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Azure Stack HCI – Evaluation Guide

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Welcome to the Azure Stack HCI Evaluation Guide

https://github.com/pablovillaronga76/AzureStackHCI-EvalGuide

In this guide, we’ll walk you experiencing a number of the amazing capabilities within the new Azure Stack HCI public preview, and set the foundation for you to explore in your own time. You’ll cover aspects such as:

  • Deploying Azure Stack HCI nodes
  • Deploying supporting management infrastructure, including Active Directory domain and management tooling
  • Building a Hyperconverged cluster using Windows Admin Center, including configuring a cloud witness
  • Registering Azure Stack HCI with Azure
  • and more…!

What is Azure Stack HCI?

If you’ve landed on this page, and you’re still wondering what Azure Stack HCI is, Azure Stack HCI is a hyperconverged cluster solution that runs virtualized Windows and Linux workloads in a hybrid on-premises environment. Azure hybrid services enhance the cluster with capabilities such as cloud-based monitoring, site recovery, and backup, as well as a central view of all of your Azure Stack HCI deployments in the Azure portal. You can manage the cluster with your existing tools including Windows Admin Center, System Center, and PowerShell.

Initially based on Windows Server 2019, Azure Stack HCI is now a specialized OS, running on your hardware, delivered as an Azure service with a subscription-based licensing model and hybrid capabilities built-in. Although Azure Stack HCI is based on the same core operating system components as Windows Server, it’s an entirely new product line focused on being the best virtualization host.

If you’re interested in learning more about what Azure Stack HCI is, make sure you check out the official documentation, before coming back to continue your evaluation experience. We’ll refer to the docs in various places in the guide, to help you build your knowledge of Azure Stack HCI.

Why follow this guide?

This evaluation guide will walk you through standing up a sandboxed, isolated Azure Stack HCI environment using nested virtualization, and can run on a single physical system, such as a workstation, laptop, or server of you have one, or alternatively, you can run the whole configuration in Azure. We’ll go into more details for this path, shortly.

The important takeaway here is, by following this guide, you’ll lay down a solid foundation on to which you can explore additional Azure Stack HCI scenarios that will be documented as we move through the public preview program to the first release of Azure Stack HCI, so keep checking back for additional scenarios over time.

Start your Azure Stack HCI evaluation using nested virtualization

If you have a single physical system, which could be a laptop, desktop, or server, or you have no spare hardware at all, using nested virtualization would be a great approach to experiencing Azure Stack HCI. You can get more details at the start of the path

Nested path image

Evaluate Azure Stack HCI using Nested Virtualization

Important Note

The use of nested virtualization in this evaluation guide is aimed at providing flexibility for deploying Azure Stack HCI in a lab, or test environment. For production use, Azure Stack HCI should be deployed on certified physical hardware, of which you can find a vast array of choices on the Azure Stack HCI Catalog.

Product improvements

If, while you work through this guide, you have an idea to make the product better, whether it’s something in Azure Stack HCI, Windows Admin Center, or the Azure Arc integration and experience, let us know! We want to hear from you! Head on over to our Azure Stack HCI UserVoice page, where you can share your thoughts and ideas about making the technologies better. If however, you have an issue that you’d like some help with, read on…

Raising issues

If you notice something is wrong with the evaluation guide, such as a step isn’t working, or something just doesn’t make sense – help us to make this guide better! Raise an issue in GitHub, and we’ll be sure to fix this as quickly as possible!

If however, you’re having a problem with Azure Stack HCI outside of this evaluation guide, make sure you post to our Microsoft Q&A forum, where Microsoft experts and valuable members of the Azure Stack HCI community will do their best to help you.

Contributions & Legal

Contributing

This project welcomes contributions and suggestions. Most contributions require you to agree to a Contributor License Agreement (CLA) declaring that you have the right to, and actually do, grant us the rights to use your contribution. For details, visit https://cla.opensource.microsoft.com.

When you submit a pull request, a CLA bot will automatically determine whether you need to provide a CLA and decorate the PR appropriately (e.g., status check, comment). Simply follow the instructions provided by the bot. You will only need to do this once across all repos using our CLA.

This project has adopted the Microsoft Open Source Code of Conduct. For more information see the Code of Conduct FAQ or contact opencode@microsoft.com with any additional questions or comments.

Legal Notices

Microsoft and any contributors grant you a license to the Microsoft documentation and other content in this repository under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License, see the LICENSE file, and grant you a license to any code in the repository under the MIT License, see the LICENSE-CODE file.

