Azure Stack Hub Marketplace items include syndicated items (published by Microsoft and its partners) and custom items (which are created in Azure Stack Hub). The operator can curate which items are available, besides managing the lifecycle of custom items that are created in the Azure Stack Hub.
Syndicated Azure Marketplace Items
You need Azure subscription and connectivity to Azure to syndicate items. After ensuring connectivity settings, you can navigate to the Azure Stack Hub administration portal. After confirming the correct Azure subscription, you can syndicate items to Azure Stack Hub.
Custom Marketplace Items
Custom marketplace items are created through the administration portal. You create a new item, define the item’s properties, add some assets, like icon and screenshots, and publish it in the marketplace. Here’s the code snippet for creating a new marketplace item using Azure Stack Hub PowerShell project:
$resourceGroup = "myResourceGroup"
$galleryItemIdentity = "myGalleryItem"
$galleryItemName = "My Gallery Item"
$description = "This is my gallery item in Azure Stack Hub Marketplace."
New-AzsGalleryItem -ResourceGroupName $resourceGroup -GalleryItemUri
$galleryItemIdentity -Name $galleryItemName -Description $description -Publisher
"Contoso" -IconUri "https://imageUrl/icon.png"
Remember to replace the placeholders with your real information.
Managing the lifecycle
- Creating: This involves defining, designing, implementing and testing the cloud service. For syndicated marketplace items, this process involves sourcing items from the Azure marketplace.
- Updating: When updates are available for syndicated items in Azure Marketplace, they are automatically updated in Azure Stack Hub Marketplace. For custom items, however, they need to be manually updated by the operator.
- Deprecating: For both types of items, the operator needs to manage the deprecation process in the Azure Stack Hub Marketplace. Warnings can be applied to deprecated items, optionally you can also remove the item. Here’s a PowerShell snippet showing how you might depreciate an item:
$galleryId = "GalleryItemIdentity"
$version = "1.0.0.0"
Set-AzsGalleryItem -ResourceGroupName $resourceGroup -GalleryItemUri $galleryId -Version $version -IsEnabled $false
- Deleting: Once an item is in a deprecated state and no longer needed, it can be deleted. Use the following PowerShell command:
Remove-AzsGalleryItem -ResourceGroupName $resourceGroup -GalleryItemUri $galleryId -Version $version
By understanding and managing the lifecycle of Azure Stack Hub Marketplace items, operators can better control the services available in their hybrid cloud environment, ensuring a safer, smoother, and more efficient operation.
While this guide covers the basic management tasks, the official Microsoft Documentation provides a more comprehensive overview related to different marketplace items, and are highly recommended.
Practice Test
True or False: Azure Marketplace items can only be downloaded directly to Azure Stack Hub.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Azure Marketplace items must be first downloaded to the Azure Marketplace and then can be transferred to Azure Stack Hub.
Can an item from Azure Marketplace be published directly to Azure Stack Hub?
- A. Yes, without any modifications.
- B. No, the item must be downloaded first before publishing to Azure Stack Hub.
- C. Yes, but only after applying necessary patches.
Answer: B. No, the item must be downloaded first before publishing to Azure Stack Hub.
Explanation: Azure Stack Hub only supports syndication of items directly from the Azure Marketplace. The items should be first downloaded before publishing.
What does Azure Stack Hub Operator use to syndicate items from Azure Marketplace?
- A. Azure Portal
- B. Azure Stack Hub’s user portal
- C. Azure Marketplace
- D. All of the above
Answer: A. Azure Portal
Explanation: Azure Stack Hub Operator uses the Azure portal to syndicate items from the Azure Marketplace.
True or False: Microsoft regularly updates Azure Marketplace items.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Microsoft indeed often updates Azure Marketplace items and Azure Stack Hub users can download these updates to update their products.
Which of the following are the statuses an Azure Stack Marketplace item can have during its lifecycle?
- A. Published
- B. Syndicating
- C. Unpublished
- D. Syndication failed
- E. All of the above
Answer: E. All of the above
Explanation: Throughout its lifecycle, an Azure Stack Marketplace item can have the following statuses: Published, Syndicating, Unpublished, and Syndication failed.
What is the first step you should take when an item from the Azure Marketplace fails to syndicate to the Azure Stack Hub?
- A. Re-upload the item.
- B. Delete the item.
- C. Investigate and troubleshoot the error.
- D. Ignore the error.
Answer: C. Investigate and troubleshoot the error.
Explanation: When an item fails to syndicate, you should determine the cause by investigating and troubleshooting the error that occurred.
True or False: Azure Stack Hub supports all the items present in Azure Marketplace.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Azure Stack Hub does not support all items present in the Azure Marketplace. Some services may not be available depending on the region and other factors.
Whose responsibility is it to manage the lifecycle of syndicated items in Azure Stack Hub?
- A. Azure portal
- B. Microsoft
- C. Azure Stack Hub Operator
- D. Azure Marketplace
Answer: C. Azure Stack Hub Operator
Explanation: As the local instance administrator, the Azure Stack Hub Operator is responsible for managing the lifecycle of syndicated items.
