Create network interfaces for Arc virtual machines on Azure Stack HCI

Applies to: Azure Stack HCI, version 23H2

This article describes how to create network interfaces that you can associate with an Arc VM on your Azure Stack HCI cluster. You can create network interfaces using the Azure portal or the Azure CLI.

About network interfaces

Network interfaces are an Azure resource and can be used to deploy virtual machines on your cluster. After a logical network is created, you can create network interfaces and associate those with the virtual machines you'll create.

You can create network interfaces using the Azure portal or the Azure CLI. When using the Azure portal, the network interface creation is a part of the VM creation process. When using the Azure CLI, you can create a network interface first and then use it to create a VM.

Prerequisites

Before you create a network interface, make sure that the following prerequisites are completed.

Azure CLI

• Access to an Azure subscription with Owner or Contributor access.
• Access to a resource group where you want to provision the VM.
• Access to one or more VM images on your Azure Stack HCI cluster. These VM images could be created by one of the following procedures:
  • VM image starting from an image in Azure Marketplace.
  • VM image starting from an image in Azure Storage account.
  • VM image starting from an image in local share on your cluster.
• A custom location for your Azure Stack HCI cluster that you'll use to provision VMs. The custom location will also show up in the Overview page for Azure Stack HCI cluster.

• If using a client to connect to your Azure Stack HCI cluster, see Connect to Azure Stack HCI via Azure CLI client.

• Access to a logical network that you created on your Azure Stack HCI cluster. For more information, see Create logical network.

Azure portal

• Access to an Azure subscription with Owner or Contributor access.
• Access to a resource group where you want to provision the VM.
• Access to one or more VM images on your Azure Stack HCI cluster. These VM images could be created by one of the following procedures:
  • VM image starting from an image in Azure Marketplace.
  • VM image starting from an image in Azure Storage account.
  • VM image starting from an image in local share on your cluster.
• A custom location for your Azure Stack HCI cluster that you'll use to provision VMs. The custom location will also show up in the Overview page for Azure Stack HCI cluster.

Create network interface

To create a VM, you'll first need to create a network interface on your logical network. The steps can be different depending on whether your logical network is static or DHCP.

Azure CLI

Sign in and set subscription

1. Connect to a server on your Azure Stack HCI system.

2. Sign in. Type:

   az login --use-device-code
   

3. Set your subscription.

   az account set --subscription <Subscription ID>
   

Virtual network interface with static IP

Follow these steps to create a network interface on your static logical network. Replace the parameters in < > with the appropriate values.

1. Set the required parameters. Here's a sample output:

   $lnetName = "myhci-lnet-static"
   $gateway ="100.68.180.1" 
   $ipAddress ="100.68.180.6" 
   $nicName ="myhci-nic-static"
   $subscription =  "<Subscription ID>"
   $resource_group = "myhci-rg"
   $customLocationName = "myhci-cl" 
   $customLocationID ="/subscriptions/$subscription/resourceGroups/$resource_group/providers/Microsoft.ExtendedLocation/customLocations/$customLocationName"
   $location = "eastus"
   

   Here is a description of the parameters:

   Parameter	Description
   name	Name for the network interface that you'll create on the logical network deployed on your Azure Stack HCI cluster. Make sure to provide a name that follows the Rules for Azure resources. You can't rename a network interface after it's created.
   resource-group	Name of the resource group where your Azure Stack HCI is deployed. This could also be another precreated resource group.
   subscription	Name or ID of the subscription where your Azure Stack HCI is deployed. This could be another subscription you use for logical network on your Azure Stack HCI cluster.
   custom-location	Name or ID of the custom location to use for logical network on your Azure Stack HCI cluster.
   location	Azure regions as specified by az locations. For example, this could be eastus, westeurope.
   subnet-id	Name of your logical network. For example: test-lnet-dynamic.
   ip-allocation-method	IP address allocation method and could be dynamic or static for your network interface. If this parameter isn't specified, by default the network interface is created with a dynamic configuration.
   ip-address	An IPv4 address you want to assign to the network interface that you are creating. For example: "192.168.0.10".

