Azure Local Multi-Rack
Multi-rack is in preview — say so, and confirm availability from the docs before committing to a design.
Quick Reference
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Best for | Rack-scale Azure Local: 100+ machines, preintegrated racks, SAN, managed fabric |
| Scale | Minimum four racks — one aggregation rack plus three or more compute racks |
| Providers | Microsoft.NetworkCloud, Microsoft.ManagedNetworkFabric, Microsoft.AzureStackHCI |
| CLI | az networkcloud, az networkfabric, az stack-hci-vm |
| Related skill | azure-local for standard 1-16 node and rack-aware deployments |
When to Use This Skill
Use when the deployment is multi-rack / rack scale: preintegrated racks, an aggregation rack, a Network Fabric Controller, a Cluster Manager, SAN storage, or the networkcloud / managednetworkfabric CLI extensions.
Do not use for standard Azure Local (1-16 node hyperconverged, up to 64 disaggregated) or rack-aware clusters — hand off to the azure-local skill. If the scale is unclear, ask first: the two have separate, non-interchangeable procedures for the same-sounding tasks (logical networks, VM creation, NSGs).
MCP Tools
No dedicated MCP namespace. Use generic Azure MCP tools: mcp_azure_mcp_extension_cli_generate (confirm networkcloud/networkfabric extensions first), mcp_azure_mcp_monitor (needs Log Analytics), mcp_azure_mcp_resourcehealth (partial; not fabric or SAN health), mcp_azure_mcp_documentation (multi-rack articles only — standard Azure Local pages do not apply).
Details: cli-and-prereqs.
Workflow
- Confirm this is multi-rack, not standard Azure Local — see When to Use.
- Plan/deploy -> plan-and-deploy
- VMs, AKS, images, disks -> workload-management
- Fabric, isolation domains, load balancers, NSGs -> networking
- Monitoring, metrics, serial console, failures -> operate-and-monitor
Read the matched workflow first and use docs-map. Start read-only. Ask before fabric changes, isolation domain edits, VM power/delete operations, or anything touching the aggregation rack or SAN.
Error Handling
| Scenario | Remediation |
|---|---|
| Scale unknown | Ask whether the deployment is multi-rack or standard before recommending procedures. |
| Standard Azure Local detected | Hand off to the azure-local skill; multi-rack procedures do not apply. |
| Missing CLI extension | Install per cli-and-prereqs before running commands. |
| Risky fabric or SAN change | Stop and follow safety-rules. |
| Doc URL 404/redirect | Search Learn for the title, scoped to multi-rack deployments of Azure Local. |