AzStackHci_Hardware_Test_PhysicalDisk_Minimum_Count

Question

AzStackHci_Hardware_Test_PhysicalDisk_Minimum_Count

Simranjit Singh 5

I have the required physical disks for the Azure local on my node, but still I get the same error.
I am using single node deployment.

PS C:\Users\Administrator> get-physicaldisk

Number FriendlyName SerialNumber MediaType CanPool OperationalStatus HealthStatus Usage Size

3 Micron_5300_MTFDDAV240TDS MSY26060VU5 SSD False OK Healthy Auto-Select 223.57 GB

1 ATA TOSHIBA THNSNH51 Z3KS103PTVQY SSD True OK Healthy Auto-Select 476.94 GB

4 Micron_5300_MTFDDAV240TDS MSY260701Y3 SSD True OK Healthy Retired 223.57 GB

2 ATA TOSHIBA THNSNH51 44BS104RTVQY SSD True OK Healthy Auto-Select 476.94 GB

error

Exception

Type 'ValidateHardware' of Role 'EnvironmentValidator' raised an exception:

ErrorMessage:

Message:

Hardware requirements not met. Review output and remediate.

Results:

{

Name:

AzStackHci_Hardware_Test_PhysicalDisk_Minimum_Count

DisplayName:

Test PhysicalDisk Minimum Count AZURENODE2

Tags:

Title:

Test PhysicalDisk Minimum Count

Status:

1

Severity:

2

Description:

Checking PhysicalDisk minimum count

Remediation:

https://aka.ms/hci-envch

TargetResourceID:

Machine: AZURENODE2, Class: PhysicalDisk

TargetResourceName:

Machine: AZURENODE2, Class: PhysicalDisk

TargetResourceType:

PhysicalDisk

Timestamp:

/Date(1772026496909)/

AdditionalData:

Detail:

Total number of PhysicalDisk ''. Expected at least '2'

Status:

FAILURE

TimeStamp:

02/25/2026 13:34:56

Resource:

Source:

PhysicalDisk Minimum Count

Manish Deshpande 8,220 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-02T01:22:52.4566667+00:00
Hello @Simranjit Singh

Thanks for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A

When deploying an Azure Local 23H2 instance via Azure Portal, you may hit a failure in the Validation task "Azure Stack HCI hardware" during the validation stage.

1. Verify "Virtualization-based security (VBS)" setting
Run this cmdlet on each node to check the result:

$result = SystemInfo | Select-String "Virtualization-based security" Write-Host "VBS: $result" if ($result -eq "Virtualization-based security: Status: Not enabled" -or $result -eq "Virtualization-based security: Status: Enabled but not running") { Write-Host "The VBS issue is hit. You can follow the below mitigation details section to mitigate the issue" } else { Write-Host "No issue found in VBS setting" }

2. Verify Secure Boot setting
Run this cmdlet on each node to check the result:

$secureBootEnabled = Confirm-SecureBootUEFI Write-Host "SecureBootEnable: $secureBootEnabled" if ($secureBootEnabled -eq $false) { Write-Host "SecureBoot issue is hit. You can follow the below mitigation details section to mitigate the issue" } else { Write-Host "SecureBoot is enabled. No issue found in SecureBoot setting" }

Let us know if you detect any issue.

Cause :
"Virtualization Technology" was not enabled on BIOS or SecureBoot is not enabled

Details:
On each node where the issue is hit, follow below steps:

1. Validate that BIOS setting of "Virtualization Technology" is enabled. If not, enable it in BIOS.

2. Validate that SecureBoot is enabled. If not enable it in BIOS

3. Restart the node.

4. In the Azure Portal, retry the failed validation by clicking "Try Again" button in the deploy blade, or start the validation again if there is no "Try Again" option.

Thanks,
Manish.