2. To create a network interface with static IP address, run the following command:

   az stack-hci-vm network nic create --subscription $subscription --resource-group $resource_group --custom-location $customLocationID --location $location --name $nicName --subnet-id $lnetName --ip-address $ipAddress
   

   Here's a sample output:

   {
     "extendedLocation": {
       "name": "/subscriptions/<subscription ID>/resourceGroups/myhci-rg/providers/Microsoft.ExtendedLocation/customLocations/myhci-cl",
       "type": "CustomLocation"
     },
     "id": "/subscriptions/<subscription ID>/resourceGroups/myhci-rg/providers/Microsoft.AzureStackHCI/networkinterfaces/myhci-nic-static",
     "location": "eastus",
     "name": "myhci-nic-static",
     "properties": {
       "dnsSettings": {
         "dnsServers": null
       },
       "ipConfigurations": [
         {
           "name": null,
           "properties": {
             "gateway": "192.168.200.1",
             "prefixLength": "24",
             "privateIpAddress": "192.168.201.3",
             "privateIpAllocationMethod": null,
             "subnet": {
               "id": "/subscriptions/<subscription ID>/resourceGroups/myhci-rg/providers/Microsoft.AzureStackHCI/logicalnetworks/myhci-lnet-static",
               "resourceGroup": "myhci-rg"
             }
           }
         }
       ],
       "macAddress": null,
       "provisioningState": "Succeeded",
       "resourceName": null,
       "status": {}
     },
     "resourceGroup": "myhci-rg",
     "systemData": {
       "createdAt": "2023-11-02T23:00:47.714910+00:00",
       "createdBy": "guspinto@contoso.com",
       "createdByType": "User",
       "lastModifiedAt": "2023-11-02T23:02:08.720545+00:00",
       "lastModifiedBy": "<ID>",
       "lastModifiedByType": "Application"
     },
     "tags": null,
     "type": "microsoft.azurestackhci/networkinterfaces"
   } 
   

Virtual network interface with DHCP

Follow these steps to create a network interface on your DHCP logical network. Replace the parameters in < > with the appropriate values.

1. Set the required parameters. Here's a sample output:

   $nicName = "myhci-nic-dhcp"
   $lnetName = "myhci-lnet-dhcp"   
   $subscription =  "<subscription ID>" 
   $resource_group = "myhci-rg"
   $customLocationName = "myhci-cl" 
   $customLocationID ="/subscriptions/$subscription/resourceGroups/$resource_group/providers/Microsoft.ExtendedLocation/customLocations/$customLocationName"
   $location = "eastus"
   

   Here is a description of the parameters:

   Parameter	Description
   name	Name for the network interface that you'll create on the logical network deployed on your Azure Stack HCI cluster. Make sure to provide a name that follows the Rules for Azure resources. You can't rename a network interface after it's created.
   resource-group	Name of the resource group where your Azure Stack HCI is deployed. This could also be another precreated resource group.
   subscription	Name or ID of the subscription where your Azure Stack HCI is deployed. This could be another subscription you use for logical network on your Azure Stack HCI cluster.
   custom-location	Name or ID of the custom location to use for logical network on your Azure Stack HCI cluster.
   location	Azure regions as specified by az locations. For example, this could be eastus.
   subnet-id	Name of your logical network. For example: test-lnet-dynamic.

2. To create a network interface, run the following command:

   az stack-hci-vm network nic create --subscription $subscription --resource-group $resource_group --custom-location $customLocationID --location $location --name $nicName --subnet-id $lnetName
   

   Here is a sample output:

   {
     "extendedLocation": {
       "name": "/subscriptions/<subscription ID>/resourceGroups/myhci-rg/providers/Microsoft.ExtendedLocation/customLocations/myhci-cl",
       "type": "CustomLocation"
     },
     "id": "/subscriptions/<subscription ID>/resourceGroups/myhci-rg/providers/Microsoft.AzureStackHCI/networkinterfaces/myhci-vnic",
     "location": "eastus",
     "name": "myhci-nic-dhcp",
     "properties": {
       "ipConfigurations": [
         {
           "name": null,
           "properties": {
             "gateway": null,
             "prefixLength": null,
             "privateIpAddress": null,
             "privateIpAllocationMethod": null,
             "subnet": {
               "id": "myhci-lnet-dhcp"
             }
           }
         }
       ],
       "macAddress": null,
       "provisioningState": "Succeeded",
       "resourceName": "myhci-nic-dhcp",
       "status": {}
     },
     "resourceGroup": "myhci-rg",
     "systemData": {
       "createdAt": "2023-02-08T23:25:10.984508+00:00",
       "createdBy": "guspinto@contoso.com",
       "createdByType": "User",
       "lastModifiedAt": "2023-02-08T23:26:03.262252+00:00",
       "lastModifiedBy": "<ID>",
       "lastModifiedByType": "Application"
     },
     "tags": null,
     "type": "microsoft.azurestackhci/networkinterfaces"
   }
   PS C:\windows\system32> 
   

You can use this network interface to create a VM. For more information, see Create a VM.

Azure portal

In the Azure portal, you create a network interface during the VM creation flow. For more information, see Create Azure Stack HCI VM in Azure portal.

Next steps

• Use this network interface when you Create an Arc VM on your Azure Stack HCI.