AzStackHciNetworkTestNetworkCluster_StorageIntentExistence

January 30, 2026 · View on GitHub

Name	AzStackHci_Network_Test_Network_Cluster_StorageIntentExistence
Severity	Critical: This validator will block operations until remediated.
Applicable Scenarios	Add-Server

Overview

This validator checks that a storage intent exists on the cluster before adding a new server. Storage intents are required for 2+ node Azure Local clusters to ensure proper storage network configuration. Without a storage intent, the new server cannot be added successfully.

Requirements

The cluster must meet the following requirement:

At least one network intent must have IsStorageIntentSet equal to True

Troubleshooting Steps

Review Environment Validator Output

Review the Environment Validator output JSON. Check the AdditionalData.Detail field for information about whether a storage intent was found. The Source field identifies the cluster name.

{
  "Name": "AzStackHci_Network_Test_Network_Cluster_StorageIntentExistence",
  "DisplayName": "Test Storage intent should exists on current cluster",
  "Title": "Test Storage intent existence",
  "Status": 1,
  "Severity": 2,
  "Description": "Check if the storage intent is configured on the existing cluster",
  "Remediation": "Storage intent is required for 2+ nodes Azure Local cluster.\nPlease run below PowerShell cmdlet to add storage intent into the cluster:\n    Add-NetIntent\nCheck https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-local/ for more information!",
  "TargetResourceID": "StorageIntent",
  "TargetResourceName": "StorageIntent",
  "TargetResourceType": "StorageIntent",
  "Timestamp": "<timestamp>",
  "AdditionalData": {
    "Source": "MyCluster",
    "Resource": "AddNodeStorageIntentCheck",
    "Detail": "Storage Intent is not configured on the cluster MyCluster.",
    "Status": "FAILURE",
    "TimeStamp": "<timestamp>"
  }
}

Failure: Storage Intent Not Configured

Error Message:

Storage Intent is not configured on the cluster MyCluster.

Root Cause: The cluster does not have a storage intent configured. Storage intents are required for 2+ node clusters to define which network adapters are used for storage traffic (SMB, iSCSI, or RDMA traffic for Storage Spaces Direct).

Remediation Steps

Step 1: Verify Current Intent Configuration

Check all existing intents on the cluster:

# List all intents
Get-NetIntent | Select-Object IntentName, IsStorageIntentSet, TrafficType, Adapter

Check if any intent has storage traffic type:

# Check for storage traffic in any intent
Get-NetIntent | Where-Object { $_.TrafficType -contains "Storage" } |
    Select-Object IntentName, TrafficType, Adapter

Verify intent status across nodes:

# Check intent status on all cluster nodes
Get-NetIntentStatus | Select-Object Host, IntentName, IsStorageIntentSet |
    Format-Table -AutoSize

Step 2: Determine Storage Network Design

Before adding a storage intent, determine your storage network design:

Option A: Dedicated Storage Network

Separate physical adapters dedicated to storage traffic
Recommended for high-performance workloads
Example: eth2, eth3 for storage only

Option B: Converged Network

Storage traffic shares adapters with other traffic types
Recommended for most deployments
Example: eth0, eth1 for management, compute, and storage

Step 3: Add Storage Intent

Choose the appropriate option based on your network design:

Option A: Add Dedicated Storage Intent

If you have dedicated storage adapters:

Identify the storage adapters on each node:

# Check adapters on all cluster nodes
Get-NetAdapter | Where-Object { $_.Status -eq "Up" }

Make sure you have a dedicated storage intent:

If you accidentally removed the storage intent that was provisioned during the Azure Local deployment time, or your current Azure Local cluster is a single node cluster, you could add it back using Set-StorageNetworkIntent cmdlet.

Option B: Add Storage to Existing Intent (Converged)

If storage should share adapters with other traffic, you will need to remove current intent and re-create the intent with adding an additional "-Storage" option. Your system might experience disconnection if you are removing the management intent.

Step 4: Verify Storage Intent Creation

Confirm the storage intent exists:

# Check for storage intent
Get-NetIntent | Where-Object { $_.IsStorageIntentSet -eq $true }

Monitor intent provisioning:
```
Get-NetIntentStatus
```

Verify storage network connectivity:

# Check storage adapter IP
ipconfig /all
# ping the storage IP to each other
ping "<storage IP on the other node>" -S "<storage IP on current node>"

Define storage network paths - Specifies which adapters handle storage traffic
Enable Storage Spaces Direct - Required for distributed storage
Optimize storage performance - Ensures proper QoS and traffic isolation
Enable RDMA - Configures RDMA for high-performance storage

Common Storage Network Designs

Design	Description	Traffic Types	Adapters
Dedicated Storage	Separate adapters for storage	Storage only	eth2, eth3
Fully Converged	All traffic on same adapters	Management, Compute, Storage	eth0, eth1

Checking Storage Intent Configuration

# View all storage-related configuration
Get-NetIntent

# Check storage adapter IPs
Get-NetIPAddress
# or
ipconfig /all

Single-Node Clusters

Note: Single-node clusters do not require a storage intent. This validator only applies when adding a server to an existing cluster (making it 2+ nodes).

Storage Network Requirements

When creating a storage intent, ensure:

Adapters support RDMA (if using RDMA)
Sufficient bandwidth (10Gbps+ recommended)
Dedicated VLAN
Consistent configuration across all nodes
IP addressing planned for storage network

Troubleshooting Intent Provisioning

If the intent fails to provision:

Check adapter status (see Cluster Intent Status TSG)
Verify driver compatibility
Check for VMSwitch conflicts
Review Network ATC logs

Best Practices

Plan storage network design before creating intents
Use RDMA-capable adapters for best performance
Separate storage traffic from other traffic when possible
Document network configuration for future reference
Test storage connectivity after creating intent
Monitor intent status regularly