Azure Stack HCI

Azure Stack HCI is Microsoft’s primary server host OS for on-premises virtualization and software-defined storage. It is a host OS based on Windows Server for hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI), licensed via subscription as an Azure service, and updated on an annual cadence. Azure Stack HCI is optimized to be a Hyper-V virtualization host for scenarios including remote offices, edge locations, and datacenter consolidation, and it is designed to connect to Azure to leverage cloud-based management services. Azure Stack HCI 23H2, which entered general availability in Feb. 2024, is the latest version.

Service Overview

Stack HCI is promoted by Microsoft as its host server OS for HCI, competing against VMware ESXi. HCI services typically provide virtualization and software-defined storage and networking on clustered server hardware. They can simplify and reduce the cost of datacenter deployments compared to dedicated virtualization hosts, storage, and network devices.

Stack HCI hosts Hyper-V VMs and offers software-defined networking and Storage Spaces Direct networked storage. It is also promoted as a host for Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) for Stack HCI and Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) for Stack HCI, which can provide capabilities of the Azure services on-premises at additional cost. Stack HCI does not support traditional Windows Server roles such as Active Directory Domain Services or File and Print Services, which are intended to be run in hosted Windows Server VMs. It is intended for companies that would like to use Azure management, monitoring, and other services to support on-premises HCI that leverages Windows Server tooling and technologies.