This publication covers what Azure SDK 2.9.6 is, where and how to obtain it, compatibility and system requirements, key components and changes in that release, installation and uninstallation steps, development notes, troubleshooting tips, and migration/upgrade guidance. Assumptions: you mean the Microsoft Azure SDK for .NET/Visual Studio (the common "Azure SDK 2.9.6" reference). If you intended a different language's SDK or a different package, replace accordingly.
Web Platform Installer (WPI): This was historically the primary way to download it. However, because the backend for WPI has been retired, even archived web installers often fail because they cannot reach Microsoft's servers to fetch the necessary components. microsoft azure sdk 2.9.6 download
Before the shift toward the modular, NuGet-centric approach we use today, developers had to download the Azure SDK manually. This package included: Microsoft Azure SDK 2
private bool IsVisualStudio2015Installed()