Azure Local Multi Rack

---
name: azure-local-multi-rack
description: "Plan, deploy, operate, and troubleshoot multi-rack (rack scale) deployments of Azure Local — preintegrated racks scaling to hundreds of machines, built on Network Fabric Controller, Cluster Manager, SAN storage, and managed network fabric. Use for the Microsoft.NetworkCloud and Microsoft.ManagedNetworkFabric control plane. NOT for standard 1-16 node Azure Local, and NOT for rack-aware clusters (two racks as availability zones, up to 8 nodes, synchronous replication) — those are standard scale. WHEN: multi-rack, rack scale Azure Local, aggregation rack, compute rack, Network Fabric Controller, NFC, Cluster Manager, network fabric, isolation domain, az networkcloud, az networkfabric, multi-rack logical network, multi-rack Arc VM."
license: MIT
metadata:
  author: Microsoft
  version: "0.0.0-placeholder"
---

# 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](references/cli-and-prereqs.md).

## Workflow

1. Confirm this is multi-rack, not standard Azure Local — see When to Use.
2. Plan/deploy -> [plan-and-deploy](workflows/plan-and-deploy/plan-and-deploy.md)
3. VMs, AKS, images, disks -> [workload-management](workflows/workload-management/workload-management.md)
4. Fabric, isolation domains, load balancers, NSGs -> [networking](workflows/networking/networking.md)
5. Monitoring, metrics, serial console, failures -> [operate-and-monitor](workflows/operate-and-monitor/operate-and-monitor.md)

Read the matched workflow first and use [docs-map](references/docs-map.md). 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](references/cli-and-prereqs.md) before running commands. |
| Risky fabric or SAN change | Stop and follow [safety-rules](references/safety-rules.md). |
| Doc URL 404/redirect | Search Learn for the title, scoped to multi-rack deployments of Azure Local. |