Microsoft, Windows, Microsoft Azure and/or other Microsoft products and services referenced in the documentation may be either trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft in the United States and/or other countries. The licenses for this project do not grant you rights to use any Microsoft names, logos, or trademarks. Microsoft’s general trademark guidelines can be found at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=254653.

Privacy information can be found at https://privacy.microsoft.com/en-us/

Microsoft and any contributors reserve all other rights, whether under their respective copyrights, patents, or trademarks, whether by implication, estoppel or otherwise.

Building Real-World Blockchain Fintech Products

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Blockchain and Fintech-Use cases and Applications - M2P Fintech Blog

## 🚀 **GitHub Repo Scaffolding**
“`
FirstChainPay/
├── contracts/ # Smart contracts (Solidity)
│ ├── PaymentGateway.sol # Main payment logic
│ └── MockEURC.sol # Mock stablecoin for testing
├── frontend/ # Next.js + Tailwind
│ ├── pages/
│ │ ├── index.js # Landing page
│ │ └── dashboard.js # User payment dashboard
│ └── styles/
├── hardhat.config.js # Hardhat setup
├── package.json
└── README.md # Project overview + setup
“`

—

## 📅 **Project Milestones (Visio-style Plan)**

![Project Plan](https://i.imgur.com/JQh7WDr.png)
*(Visual roadmap: Phases → Tasks → Deadlines)*

**Key Phases:**
1. **Smart Contract Development** (Weeks 1-3)
– Escrow logic
– Token conversion mock
2. **Frontend MVP** (Weeks 4-5)
– Wallet connection
– Payment form
3. **E-Commerce Integration** (Weeks 6-7)
– API endpoints
– Webhook simulator



💻 **Starter Code**

### 2. **Frontend (`index.html` + JavaScript)**
“`html
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>FirstChainPay</title>
<script src=”https://cdn.ethers.io/lib/ethers-5.2.umd.min.js”></script>
<style>
body { font-family: Arial; max-width: 600px; margin: 0 auto; }
button { padding: 10px; background: #4CAF50; color: white; border: none; }
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1>FirstChainPay</h1>
<button id=”connectWallet”>Connect MetaMask</button>
<div id=”walletAddress”></div>

<h2>Send Payment</h2>
<input type=”text” id=”amount” placeholder=”Amount (USDC)” />
<button id=”sendPayment”>Send</button>

<script>
let provider, signer;
document.getElementById(‘connectWallet’).onclick = async () => {
if (window.ethereum) {
provider = new ethers.providers.Web3Provider(window.ethereum);
await provider.send(“eth_requestAccounts”, []);
signer = provider.getSigner();
const address = await signer.getAddress();
document.getElementById(‘walletAddress’).innerText = `Connected: ${address}`;
} else {
alert(“Install MetaMask!”);
}
};
</script>
</body>
</html>
“`

—

## 🛠️ **Next Steps**
1. **Set up the repo**:
“`bash
mkdir FirstChainPay && cd FirstChainPay
git init
npx hardhat init # Choose “JavaScript project”
npm install @openzeppelin/contracts ethers
“`
2. **Deploy the contract**:
“`bash
npx hardhat run scripts/deploy.js –network mumbai
“`
3. **Start the frontend**:
“`bash
npx create-next-app frontend
cd frontend && npm install ethers wagmi @rainbow-me/rainbowkit
“`

—

## 📌 **Business Alignment**
– **FirstCloud.es** can use this as a **client demo** for blockchain consulting.
– Later, monetize via:
– Transaction fees (0.1% per cross-border payment)
– White-label solutions for enterprises

Let me know if you’d like to refine any component!

