Add Node to Azure Local

Hello Handian Sudianto

Thanks for reaching out.

Adding a third node to your Azure Local cluster is supported, but it won’t happen automatically just by installing the OS and registering the node in Azure. The cluster needs to be explicitly updated so that the lifecycle manager can handle the integration, including storage and networking.

Once your new server is ready, make sure it’s running the same solution version as your existing nodes and is properly configured (domain joined, networking and DNS working as expected). The node should also be aligned with the same Azure subscription, resource group, region, and tenant, with the required roles assigned.

From one of the existing cluster nodes, you’ll then run the add operation using PowerShell. This is done with the Add-Server cmdlet while signed in with the appropriate lifecycle management credentials. This step is what actually brings the new node into the cluster.

After triggering the operation, you can monitor its progress using the operation ID that gets returned. Once the process completes, storage rebalancing will start automatically in the background. You can check the status using Get-StorageJob. The new node may take a little time to appear in the Azure portal, but you can speed that up by running Sync-AzureStackHCI.

In short, Azure registration alone does not add the node to the cluster. The Add-Server operation is required, and once completed, the system will take care of the rest.

For detailed guidance, you can refer to the following documentation:

Add a node on Azure Local

Hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any queries

After installing Azure Stack HCI OS on the 3rd node and connecting data/storage cabling, the node will not be added or reconfigured automatically. Follow the supported add-node workflow.

1. Prepare the new node
   1. Install the Azure Stack HCI OS and required drivers/firmware on the new node, using the same solution/OS image family as the existing cluster.
   2. If on version 2503 or later, ensure the OS image matches the solution version already running on the cluster. Use Get solution version and the OS image tracking table to confirm the correct image.
2. Register the node with Azure Arc
   1. Register the new node with Arc using the same parameters as the existing nodes: subscription, resource group, region, and tenant.
   2. Assign the same permissions as existing nodes:
      • Azure Stack HCI Device Management Role
      • Key Vault Secrets User
3. (If scaling from a single-node only)
   • Configure a quorum witness for the Azure Local instance before adding the node.
   • Configure a storage intent if it was not configured during initial deployment.
4. Add the node to the Azure Local instance using the orchestrator On an existing node in the system:
   1. Sign in with the domain account used during deployment (for example, AzureStackLCMUser or equivalent).
   2. Run PowerShell to add the new node (replace placeholders with actual values):

            $HostIpv4 = "<IPv4 for the new node>"
            $Cred = Get-Credential
            Add-Server -Name "<Name of the new node>" -HostIpv4 $HostIpv4 -LocalAdminCredential $Cred
      

   3. Note the operation ID returned by Add-Server.
5. Monitor the add-node operation
   1. Track the action plan instance until completion:

            $ID = "<Operation ID>"
            Start-MonitoringActionplanInstanceToComplete -actionPlanInstanceID $ID
      

   2. After completion, wait for storage rebalance to finish:

            Get-VirtualDisk | Get-StorageJob
      

      If nothing is returned, rebalance is complete.
6. Make the node visible in Azure
   • The new node appears in the Azure portal for the Azure Local instance after several hours.
   • To force synchronization, run on an existing node:

          Sync-AzureStackHCI
     

7. If validation or add-node fails
   • Capture logs:

          Get-ActionPlanInstance -ActionPlanInstanceID $ID | Out-File log.txt
     

   • Rerun the failed operation:

          Add-Server -Rerun
     

Key points:

• The node must be registered with Arc and have required permissions before being added.
• The cluster is not automatically reconfigured just by registering the node; Add-Server via the orchestrator is required.
• Only one node can be added at a time, but multiple nodes can be added sequentially.

References:

• Add a node on Azure Local
• Add a node on Azure Local for disaggregated deployments