Forum Discussion
Installing azure local os on a laptop
I don't know if it is possible but I would like to try installing azure local on a laptop that has a two terabyte SSD drive. it is an LG Gram laptop. the reason I would install it on the laptop is the laptop was damaged while being transported by an ambulance to hospital the laptop did they lowered the the gurney and the laptop was underneath and so the laptop was crushed into the shape of a 8th moon. if it is possible what I'd like to do is install the azure local os and then from the azure portal provision a Windows 11 operating system initially for testing purposes. if I can be successful at that then I would try installing Azure Local On one of several servers I have in my home that have multiple network cards I also have a bank of 56 public IP addresses So I think I have everything necessary but I'd like to start with the laptop any tips would be appreciated i've searched high and low maybe I'm just not good at searching but hoping somebody out there take a minute to tell me I'm parking up the wrong tree or maybe you can provide me with a link to a good article or just tell me what I need to do. In the end maybe I can use the laptop and it's drive for restoring data for insights or some or maybe have one BM running on it Anything I can do to use the on premise Hardware that I have would help from a cost standpoint. I am limited in what I can do as far as neurologically because of a spinal cord injury but that's not a crutch it's just an FYI. I'm pretty sure one of you is way smarter than me and way more experienced than I So thanks In advance we're taking the time to point me in whatever direction I need have a good afternoon
Hello. You can't build a azure local lab using a laptop as others said. I did build a Azure Local lab. You have to meet the requirements and have an azure subscription but, if you follow my blog https://www.cloudythoughts.cloud/2025/06/18/my-little-azure-local-lab/ and the linked one in the post, you will be successful.
I have a working cluster with AVD installed. Feel free to reach out if you want to discuss more.
7 Replies
Hello. You can't build a azure local lab using a laptop as others said. I did build a Azure Local lab. You have to meet the requirements and have an azure subscription but, if you follow my blog https://www.cloudythoughts.cloud/2025/06/18/my-little-azure-local-lab/ and the linked one in the post, you will be successful.
I have a working cluster with AVD installed. Feel free to reach out if you want to discuss more.
Thank you very much. Great domain BTW. I hope to have at least one server with AZ LOCAL by Sunday.
Unfortunately the hardware requirements for Azure Local (and Azure Stack HCI which I assume is what you are looking to run) are quite high and a server from the Azure Local catalogue -https://azurelocalsolutions.azure.microsoft.com/#/catalog - is required for it to run properly.
I appreciate all the responses regarding the installation of azure local. I do have several Dell servers that have multiple network cards and are maxed out on memory; they are running raid 5 config with 16 terabytes of space available; I believe I'll be able to use those servers for Azure Local for storage or virtual machines; I was just wondering if I could do a test with the laptop Because it has speed; Two terabytes 50 drive it has the two terabyte SSD drive but it doesn't have the multiple network cards; I just thought can I use the two terabytes for storage or could I use it for something else; I don't even see where I could get the azure local software installed on the laptop To even see it from the Azure Portal; I do appreciate the conversation though so if you have any suggestions or ideas feel free to throw them out there; thanks again for your input guys
Hi gregorywoodruffstl ,
Thanks for sharing your story—sorry to hear about the laptop incident, but it's great to see your enthusiasm for making the most of your hardware!
Just to clarify: Azure itself isn’t something you can install locally, as it’s a cloud platform. However, there are a few tools and services that let you simulate or connect local environments to Azure:
Azure Arc doesn’t deploy servers to your on-premises hardware. Instead, it allows you to register and manage existing physical or virtual machines (on-prem or in other clouds) through the Azure portal. Once connected, you can apply Azure services like Policy, Monitor, and Defender to those machines.
If you're looking to run Azure-like infrastructure on your own hardware, Azure Stack HCI is the closest option. It’s designed for on-premises environments and supports hybrid scenarios, but it does have specific hardware requirements.
For development and testing, you can use:
- Azurite: A local emulator for Azure Storage.
- Azure Functions Core Tools: Run serverless functions locally.
- Docker + Kubernetes (e.g., Minikube): Simulate containerized workloads.
- Azure CLI & SDKs: Interact with Azure services from your laptop.
Azure Local is indeed its own product and Azure Stack HCI is now part of the product package.
https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/products/local/
Its pure purpose is to run the Azure stack locally on-prem.Nice place to start. I appreciate the input very much.