### 1. **Smart Contract (`PaymentGateway.sol`)**
```solidity
// SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
pragma solidity ^0.8.0;

import "@openzeppelin/contracts/token/ERC20/IERC20.sol";

contract PaymentGateway {
    address public owner;
    mapping(address => uint256) public balances;

    constructor() {
        owner = msg.sender;
    }

    // Deposit ERC-20 tokens into the gateway
    function deposit(address token, uint256 amount) external {
        IERC20(token).transferFrom(msg.sender, address(this), amount);
        balances[msg.sender] += amount;
    }

    // Withdraw tokens (simplified; add security checks later)
    function withdraw(address token, uint256 amount) external {
        require(balances[msg.sender] >= amount, "Insufficient balance");
        IERC20(token).transfer(msg.sender, amount);
        balances[msg.sender] -= amount;
    }
}

Have hands-on experience on a broad range of real-world blockchain and fintech development patterns, including:

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blockchain technology explained feature
  • Smart contract development using Solidity (Ethereum) or Rust (Solana/Polkadot)
  • Blockchain integration with web or mobile apps (using Web3.js, Ethers.js, or libraries for Solana/Polygon/etc.)
  • Token creation (ERC-20, ERC-721, ERC-1155) and ICO/IDO structuring
  • Wallet integration (MetaMask, WalletConnect, Ledger)
  • Security considerations (smart contract vulnerabilities, audits, multi-sig wallets, KYC/AML implications)
  • Regulatory landscapes for blockchain fintech in regions like the EU, US, and Asia
  • DeFi protocols, DEX development, and NFT marketplaces
  • Payment gateways and custodial vs. non-custodial models

✅ Project Proposal: FirstChainPay – A Blockchain-based Cross-Border Payment Gateway

🔍 Concept:

Develop a decentralized payment gateway on Ethereum (or a low-fee chain like Polygon or Base) that allows users to:

  • Send and receive crypto payments across borders.
  • Automatically convert between tokens (e.g., USDC ↔ EURC ↔ MATIC).
  • Track transactions and generate invoices.
  • Integrate with existing e-commerce sites via a simple API or plugin.

🧱 Key Features

FeatureDescription
Smart ContractsWritten in Solidity to handle payment routing, conversion logic, and escrow.
Fiat-crypto bridge (mocked initially)Simulated KYC and fiat onboarding/offboarding flows (later link to services like Ramp or MoonPay).
DashboardAdmin and user-facing interfaces built with React + Tailwind (or Next.js) with wallet login (MetaMask, WalletConnect).
Multi-chain Support (future)Begin on one chain (Polygon or Ethereum testnet), later expand to Solana or Arbitrum.
Security ModuleInclude 2FA login for admin, multisig for contract upgrade/auths.
API/WebhooksAllow third-party e-commerce platforms to integrate it.
Invoicing SystemAuto-generate PDF invoices after payment, with blockchain TX hash.

BlockChain Definition:

The BLOCKCHAIN is a database technology that can maintain a growing list of data seemingly without limits that is decentralised and founded on the principle that it impossible to tamper with. The data records are combined in small blocks.  In order to add these blocks of data to the distributed ledger, which holds all the data and history of the blockchain, the data needs to be verified by atleast 51% of the computers that have access to the netwrok.

For data to be verified and added to the open ledger a method of cryptography is used. This means that a mathematical equation must be solved.  Simply put, once that mathematical equation is solved it will receive a stamp and a hash*. To solve the mathematical equation requires computing power. A verified trasnsaction can involve cryptocurrency, smart contracts, records or any type of information.

As mentioned above, this technology can be used to create cryptocurrencies. This technology allows peer to peer transactions without the need of a centralised authority such as a bank.  This will allow for transactions, nearly instantly to be achieved with no middle man that takes commission on the transaction.  To date there are already hundreds of cryptocurrencies running on this technology with Bitcoin being the most known and accepted.

🛠️ Tech Stack

  • Smart Contracts: Solidity + Hardhat/Foundry
  • Frontend: Next.js (React) + TailwindCSS
  • Blockchain: Polygon Mumbai testnet (then Polygon mainnet)
  • Web3: Ethers.js or Wagmi.sh + RainbowKit for wallet integration
  • Backend (optional): Node.js or Firebase Functions for metadata, user management, invoice generation
  • Storage: IPFS or Arweave (for optional metadata/files)
  • CI/CD & Hosting: Vercel or Netlify for the frontend, GitHub Actions for smart contract tests/deployments

🧪 Phase 1 – MVP Timeline (8 Weeks)

WeekGoal
1Project repo setup, define scope, create GitHub project board
2Build & test basic ERC-20 payment smart contract
3Deploy to Polygon Mumbai, connect frontend with Ethers.js
4Add wallet login, build user dashboard UI
5Implement transaction history + mock invoice generation
6Add admin dashboard + basic API for payments
7Implement webhook to simulate e-commerce integration
8Final polish, test security (reentrancy, overflows), deploy to mainnet

💡 Business Add-on (Optional)

You can build:

  • A course/blog/tutorial series under FirstCloud.es titled “Building Real-World Blockchain Fintech Products”.
  • A case study PDF downloadable by clients looking for blockchain services.
  • A demo site with fake USD/EUR tokens to simulate real-world testing for client demos.