Create load balancers on logical networks using Azure CLI in multi-rack deployments of Azure Local (preview)

Applies to: Multi-rack deployments of Azure Local 2511 and later

This article describes how to create load balancers on logical networks using Azure CLI in multi-rack deployments of Azure Local.

Prerequisites

• The stack-hci-vm Azure CLI extension version 1.13.0 or later. To check your version, run az extension show --name stack-hci-vm. To install or upgrade, see Install CLI extensions for multi-rack.
• Review and complete the prerequisites.
• Access to an Azure subscription with the appropriate RBAC role and permissions. For more information, see Use Role-based Access Control to manage Azure Local VMs for multi-rack deployments.
• Access to a resource group where you want to provision the load balancer.
• Access to the Azure Resource Manager (ARM) ID of the custom location associated with your Azure Local instance where you want to provision the load balancer resource.
• Access to ARM ID of the public IP resource for the frontend IP configuration. The public IP resource must come from the same logical network where you’re creating the load balancer.
• For backend pools you want to add to the load balancer instance, make sure you have:
  • ARM IDs of the network interfaces you want to add to the backend pool.
  • ARM ID of the logical network where these backend resources reside.
• If you're using a client to connect to your Azure Local instance, see Connect to the system remotely. 

Create load balancers on logical networks using Azure CLI

Use the az stack-hci-vm network lb cmdlet to create a load balancer on logical networks in your Azure Local instance.

Key things to consider before you create a load balancer on logical networks:

• After creating the load balancer, you can't update the frontend IP configuration or change the logical network. The az stack-hci-vm network lb update command can only be used to update tags.

• To add multiple backend pools, rules, frontend IP configs, or probes, either:

  • Repeat the --frontend-ip, --backend-pool, --lb-rule, or --probe parameters with key values for each additional configuration within the az stack-hci-vm network lb create command.
  • Or run the relevant subgroup command to add, delete, or update specific items for these configuration types. For example:
    • az stack-hci-vm network lb frontend-ip add/delete
    • az stack-hci-vm network lb backend-pool add/update/delete
    • az stack-hci-vm network lb probe add/update/delete
    • az stack-hci-vm network lb lb-rule add/update/delete

Required parameters

Before you begin, review the required parameters:

Keys for frontend-ip

Keys for backend-pool

Keys for probes

Keys for load balancing rules

Steps to create a load balancer on a logical network

The example in this section demonstrates how to create a load balancer on a logical network with backend pools, load balancing rules, and probes already configured.

Sign in and set subscription

1. Connect to your Azure Local instance.

2. Sign in. Type:

   az login --use-device-code
   

3. Set your subscription.

   az account set --subscription "<Subscription ID>"
   

Set the parameters

1. Set the parameters.

   $location = "eastus"  
   $subscription = "<subscription ID>"
   $resourceGroup = "mylocal-rg"  
   $customLocationID = "<custom location ARM resource ID>"
   $name = "mylocal-LNET-LB" 
   $frontendIPConfigName= "fe1"
   $frontendIPPublicIP = "/subscriptions/$subscription/resourceGroups/$resourceGroup/providers/Microsoft.AzureStackHCI/publicIPAddresses/mylocal-publicip"
   $lbRuleName = "rule1"
   $lbRuleBackendPoolName = "web-backend"
   $lbRuleFrontendIPConfigName = "fe1"
   $lbRuleFrontendPort = 80
   $lbRuleBackendPort = 8080
   $lbRuleProtocol = "Tcp"
   $lbRuleProbeName = "probe1"
   $lbRuleLoadDistribution = "Default"
   $probePort = 80
   $probeProtocol = "Http"
   $probeInterval = 5
   $probeRequestPath = "/"
   $probeNumProbe = 2
   $backendPoolName = "web-backend"
   $backendLNetID = "/subscriptions/$subscription/resourceGroups/$resourceGroup/providers/Microsoft.AzureStackHCI/logicalNetworks/mylocal-lnet-static"
   

2. Set backend pool addresses.

   $backendPoolBEAddresses = "/subscriptions/$subscription/resourceGroups/$resourceGroup/providers/Microsoft.AzureStackHCI/networkInterfaces/nic1/ipConfigurations/ipconfig","/subscriptions/$subscription/resourceGroups/$resourceGroup/providers/Microsoft.AzureStackHCI/networkInterfaces/nic2/ipConfigurations/ipconfig"
   

Create the load balancer

Create a load balancer. Run the following cmdlet:

az stack-hci-vm network lb create `
--subscription $subscription `
--resource-group $resourceGroup `
--name $name `
--location $location `
--frontend-ip name=$frontendIPConfigName public-ip-id=$frontendIPPublicIP `
--backend-pool name=$backendPoolName addresses=$backendPoolBEAddresses lnet-id=$backendLNetID `
--lb-rule name=$lbRuleName frontend-ip=$lbRuleFrontendIPConfigName backend-pool=$lbRuleBackendPoolName frontend-port=$lbRuleFrontendPort backend-port=$lbRuleBackendPort protocol=$lbRuleProtocol probe=$lbRuleProbeName load-distribution=$lbRuleLoadDistribution `
--probe name=$lbRuleProbeName protocol=$probeProtocol port=$probePort path=$probeRequestPath interval=$probeInterval threshold=$probeNumProbe `
--custom-location $customLocationID

Next steps

• Manage Azure Local VMs
• Monitor multi-rack deployments of Azure Local