Simranjit Singh 5

Hi @Manish Deshpande

here is the command output

PS C:\Users\Administrator> $result = SystemInfo | Select-String "Virtualization-based security"

Write-Host "VBS: $result"
if ($result -eq "Virtualization-based security: Status: Not enabled" -or $result -eq "Virtualization-based security: Status: Enabled but not running") {
Write-Host "The VBS issue is hit. You can follow the below mitigation details section to mitigate the issue"
}
else {
Write-Host "No issue found in VBS setting"
}
**VBS: Virtualization-based security: Status: Running
No issue found in VBS setting**

PS C:\Users\Administrator> $secureBootEnabled = Confirm-SecureBootUEFI
Write-Host "SecureBootEnable: $secureBootEnabled"
if ($secureBootEnabled -eq $false) {
Write-Host "SecureBoot issue is hit. You can follow the below mitigation details section to mitigate the issue"
}
else {
Write-Host "SecureBoot is enabled. No issue found in SecureBoot setting"
}
SecureBootEnable: True
SecureBoot is enabled. No issue found in SecureBoot setting

PS C:\Users\Administrator>

1 answer

Your answer

Manish Deshpande 8,220 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-02T01:22:52.4566667+00:00

Hello @Simranjit Singh

Thanks for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A

When deploying an Azure Local 23H2 instance via Azure Portal, you may hit a failure in the Validation task "Azure Stack HCI hardware" during the validation stage.

1. Verify "Virtualization-based security (VBS)" setting
Run this cmdlet on each node to check the result:

$result = SystemInfo | Select-String "Virtualization-based security" Write-Host "VBS: $result" if ($result -eq "Virtualization-based security: Status: Not enabled" -or $result -eq "Virtualization-based security: Status: Enabled but not running") { Write-Host "The VBS issue is hit. You can follow the below mitigation details section to mitigate the issue" } else { Write-Host "No issue found in VBS setting" }

2. Verify Secure Boot setting
Run this cmdlet on each node to check the result:

$secureBootEnabled = Confirm-SecureBootUEFI Write-Host "SecureBootEnable: $secureBootEnabled" if ($secureBootEnabled -eq $false) { Write-Host "SecureBoot issue is hit. You can follow the below mitigation details section to mitigate the issue" } else { Write-Host "SecureBoot is enabled. No issue found in SecureBoot setting" }

Let us know if you detect any issue.

Cause :
"Virtualization Technology" was not enabled on BIOS or SecureBoot is not enabled

Details:
On each node where the issue is hit, follow below steps:

1. Validate that BIOS setting of "Virtualization Technology" is enabled. If not, enable it in BIOS.

2. Validate that SecureBoot is enabled. If not enable it in BIOS

3. Restart the node.

4. In the Azure Portal, retry the failed validation by clicking "Try Again" button in the deploy blade, or start the validation again if there is no "Try Again" option.

Thanks,
Manish.
Simranjit Singh 5 Reputation points

2026-03-02T05:03:45.3933333+00:00

Hi @Manish Deshpande

here is the command output

PS C:\Users\Administrator> $result = SystemInfo | Select-String "Virtualization-based security"

Write-Host "VBS: $result" if ($result -eq "Virtualization-based security: Status: Not enabled" -or $result -eq "Virtualization-based security: Status: Enabled but not running") { Write-Host "The VBS issue is hit. You can follow the below mitigation details section to mitigate the issue" } else { Write-Host "No issue found in VBS setting" } **VBS: Virtualization-based security: Status: Running No issue found in VBS setting**

PS C:\Users\Administrator> $secureBootEnabled = Confirm-SecureBootUEFI Write-Host "SecureBootEnable: $secureBootEnabled" if ($secureBootEnabled -eq $false) { Write-Host "SecureBoot issue is hit. You can follow the below mitigation details section to mitigate the issue" } else { Write-Host "SecureBoot is enabled. No issue found in SecureBoot setting" } SecureBootEnable: True SecureBoot is enabled. No issue found in SecureBoot setting

PS C:\Users\Administrator>

Answer 1

Alex Burlachenko 25,290 MVP Volunteer Moderator

Simranjit Singh hi,

This error is not about how many disks u physically see. It is about how many disks are eligible for pooling and usable by storage spaces direct.

One disk has CanPool False One disk has Usage Retired Only the disks with CanPool True and not Retired count toward the minimum requirement. Azure Local (Azure Stack HCI) validation checks usable poolable disks not total disks in the server.

The key problem is this line Micron_5300... > Usage Retired

A disk marked Retired will not be counted and disk with CanPool False is excluded.

Thats why validation says Total number of PhysicalDisk '' > Expected at least 2

Even though u see 4 disks fewer than 2 are valid for pooling.

Run Get-PhysicalDisk | ft FriendlyName,CanPool,OperationalStatus,HealthStatus,Usage

Then fix the retired disk if it’s healthy

If it was previously in a pool Reset-PhysicalDisk -FriendlyName "<diskname>"

If needed Set-PhysicalDisk -FriendlyName "<diskname>" -Usage AutoSelect

Then confirm at least two disks show CanPool = True Usage = AutoSelect HealthStatus = Healthy

After that rerun validation.

