Azure Local version upgrades
Older Azure Stack HCI clusters need two steps to reach current Azure Local: the operating system upgrade and the solution upgrade. We plan both and carry them out.
Scope of the work
- Check the cluster, firmware and drivers against the target release
- Back up and confirm recovery before any change
- Upgrade the operating system one machine at a time
- Run the solution upgrade that adds the Azure Local orchestrator, Azure-managed updates and Azure Local VM management
- Validate storage, networking and workloads after each stage
- A cluster on a supported release
- An upgrade record with the checks passed at each stage
- An updated as-built document
Billed at $150.00 per hour. Ask Keith for an estimate.
What we check first.
Supported paths only
Not every release can jump to the newest one in a single step. We map the supported path first.
Firmware and drivers
The hardware vendor's update package must match the target release. Mismatches are the common cause of a stuck upgrade.
Stretch clusters
Some older designs, such as stretched clusters, are handled differently in current releases. We check this before promising a path.
Four steps, written down.
A call with Keith
You describe the goal, the estate and the deadline. Keith turns it into a written scope with an hour estimate at the hourly rate.
A written design by Gus
Gus reviews the environment and gives you a written design with each decision and its reason.
Hands-on implementation
Gus implements in your tenant and your racks, remotely or on site, with every change logged as it is made.
Documents and a named contact
You receive the as-built record and the runbooks. Keith stays on as your account and project manager.
Asked before every engagement.
Do workloads stay online during the upgrade?
Virtual machines move between machines as each one is upgraded, so they stay online on a healthy multi-machine cluster. A single-machine cluster needs an outage.
What if our release is already out of support?
We assess the cluster first. Sometimes the upgrade path still works; sometimes a rebuild with migration is the safer route.
What does the consulting cost?
Consulting is billed at $150.00 per hour. Keith sends a written hour estimate after the scoping call, and work starts when you approve it.
Often scoped together.
One rate. Two people.
Consulting is billed at $150.00 per hour. Keith runs sales, project management and your account. Gus does the architecture, the design and the implementation.
per consulting hour, for every consulting service