Is it possible to syndicate VM extensions into Azure Stack Hub?
- A. Yes
- B. No
Answer: A. Yes
Explanation: It is indeed possible to syndicate VM extensions into Azure Stack Hub.
If an item is updated in the Azure Marketplace, does it automatically update the same item in Azure Stack Hub?
- A. Yes
- B. No
Answer: B. No
Explanation: If an Azure Marketplace item is updated, Azure Stack Hub does not automatically update the same item. The operator must download and publish the updated item.
True or False: You can create and publish your own items to Azure Stack Hub Marketplace.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: You can create and publish custom items to Azure Stack Hub Marketplace using Azure Resource Manager.
To be eligible for support from the Azure Stack Hub Marketplace, the items need to be:
- A. Downloaded directly from Azure marketplace
- B. Downloaded and then customized for Azure Stack Hub
- C. Either downloaded directly or customized, as long as they are originally from Azure marketplace.
Answer: C. Either downloaded directly or customized, as long as they are originally from Azure marketplace.
Explanation: To be eligible for support from the Azure Stack Hub Marketplace, Items need either to be downloaded directly from the Azure marketplace or customized for Azure Stack Hub but originally originate from the Azure marketplace.
True or False: Once published, a Marketplace item cannot be unpublished in Azure Stack Hub.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Azure Stack Hub allows you to unpublished the Marketplace items.
True or False: A Direct Internet connection is not mandatory for syndicating Azure Marketplace items into Azure Stack Hub.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: A direct internet connection is required to syndicate Azure Marketplace items into Azure Stack Hub.
True or False: Azure Stack Hub operator can syndicate items from Azure Marketplace by using Azure PowerShell or with the Azure Stack Hub user portal.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Yes, Azure Stack Hub operator has the option to use Azure PowerShell or Azure Stack Hub user portal to syndicate items from Azure Marketplace.
Interview Questions
What is Azure Stack Hub Marketplace?
Azure Stack Hub Marketplace allows cloud operators to provide users with the same self-service experience found in Azure. The marketplace items can include different resources like virtual machines and web apps.
How can you add items to the Azure Stack Hub Marketplace?
You can add items to the Azure Stack Hub Marketplace by downloading items from Azure, creating and publishing custom VM images, and creating and publishing Azure Resource Manager templates.
What are marketplace syndication and marketplace packaging in the context of Azure Stack Hub Marketplace?
Syndication is the process of copying items from the Azure Marketplace to the Azure Stack Hub Marketplace. Packaging is the process of creating and uploading a custom resource, which can be an Azure Resource Manager template or VM image.
What do you need to establish before syndicating items from Azure to Azure Stack Hub Marketplace?
You need to establish network connectivity, register Azure Stack with Azure, and configure the Azure Stack to syndicate with the Azure marketplace.
How do you delete an item from Azure Stack Hub Marketplace?
You can delete an item by selecting the item you want to delete from the Azure Stack administrator portal and then clicking on delete.
Does simply deleting an item from the Azure Stack Hub marketplace delete all its deployments too?
No, deleting the marketplace item does not delete the resources deployed from it. You will need to manually delete deployed resources before deleting the marketplace item itself.
What does the “Update Now” button do in Azure Stack Hub?
The Update Now button manually triggers an update to the list of syndicated items which the Azure Stack Hub operator has chosen from Azure Marketplace.
What is the process to syndicate a multi-VM solution from Azure to Azure Stack?
As of now, Azure Stack Hub does not support syndication of multi-VM solutions. The only multi-VM solutions available in Azure Stack must be manually packaged and published.
Can you use existing Azure Resource Manager templates with Azure Stack Hub?
Yes, you can use Azure Resource Manager templates with Azure Stack Hub, but they must be tailored to use the Azure Stack versions of resource providers, as there may be differences in API versions.
What is an Azure Stack Hub operator?
An Azure Stack Hub operator is a person or automated role that has administrative control over an Azure Stack Hub deployment, including running the Azure Stack Hub’s administrator interfaces and managing the Azure Stack Hub Marketplace.
Who can publish items to the Azure Stack Hub Marketplace?
The Azure Stack operator and Azure Stack user can both publish items to the Azure Stack Hub Marketplace.
How to ensure that all marketplace items are compatible with Azure Stack Hub?
It’s the responsibility of the Azure Stack operator to ensure that all marketplace items are compatible with the Azure Stack’s API profile.
Can you syndicate items directly from Azure Marketplace to Azure Stack Hub without it being in the operator’s library?
No, items first need to be downloaded to the operator’s library and then syndicated to the Azure Stack Hub.
What are the prerequisites to download and publish items in Azure Stack Hub Marketplace?
The Azure Stack Hub needs to be registered with Azure, and it requires sufficient quotas in Azure subscription to cover the fees of marketplace items.
How to troubleshoot issues with marketplace item downloads in Azure Stack Hub?
You can check the status in the Azure Stack operator portal and verify the network connection or try to redownload the item. For persistent problems, you can review the log files or contact Microsoft Support.
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