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Microsoft reveals Azure Stack hardware specs

If this preview configuration holds, Redmond's hybrids will be rather slim

Microsoft has revealed the hardware required to run the preview of Azure Stack, its on-premises and ever-so-hybrid version of the cloud Azure operating environment.

Azure Stack was announced in May at Microsoft's Ignite conference, but hasn't said much about it since other than to re-iterate it's all about bringing the elastic Azure experience into your very own bit barn. Microsoft did tell us that if you want to keep using Windows Server as you do now, you won't be herded into Azure Stack or away from System Center.

Now the company's revealed what it will take to run Azure Stack: a single server, preferably a Dell R630 or HPE DL 360 Gen 9, with a mere 96GB of RAM and 12 physical cores in the minimalist configuration.

Microsoft’s been coy about when you might want to start to assemble your servers, saying only that releasing the specs above will “help you plan your Azure Stack Technical Preview deployments in the new year.”

A single server will be fine for test purposes. But for serious work? To compare the suggested Azure Stack configuration with likely competitors, we cooked up the table below.

Minimum Azure Stack Optimal Azure Stack Minimum EVO:RAIL Maximum EVO:RAIL Entry-level SimpliVity Omnicube Top-end SimpliVity Omnicube Entry-level Nutanix Top-end Nutanix
CPU Dual-Socket: 12 Physical Cores Dual-Socket: 16 Physical Cores 8 E5 CPUs, 48 cores 8 E5 CPUs, 144 cores Single E5, up to 8 cores Dual E5, 25 cores Single E5, 6 cores Dual E5, 24 cores
RAM 96GB 128GB 512GB 2048GB 50-82GB 267-651GB 64GB 512GB
Storage 4 disks, 560GB 4 disks, 1TB 16 disks, up to 27.2TB 16 disks, up to 27.2TB 3-6TB 15-30TB 4.4TB 9.6TB

Before you mention it: yes, we do know that EVO:RAIL, Nutanix and SimpliVity all prefer users to assemble notional appliances out of several individual nodes. But that's kind of the point because the table hints very strongly that Microsoft will need to do likewise to scale Azure Stack for meaningful workloads or to heights at which it can replicate cloudy Azure's numinous elasticity.

Consider, also, that Microsoft has named Dell and HPE as ideal servers for the job. Dell will soon own VMware, so will be well and truly in have-its-cake-and-eat-it-too territory as it continues its Microsoft partnership. HPE's already walked away from VMware's hyperconverged appliance, swears blind it loves VMware in all other ways, but has made Azure its cloud of choice after previously expressing ardour for OpenStack.

Cloud and hybrid cloud are advertised as simplifying IT and mostly deliver. But they sure are making for some tangled industry alliances. ®

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