Azure Stack HCI 20H2 Offers Limited Azure Integration

• Azure Stack HCI version 20H2 updates the host OS for hyper-converged infrastructure on Microsoft-certified hardware.
• Stack HCI 20H2 does not host Azure services on-premises like Azure Stack Hub does.
• Azure management and integration features are not yet available or are not exclusive to Stack HCI.

Azure Stack HCI 20H2, which became generally available on Dec. 10, 2020, is a host OS based on Windows Server for hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI) using Hyper-V virtualization, software-defined networking, and Storage Spaces Direct on clustered server hardware from Microsoft-validated vendors. Future versions will likely deliver on Microsoft’s vision of an Azure-integrated OS for on-premises HCI, but customers should consider this version aspirational.

Overview

HCI services typically provide virtualization and software-defined storage and networking on clustered server hardware, which can simplify and reduce the cost of data center deployments compared to deploying dedicated virtualization hosts, storage, and network devices. Azure Stack HCI is intended for companies using Azure infrastructure alongside Windows Server HCI on-premises that would like to use Azure-hosted management, monitoring, and other services to support their on-premises systems.