In single-node Azure Local, u must have at least 2 eligible poolable disks. Right now the validator sees fewer than 2 valid candidates, so it fails.

Fix the Retired and non poolable state and validation should pass.

Hope that would help

rgds,

Alex

Simranjit Singh 5

@Alex Burlachenko
Thank for responding. I had done some clean up last week, however still it gives me the same error. The new physical disk output is as below

THe one non poolable disk is 223GB which hosts the OS.

Quick Question

Can we create a single-disk RAID0 per drive?

PS C:\Users\Administrator> Get-PhysicalDisk
Number FriendlyName              SerialNumber MediaType CanPool OperationalStatus HealthStatus Usage            Size
------ ------------              ------------ --------- ------- ----------------- ------------ -----            ----
1      ATA Micron_5200_MTFD      184320336B2A SSD       True    OK                Healthy      Auto-Select 894.25 GB
2      Micron_5300_MTFDDAV240TDS MSY26060VU5  SSD       False   OK                Healthy      Auto-Select 223.57 GB
0      ATA Micron_5200_MTFD      184320336A66 SSD       True    OK                Healthy      Auto-Select 894.25 GB

Alex Burlachenko 25,290 Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-03-02T10:58:42.8733333+00:00

Hi, short answer is NO, u cant (and should not) create a single disk RAID0 per drive for use with Storage Spaces Direct... to solve ur issue and successfully enable Storage Spaces Direct u need to disable RAID functionality on ur storage controller for the 2 894GB SSDs and configure the controller to operate in HBA mode .

This will allow Windows and S2D to take full native control of the drives, dont create any RAID0 arrays for these drives.

rgds,

Alex
Manish Deshpande 8,220 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-06T06:47:17.5066667+00:00
Hello @Simranjit Singh

Adding to Alex comments

I understand the confusion around the PhysicalDisk – Minimum Count validation error, especially since the server does show multiple disks at the operating system level. I’d like to clarify what is happening and why the Azure Local (Azure Stack HCI) validation is failing in this scenario.

Azure Local uses Storage Spaces Direct (S2D) for storage. During validation, Azure Local does not count all physical disks attached to the server. Instead, it only considers disks that are eligible for pooling by S2D.

For a disk to be considered valid by Azure Local, it must meet all of the following conditions:

The disk must be directly visible to Windows (no RAID abstraction).

The disk must be marked as CanPool = True.

The disk must not be in a Retired or OS usage state.

The disk must be presented through a supported pass‑through (HBA) storage controller.

In your current configuration:

The smaller disk is being used for the operating system, so it is excluded from validation.

The remaining SSDs are being presented via the storage controller in a way that abstracts the disks (for example, RAID or single‑disk RAID0).

Because of this, Azure Local treats these disks as non‑poolable, even though they appear healthy in Windows.

As a result, the validator sees fewer than the required number of eligible poolable disks, which causes the PhysicalDisk Minimum Count validation to fail.

Important Clarification: RAID0 Is Not Supported

Creating a single‑disk RAID0 per drive is not supported for Azure Local or Storage Spaces Direct.

Storage Spaces Direct requires direct, unabstracted access to each physical disk so that Windows can manage:

Disk health

Resiliency

Caching

Failover and recovery

When RAID (including single‑disk RAID0) is used, the RAID controller sits between Windows and the disk, which breaks this requirement and leads to validation and supportability issues.

Actions :

To resolve the issue and pass Azure Local validation, please ensure the following:

Disable RAID functionality on the storage controller.

Configure the controller in true HBA / pass‑through mode (not RAID or firmware‑based JBOD).

Present each SSD directly to Windows as a raw physical disk.

Ensure at least two data disks are visible as:

CanPool = True

BusType = SATA / NVMe (not RAID)

Once this is done, rerun the Azure Local environment validation. The disk minimum count check should pass successfully.

Please feel free to comment back with the updated validation output, and we’ll review it with you and assist further.

We’re here to help and ensure your Azure Local deployment succeeds.

Thanks,
Manish
Manish Deshpande 8,220 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-09T03:21:53.7133333+00:00

Hello @Simranjit Singh

I have provided the response kindly review it if the issue still persists pls comment the output and error in the comment section, We will be happy to assist you.

If issue still persists then pls let me know your best time i will share the invite to connect with over the teams.