Hyper-V | Tom's Notes

Playing around with Azure Stack HCI

By Tomica Kaniski in Other 27/03/2022 0 Comment

Decided to have some fun with (nested) Microsoft Azure Stack HCI in my lab.

If you want to do the same, I’ve scripted most the stuff you need, so… maybe it will be useful.

Steps to prepare a brand new, shiny, nested Azure Stack HCI lab are (roughly):

prepare your (parent) Windows Server 2022 Hyper-V host (ensure enough resources are available)
- it already hosts my Active Directory, DNS, DHCP, router, …, VMs
- everything will be saved locally to D:\AzureStackHCI
(optional) install Windows Admin Center (WAC) for easier management
- download it and install with simple command:

### install Windows Admin Center
Invoke-WebRequest 'https://aka.ms/WACDownload' -OutFile "D:\AzureStackHCI\WindowsAdminCenter2110.msi"
C:\Windows\System32\msiexec.exe /i "D:\AzureStackHCI\WindowsAdminCenter2110.msi" /qn /L*v "D:\AzureStackHCI\WindowsAdminCenter2110.log" SME_PORT=443 SSL_CERTIFICATE_OPTION=generate

### install Windows Admin Center

Invoke-WebRequest 'https://aka.ms/WACDownload' -OutFile "D:\AzureStackHCI\WindowsAdminCenter2110.msi"

C:\Windows\System32\msiexec.exe /i "D:\AzureStackHCI\WindowsAdminCenter2110.msi" /qn /L*v "D:\AzureStackHCI\WindowsAdminCenter2110.log" SME_PORT=443 SSL_CERTIFICATE_OPTION=generate

obtain the Azure Stack HCI 60-day trial ISO image from here
make VHD(X) from the obtained ISO image:

### check what's in the Azure Stack HCI ISO file
dism /Get-WimInfo /WimFile:E:\sources\install.wim
# Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool
# Version: 10.0.20348.1

# Details for image : E:\sources\install.wim

# Index : 1
# Name : Azure Stack HCI
# Description : This option installs Azure Stack HCI.
# Size : 7.996.171.122 bytes

# The operation completed successfully.

### convert ISO to VHDX
# https://github.com/x0nn/Convert-WindowsImage
$iso = "D:\AzureStackHCI\AzureStackHCI_20348.288_en-us.iso"
$vhd = "D:\AzureStackHCI\AzureStackHCI_20348.288_en-us.vhdx"
Convert-WindowsImage -SourcePath $iso -VHDFormat "VHDX" -Edition "Azure Stack HCI" -SizeBytes 200GB -DiskLayout "UEFI" -VHDPath $vhd

### check what's in the Azure Stack HCI ISO file

dism /Get-WimInfo /WimFile:E:\sources\install.wim

# Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool

# Version: 10.0.20348.1

# Details for image : E:\sources\install.wim

# Index : 1

# Name : Azure Stack HCI

# Description : This option installs Azure Stack HCI.

# Size : 7.996.171.122 bytes

# The operation completed successfully.

### convert ISO to VHDX

# https://github.com/x0nn/Convert-WindowsImage

$iso = "D:\AzureStackHCI\AzureStackHCI_20348.288_en-us.iso"

$vhd = "D:\AzureStackHCI\AzureStackHCI_20348.288_en-us.vhdx"

Convert-WindowsImage -SourcePath $iso -VHDFormat "VHDX" -Edition "Azure Stack HCI" -SizeBytes 200GB -DiskLayout "UEFI" -VHDPath $vhd

- note that I’m using Convert-WindowsImage.ps1 available here
- which gives me nice, generalized Azure Stack HCI VHD(X), which we will “upgrade with things” and later use for VM creation
install prerequisites into VHD(X)
- this one is fairly easy – install Windows roles and features directly to the VHD(X) itself:

### install Azure Stack HCI cluster prerequisites
$vhd = "D:\AzureStackHCI\AzureStackHCI_20348.288_en-us.vhdx"
$roles = @(
    "BitLocker",
    "Data-Center-Bridging",
    "EnhancedStorage",
    "Failover-Clustering",
    "FS-FileServer",
    "FS-Data-Deduplication",
    "Hyper-V",
    "Hyper-V-PowerShell",
    "NetworkATC",
    "RSAT-AD-PowerShell",
    "RSAT-Clustering-PowerShell",
    "Storage-Replica"
)
Install-WindowsFeature -Vhd $vhd -Name $roles -IncludeAllSubFeature -IncludeManagementTools

