016 Datacenter Hyper-V Cluster with around 200 VMs connected via Fibre Channel to an IntelliFlash storage array in our primary datacenter. We also have a standalone Hyper-V server in our secondary datacenter running some VMs for redundancy for DNS, DHCP, IBNS, etc. I was in the process of getting a quote for hardware for a 2 node Azure Stack HCI setup running Server 2019 in the secondary datacenter to replace the standalone Hyper-V server there and finally got approval for the funding for this in the last week. Upon talking to my Hardware vendor representative, he told me about the new Azure Stack HCI operating system that appears to be replacing and/or is the next step in the generation of Azure Stack HCI. The plan was to setup this smaller 2 node Azure Stack HCI in the secondary datacenter and then if it went well, consider moving our main production Hyper-V Cluster to it in the future. In doing some research and watching a webinar about the new OS, I have learned that there is a pretty substantial cost for this new OS in an environment like ours where we have a lot of processor cores that need to be licensed. Now I am unsure what to do as budgets are extremely tight these days and the added cost of the licensing of the new OS really threw a wrench into my plans.

What I am looking for is a roadmap of Azure Stack HCI and Hyper-V that is detailed enough so that I can attempt to make the right decision of what to do going forward. Will things be basically merged altogether at some point as that is how it looks like things are moving towards? I'm looking for a glimpse into the future of what to do right now. It would be nice to be able to move away from the expensive storage array and upkeep of the fibre channel fabric as well but I am unsure of the feasibility of that right now. Thanks.

Azure Stack HCI
Azure Stack HCI
A hyperconverged infrastructure operating system delivered as an Azure service that provides security, performance, and feature updates.
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  1. Darryl van der Peijl 76 Reputation points
    2020-11-23T13:55:02.963+00:00

    Although Trent gives a great answer I like to add that:

    • Hyper-V & Storage Spaces Direct will be included in the next versions of Windows Server. You have two possibilities to replace your aging infrastructure.
    • Although Azure Stack HCI and HCI on Windows Server are very much alike today, they will start to differ more and more in the future.
    • With Azure Stack HCI, support from Microsoft on the environment is included
    • With Azure Stack HCI, updates to the OS are included with a shorter release cadence
    • Azure Stack HCI is licensed per physical core per month. This is for the OS, it does not include VM licensing (OSE's) like Windows Server Datacenter Edition does.
    • Azure Stack HCI will have the ability to have Azure services on top, such as AKS. This is something that the Windows Server ecosystem will not support. Let us know if you have any more questions @Monarch

    Regards,

    Darryl van der Peijl
    Splitbrain

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  1. Trent Helms - MSFT 2,541 Reputation points Microsoft Employee
    2020-10-08T13:15:08.41+00:00

    Hello,

    The Azure Stack HCI OS is a purpose built OS based on the Windows Server 2019 Core OS. Where it really starts to differ from Server 2019 is:

    1) The Azure Stack HCI OS is optimized to run as a Hyper-V virtualization host using a software-defined infrastructure on vendor-approved hardware running Storage Space Direct (S2D) and, optionally, Software-Defined Networking (SDN). It does not run any of the traditional Windows Server roles (such as AD, DNS, DHCP, etc.).
    2) The Azure Stack HCI OS is billed based on the number of physical processor cores present in the cluster as opposed to the traditional Server licensing model. Upon building an Azure Stack HCI cluster, the cluster is registered with your Azure subscription and included with that billing each month.
    3) Azure Stack HCI clusters connect into Azure and are able to take advantage of many of the hybrid services with more being added frequently.

    For more information on the Azure Stack HCI OS, as well as more comparisons between our solutions, please see our Azure Stack HCI documentation:

    https://video2.skills-academy.com/en-us/azure-stack/hci/overview

    I hope this information is helpful!

    Best Regards,
    Trent

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  2. Olivier Hault (Level IT) 6 Reputation points
    2020-11-19T18:34:30.077+00:00

    This is all good as long as the free "Hyper-V Server" will stay the "stand-alone" version of Azure Stack HCI. In the other way, it would looks like a real treason for the glory of ESXi and XCP-ng. Bad old behaviors are never far away !

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  3. MattMcSpirit-MSFT 561 Reputation points
    2020-12-15T21:36:44.593+00:00

    Rounding this out, we've not hit GA, and have started to share some sneak peeks about what's coming in the future to Azure Stack HCI exclusively:

    https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/azure-stack-blog/starting-a-new-era-for-azure-stack-hci-and-a-sneak-peek-at-what/ba-p/1975029

    Thanks!

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  4. Surbhi 596 Reputation points Microsoft Employee
    2022-04-19T06:53:59.32+00:00

    Some additional information - Azure Kubernetes Service is generally available on Azure Stack HCI and on both Windows Server 2019 and 2022 Datacenter, making it quicker to get started hosting Linux and Windows containers in your datacenter.

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