loc_az_hci/docs/getting-started/prerequisites.md

Prerequisites

This document outlines all prerequisites for deploying the Azure Stack HCI infrastructure.

Hardware Requirements

Proxmox VE Hosts

• Minimum: 2 Proxmox VE hosts
• Proxmox Version: 7.0 or higher
• RAM: Minimum 8GB per node (16GB+ recommended)
• Storage: Sufficient storage for VMs and templates
• Network:
  • Static IP addresses configured
  • Network connectivity between nodes
  • Internet access for Azure Arc connectivity

Optional: Router/Storage Server

If implementing the full Azure Stack HCI architecture:

• Server with multiple PCIe slots
• 4× Spectrum WAN connections
• Storage shelves with HBAs
• Intel QAT 8970 for crypto acceleration

See Hardware BOM for complete hardware specifications.

Software Requirements

Required Tools

• Azure CLI: Installed and authenticated

  az login
  az account show
  

• kubectl: For Kubernetes management

  kubectl version --client
  

• SSH: Access to all nodes
• Terraform (optional): For Infrastructure as Code
• Helm (optional): For GitOps deployments

Azure Subscription

• Azure subscription with Contributor role
• Resource group creation permissions
• Azure Arc enabled subscription

Network Requirements

• Static IP addresses for all nodes
• DNS resolution (or hosts file configuration)
• Outbound HTTPS (443) for Azure Arc connectivity
• Cluster communication ports (5404-5412 UDP) for Proxmox cluster

Environment Configuration

Environment Variables

Create a .env file from the template:

cp .env.example .env

Required variables:

• Azure: AZURE_SUBSCRIPTION_ID, AZURE_TENANT_ID, AZURE_CLIENT_ID, AZURE_CLIENT_SECRET
• Cloudflare: CLOUDFLARE_API_TOKEN, CLOUDFLARE_ACCOUNT_ID, CLOUDFLARE_TUNNEL_TOKEN
• Proxmox: PVE_ROOT_PASS, PROXMOX_ML110_URL, PROXMOX_R630_URL

See .env.example for all available configuration options.

Network Configuration

Ensure the following network ranges are available:

• VLAN 10: Storage (10.10.10.0/24)
• VLAN 20: Compute (10.10.20.0/24)
• VLAN 30: App Tier (10.10.30.0/24)
• VLAN 40: Observability (10.10.40.0/24)
• VLAN 50: Dev/Test (10.10.50.0/24)
• VLAN 60: Management (10.10.60.0/24)
• VLAN 99: DMZ (10.10.99.0/24)

See Network Topology for detailed network design.

Pre-Deployment Checklist

Before starting deployment, verify:

• Proxmox VE installed and updated on all hosts
• Static IP addresses configured
• Network connectivity between nodes tested
• Azure CLI installed and authenticated
• Azure subscription has Contributor role
• .env file created and configured
• SSH access to all nodes verified
• DNS resolution working (or hosts file configured)
• Outbound HTTPS (443) connectivity verified
• Sufficient storage available on Proxmox hosts
• VM IDs planned (avoid conflicts)

Verification Scripts

Run the prerequisites check script:

./scripts/utils/prerequisites-check.sh

This will verify:

• Proxmox VE installation
• Network configuration
• Azure CLI installation and authentication
• kubectl installation
• Helm installation (optional)
• Docker installation (optional)
• System resources

Next Steps

After verifying prerequisites:

1. Follow the Quick Start Guide
2. Review the Deployment Guide
3. Use the Bring-Up Checklist

Troubleshooting Prerequisites

Azure CLI Not Authenticated

az login
az account set --subscription "your-subscription-id"
az account show

Network Connectivity Issues

# Test connectivity between nodes
ping <node-ip>
ssh <node-ip> "echo 'Connection successful'"

Proxmox Connection Issues

# Test Proxmox API access
./scripts/utils/test-proxmox-connection.sh

Insufficient Resources

• Check available RAM: free -h
• Check available disk space: df -h
• Check CPU: nproc

Additional Resources

• Architecture Overview
• Network Topology
• Hardware BOM