dedicated-hosts

name	dedicated-hosts
description	Azure Dedicated Hosts — host groups, isolation, BYOL, maintenance control

Dedicated Hosts

When to use this skill

• License isolation (BYOL Windows/SQL)
• Regulatory single-tenant host

Key concepts

• A Dedicated Host is a physical server reserved for your subscription. Place VMs explicitly onto it.
• Useful for BYOL with per-physical-core licensing (Windows Server datacenter, SQL Server with SA).
• Host Groups can be zonal and fault-domain-aware — combine AZ + FD for HA.
• Maintenance control lets you defer planned host maintenance up to 35 days.
• Billed per host hour regardless of VM placement count — sizing efficiency matters.

Azure CLI examples

az vm host group create -g <rg> -n dhg-app --platform-fault-domain-count 2 --location eastus2
az vm host create -g <rg> --host-group dhg-app -n host-01 --sku DSv3-Type1

Common pitfalls

• Buying a Dedicated Host for a few small VMs — terrible economics.
• Forgetting Windows Server license still needs proper SA/AHUB even on a dedicated host.
• Not using maintenance control when you have a strict change window.

References

• Microsoft Learn: search for "Dedicated Hosts Azure VM" on https://learn.microsoft.com

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