Integrated Systems for Microsoft Azure Stack HCI is a new, complete hybrid cloud solution from DataON. Each integrated systems solution from DataON includes Azure Stack HCI software with built-in Azure services pre-installed, tested, and validated on server nodes powered by Intel® technologies. With world class, 24/7, around-the-clock customer support and on-premises services, DataON simplifies your deployment and ensures hassle-free maintenance. With the launch of the Integrated Systems, DataON introduced DataON MUST Pro, a powerful, new software tool that can simplify hardware updates across your cluster. DataON MUST Pro integrates with Microsoft Windows Admin Center’s cluster creation and cluster-aware updating functionality to simplify deployment and updates to Microsoft Azure Stack HCI, with minimal disruptions to your infrastructure. MUST Pro automatically compares your DataON Integrated Systems for Azure Stack HCI against DataON’s latest quarterly validated server component image baseline. It also ensures that servers have the same OS version, drivers, firmware, BIOS, and BMC, and checks the drivers and firmware for network cards, host bus adapters, and SSD and HDD drives
Here are five things about DataON MUST Pro in integrated systems for Azure Stack HCI.
1. DataON MUST Pro complements all the original features of DataON MUST
DataON MUST Pro complements the complete DataON MUST (Management Utility Software Tool) suite. It provides a high level of infrastructure visibility, monitoring, and management for Azure Stack HCI. As a third-party extension in Windows Admin Center, DataON MUST simplifies your data center management and provides tools such as historic data reporting, enhanced disk mapping, alert services, and a call home service. DataON MUST Pro expands its infrastructure inventory management tool and adds a powerful cluster aware update solution for your Azure Stack HCI hardware.
2. DataON MUST Pro is a Snap-In extension to the Windows Admin Center for Azure Stack HCI
Located in the Tools -> Update side menu in Windows Admin Center as a snap-in, the DataON MUST Pro:
- Support initial HCI Cluster creation flow via full integration with Windows Admin Center
- Support maintenance update flow via Microsoft cluster aware update features for bios, firmware, drivers and BMC
- Support both online and offline mode
- Update MUST Inventory Page to support bios, firmware, drivers and BMC comparison between existing cluster hardware to latest golden image build
- Support DataON Integrated Systems for Microsoft Azure Stack HCI
3. DataON MUST Pro allows you to choose which hardware you want to update
After clicking Get Updates, DataON MUST Pro provides an infrastructure inventory of your entire Azure Stack HCI cluster. You can check the boxes next to the hardware you want to update and click Install Selected Updates or choose all hardware and Install All Updates. DataON MUST Pro works by automatically comparing your server nodes against the latest quarterly validated server component image baseline from Microsoft. It ensures that servers have the same OS version, drivers, firmware, BIOS, and BMC, and checks the drivers and firmware for network cards, host bus adapters, and SSD and HDD drives. DataON MUST Pro helps keep your system updated and secure against the latest server exploits. Within just a few clicks, you can update all hardware in your Azure Stack HCI cluster.
4. DataON MUST Pro provides hardware update options for organizations with high security Service Level Agreements (SLAs)
Choosing the Use online source at dataonstorage.com option makes it quick and easy to download the latest quarterly validated updates. However, some organization SLAs restrict online updates. If your organization requires offline updates, you can contact DataON support and they will provide you the update files offline. Once received, click the Use the offline source available at the following location option, point to the file location, and update.
5. DataON MUST Pro eliminates Azure Stack HCI cluster downtime during updates
During the update process, DataON MUST Pro integrated with Microsoft cluster aware feature intelligently orchestrates updates to your hardware node-by-node and checking to ensure all the software and hardware updates are complete before re-booting the server. With check and verification processes in place, Microsoft and DataON with DataON MUST Pro ensures that your Azure Stack HCI cluster are working during the update process. With the CAU orchestration, your workloads will stay online with minimal if any disruption to business. Microsoft CAU will automatically reboot each node when required. Once the process is complete, your entire cluster is up to date.
DataON MUST Pro is must-have software tool for system administrator. Understanding the challenges of infrastructure support, software patches, and hard component level updates, DataON MUST Pro simplifies updating your Azure Stack HCI hardware and shaves hours off the update process. By ensuring all updates are compatible, DataON MUST Pro eliminates potential hazards, troubleshooting, and provides a peace of mind.
Read our customer stories and see how we’ve been able to help our customers succeed in their IT modernization goals.