# microsoft/MSLab

Azure Local (formerly Azure Stack HCI), Windows 10 and Windows Server rapid lab deployment scripts

Repository: https://github.com/microsoft/MSLab
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/mslab
Language: PowerShell
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: azshci, s2d, powershell, windows
Last push: 2026-08-10T09:51:48+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 93/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 97, release rhythm 83, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3787, "days_push": 23, "days_rel": 34, "gap_med": 57, "n_releases_24m": 8}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1298, forks 304 (observed 2026-08-28T04:04:17.136202+00:00)

## What it is
MSLab is a set of PowerShell scripts from Microsoft that rapidly deploy consistent virtual lab environments on Hyper-V for Azure Local (Azure Stack HCI), Windows 10, and Windows Server. It uses differencing disks and a one-time hydration phase so labs run on modest hardware with minimal manual effort.

## Use cases
- rapidly deploy a Windows Server test lab in Hyper-V
- build a nested Azure Stack HCI / Azure Local cluster for evaluation
- test Windows Server Insider Preview builds in VMs
- reproduce issues in a clean reproducible virtual environment
- follow hands-on labs to learn S2D and Azure Local deployment
- prototype configurations without dedicated hardware

## When to choose
- you need quick, repeatable Windows or Azure Local labs on a single machine with limited RAM and disk
- you want guided hands-on labs for Azure Local, S2D, or Windows Server
- you prefer simple scripted deployment over complex infrastructure tooling

## When to avoid
- you need production-grade infrastructure-as-code with multi-cloud support
- your host does not run Windows with Hyper-V
- you need Linux-only or non-Hyper-V virtualization workflows

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: active
- function: deployment, developer-tools, configuration-management
- domain: developer-tools, cloud-computing, windows
- platform: windows
- tags: hyper-v, azure-local, azure-stack-hci, windows-server, lab-automation, powershell-scripts, s2d, virtual-machines, hydration, hands-on-labs, virtualization, devops

## Member repositories
- microsoft/MSLab (main) score 93

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:17.136202+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T04:53:50.720840+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/microsoft/MSLab (fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:17.136202+00:00, sha b034048a8d8e)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.