Azure Local Multi Rack — Agent Skill by Microsoft

From the author

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.

— the description by Microsoft

AutoGineer summary

Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author

The azure-local-multi-rack skill provides a structured approach to planning, deploying, and operating large-scale, multi-rack Azure Local environments. Unlike standard deployments, these rack-scale configurations utilize a specialized control plane involving a Network Fabric Controller (NFC) and Cluster Manager. This skill covers the unique requirements for managing preintegrated racks, SAN storage, and managed network fabrics, ensuring users follow the correct procedures for logical networks, Arc VM management, and fabric operations.

What it does

Guides users through planning and deploying rack-scale Azure Local infrastructure.
Provides procedures for managing Arc VMs, images, and storage in a multi-rack environment.
Facilitates configuration of network fabrics, isolation domains, and load balancers.
Supports operational tasks including monitoring, metrics, and serial console access.
Ensures correct usage of specialized Azure CLI extensions for multi-rack control planes.
Distinguishes between multi-rack and standard Azure Local deployment requirements.

When to use it

When deploying or managing rack-scale Azure Local environments with 100+ machines.
When working with preintegrated racks, aggregation racks, and managed network fabrics.
When utilizing the Microsoft.NetworkCloud and Microsoft.ManagedNetworkFabric control planes.
When you need to configure complex networking components like isolation domains or internal load balancers.
When troubleshooting issues specific to multi-rack infrastructure components.

Advantages

Prevents confusion by clearly separating multi-rack procedures from standard Azure Local workflows.
Provides a centralized map to authoritative Microsoft Learn documentation for preview features.
Promotes safe operations by requiring read-only verification before executing fabric or SAN changes.
Ensures the correct CLI extensions are identified and used for specific resource providers.

Usage examples

“How do I create a new logical network for my multi-rack deployment?”: The agent will guide you through the specific multi-rack logical network creation workflow, ensuring you use the correct network fabric commands rather than standard Azure Local procedures.
“I need to troubleshoot a VM issue on my rack-scale cluster.”: The agent will provide steps for using the serial console and monitoring tools specifically designed for Arc VMs within a multi-rack architecture.
“What are the prerequisites for setting up a new multi-rack instance?”: The agent will outline the necessary Network Fabric Controller and Cluster Manager setup, along with the required Azure CLI extensions and provider registrations.

Install

Download the skill as a ZIP:
https://autogineer.com/agent-skills/microsoft/azure-local-multi-rack/download

Unzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:

mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip azure-local-multi-rack.zip -d .agents/skills

Documentation by Microsoft

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.

Workflow

Confirm this is multi-rack, not standard Azure Local — see When to Use.
Plan/deploy -> plan-and-deploy
VMs, AKS, images, disks -> workload-management
Fabric, isolation domains, load balancers, NSGs -> networking
Monitoring, metrics, serial console, failures -> operate-and-monitor

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

Files

ATTRIBUTION.mdAdded by AutoGineer1016 B
LICENSELicence file added by AutoGineer1.1 KiB
SKILL.md3.7 KiB
references/cli-and-prereqs.md2.5 KiB
references/docs-map.md4.0 KiB
references/resource-types.md2.7 KiB
references/safety-rules.md2.3 KiB
workflows/networking/networking.md2.9 KiB
workflows/operate-and-monitor/operate-and-monitor.md2.9 KiB
workflows/plan-and-deploy/plan-and-deploy.md3.5 KiB
workflows/workload-management/workload-management.md2.6 KiB

workflows/plan-and-deploy/plan-and-deploy.md

Plan and Deploy Multi-Rack Azure Local

Use this workflow when planning, preparing, or deploying a multi-rack instance. Fetch current procedures through docs-map before giving step-by-step commands.

Multi-rack is in preview. Confirm regional availability and supported configurations before committing to a design.

Intake

Question	Why it matters
Is this multi-rack or standard Azure Local?	Determines which skill and procedure set applies. Standard deployments use the `azure-local` skill.
Target Azure region	NFC and Cluster Manager must exist in the target region.
Existing NFC/CM pair?	Reused across deployments until cluster quota is reached.
Rack count and layout	Minimum four racks: one aggregation rack plus three or more compute racks.
Hardware BOM status	Multi-rack uses a prescriptive BOM from a Microsoft hardware partner.
Connectivity and identity model	Affects provider registration, permissions, and fabric design.
Workload profile	VMs, AKS, GPU needs drive capacity and network design.

Sequence

Confirm scale — Verify multi-rack via the resource providers in use or the customer's hardware. See resource-types. If standard Azure Local, stop and hand off to the azure-local skill.
Load authoritative docs — Fetch multi-rack-overview and multi-rack-prerequisites via docs-map.
Install CLI extensions — networkcloud, managednetworkfabric, stack-hci-vm and supporting extensions per cli-and-prereqs.
Register resource providers — Use the complete list from the prerequisites article, not a remembered subset.
Create the control plane — Network Fabric Controller, then the paired Cluster Manager in the same region and subscription.
Validate hardware and cabling — Aggregation rack, compute racks, terminal server connections, and SAN must match the BOM before cluster creation.
Deploy the cluster — Follow the documented cluster creation flow; do not improvise ARM payloads.
Provision the fabric — Network fabric bootstrapping and workload network configuration per networking.
Validate — Confirm cluster, racks, bare metal machines, storage appliances, fabric, custom location, and expected extensions all exist and are healthy.
Hand off — workload-management for workloads, operate-and-monitor for day-2.

Guardrails

Do not propose cluster creation before the NFC/CM pair exists and is healthy.
Do not generate fabric or isolation domain changes without user confirmation.
Do not substitute standard Azure Local deployment articles; the procedures differ.
Do not treat a partially registered provider set as ready.
Follow safety-rules for anything destructive.

Evidence to collect

Subscription, tenant, region, resource groups.
NFC and Cluster Manager resource IDs and provisioning state.
Cluster name, rack count and roles, bare metal machine inventory.
Storage appliance status.
Fabric resource state and isolation domain configuration.
CLI extension versions.

Requirements and compatibility

Works with: Claude Code, Claude apps, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Kiro, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Roo Code, JetBrains Junie, Factory Droid, Devin (ex-Windsurf), Mistral Vibe, OpenHands, Letta

“Works with” means the tool reads the open Agent Skills format; a skill written for one tool may use features others lack.

Needs: Needs Node.js

Security

No issues found by our static scan· No issues found

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Download ZIP

The ZIP holds the skill’s files, its licence files and an ATTRIBUTION.md. Download azure-local-multi-rack.zip