Add support for Azure Automation DSC (meta-config only)

[janegilring]

Consider adding support for bootstrapping only the meta-config into the VMs, so that the configurations and all others settings (credentials, global variables, etc) can be dynamically retrieved from Azure Automation.

Using the Azure Automation module, a meta-mof is created like this:

First the node must be registered

$DscNodeParameters = @{
AzureVMName = 'DC01'
AzureVMResourceGroup = 'DC01'
NodeConfigurationName = 'ServersWMF5.DC01'
ConfigurationMode = 'ApplyAndAutocorrect'
RebootNodeIfNeeded = $true
}

Register-AzureRmAutomationDscNode @DscNodeParameters

Also, the specified NodeConfigurationName must exist (regular DSC configuration uploaded to Azure).

Then the meta-config can be generated like this

Get-AzureRmAutomationDscOnboardingMetaconfig -ComputerName DC01 -OutputFolder $DSCMOFDirectory

Azure Automation DSC will generate the certificate for encryption, so no need to inject/handle that in this scenario.

This will require internet connectivity and DHCP in the virtual network though, but it would be a cool scenario.

Supporting only meta-configs could also mean supporting a regular DSC Pull Server, but in that case the certificates must be handled.

[iainbrighton]

@janegilring I'm sure this could be accomplished, I'm just not sure how much should be built-in to Lability.

• Lability will already inject a node's .meta.mof file if it is named correctly.
  • You can specify the -Path parameter on Start-LabConfiguration to where the .mofs are
  • This should occur even if the .mof file doesn't exist (you may get a warning)
• A node's certificate can be defined in the .psd1 file.
  • You can set the node's ClientCertificatePath
  • This will require updating the .psd1 file, before invoking Lability.

It sounds like there's a LabilityAzure module in the making here. For example Start-AzueLabConfiguration could:

• Register the node with Azure DSC
• Download the .meta.mof and certificate file(s)
• Rename/update the files as needed
• Invoke Lability's Start-LabConfiguration cmdlet

No doubt there will need to be some additions/changes to Lability to support this; the node's PFX certificate password springs to mind. Have a think about how you think things could work and we can have a catch up in a couple of weeks when I'm back off holiday.

[janegilring]

Since there are many shared needs in Lability and a possible LabilityAzure module, I'm thinking it might be worth adding a "providers" feature where Hyper-V, Azure and others can act as deployment providers. Shared code goes into the general Lability module structure, while provider specific code goes into a dedicated provider folder.

I'll give this some more thought, so let's discuss more when you're back.

[iainbrighton]

@janegilring I'm interested to hear how you and others think we could achieve this. The real things that Lability brings are:

1. Managing the local images
2. Injecting resources (binaries and installers)
3. Bootstrapping the DSC runtime.

I'm not sure (at this point in time) how we could manage 1 and 2 in an Azure. Maybe we don't and just ship the standard/stock Azure images and skip injection of resources - relying on the Azure DSC configuration?

[TravisEz13]

I'd love to see some type of azure support.

[iainbrighton]

@TravisEz13 I've been speaking to @rikhepworth about this as he has is using the same DSC configuration(s) to deploy locally with Lability and into/onto Azure. There's a blog series in the works 😜.

I'm still interested to know if there's anything that could be added to Lability to improve the Azure "story" though!

[rikhepworth]

Azure does much of the work Lability does. I'd recommend not 'crossing the streams' here. We've got a working model for reusing DSC configs across Azure/Azure DevTest Labs/Azure Stack/Lability and I think that's model we should stick with. Our approach to media is to largely replicate the existing marketplace images in Azure (we build sysprep'ed images of Windows Server, Server+SQL, Server+SharePoint etc) and do all our config using DSC. However, the new Managed Disk support in Azure means that sharing media should be easier.

@TravisEz13 I'm hoping to get some progress on the blog stuff this weekend. @iainbrighton has kindly offered to review before I publish, but it's a big project and it will be a long series of posts, I think.

[TravisEz13]

It would be nice to be able to describe a multimachine environment with Lability and have the option to deploy it to hyper-v or Azure/AzureStack. The goal is to find a language where I can describe these environments once.