### install Azure Stack HCI cluster prerequisites

$vhd = "D:\AzureStackHCI\AzureStackHCI_20348.288_en-us.vhdx"

$roles = @(

"BitLocker",

"Data-Center-Bridging",

"EnhancedStorage",

"Failover-Clustering",

"FS-FileServer",

"FS-Data-Deduplication",

"Hyper-V",

"Hyper-V-PowerShell",

"NetworkATC",

"RSAT-AD-PowerShell",

"RSAT-Clustering-PowerShell",

"Storage-Replica"

)

Install-WindowsFeature -Vhd $vhd -Name $roles -IncludeAllSubFeature -IncludeManagementTools

- NOTE: If you try to install the Hyper-V role later, it may fail as we’re running Azure Stack HCI on “normal” Windows Server, so it get’s confused with nested virtualization availability. With preinstaling it, we make sure it just works.
update VHD(X) with latest patches:

### install Windows updates (into an offline VHDX image)
$vhd = "D:\AzureStackHCI\AzureStackHCI_20348.288_en-us.vhdx"
$packages = "D:\AzureStackHCI\Updates"
# mount image
$drive = (Mount-VHD -Path $vhd -PassThru | Get-Disk | Get-Partition | Get-Volume).DriveLetter
# install updates from folder
Add-WindowsPackage -Path "$(([string]$drive).Trim()):\" -PackagePath $packages -IgnoreCheck
# dismount image
Dismount-Vhd -Path $vhd

### install Windows updates (into an offline VHDX image)

$vhd = "D:\AzureStackHCI\AzureStackHCI_20348.288_en-us.vhdx"

$packages = "D:\AzureStackHCI\Updates"

# mount image

$drive = (Mount-VHD -Path $vhd -PassThru | Get-Disk | Get-Partition | Get-Volume).DriveLetter

# install updates from folder

Add-WindowsPackage -Path "$(([string]$drive).Trim()):\" -PackagePath $packages -IgnoreCheck

# dismount image

Dismount-Vhd -Path $vhd

- I have previously downloaded all the Azure Stack HCI patches available to D:\AzureStackHCI\Updates
add Unattend.xml to handle the “set password at first login issue”
- it annoys me that I need to set up the initial password, so… simple Unattend.xml file, injected into VHD(X) should take care of this:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">
    <settings pass="oobeSystem">
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" processorArchitecture="wow64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
            <UserAccounts>
                <AdministratorPassword>
                    <Value>UABAAHMAcwB3ADAAcgBkACEAQQBkAG0AaQBuAGkAcwB0AHIAYQB0AG8AcgBQAGEAcwBzAHcAbwByAGQA</Value>
                    <PlainText>false</PlainText>
                </AdministratorPassword>
            </UserAccounts>
        </component>
    </settings>
    <cpi:offlineImage cpi:source="wim:c:/sources/install.wim#Azure Stack HCI SERVERAZURESTACKHCICORE" xmlns:cpi="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:cpi" />
</unattend>

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>

<Value>UABAAHMAcwB3ADAAcgBkACEAQQBkAG0AaQBuAGkAcwB0AHIAYQB0AG8AcgBQAGEAcwBzAHcAbwByAGQA</Value>

<PlainText>false</PlainText>

</AdministratorPassword>

</UserAccounts>

</component>

</settings>

<cpi:offlineImage cpi:source="wim:c:/sources/install.wim#Azure Stack HCI SERVERAZURESTACKHCICORE" xmlns:cpi="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:cpi" />

</unattend>

### inject Unattend.xml (into an offline VHDX image)
$vhd = "D:\AzureStackHCI\AzureStackHCI_20348.288_en-us.vhdx"
# mount image
$drive = (Mount-VHD -Path $vhd -PassThru | Get-Disk | Get-Partition | Get-Volume).DriveLetter
# inject Unattend.xml
Copy-Item -Path ".\Unattend.xml" -Destination "$(([string]$drive).Trim()):\"
# dismount image
Dismount-Vhd -Path $vhd

### inject Unattend.xml (into an offline VHDX image)

$vhd = "D:\AzureStackHCI\AzureStackHCI_20348.288_en-us.vhdx"

# mount image

$drive = (Mount-VHD -Path $vhd -PassThru | Get-Disk | Get-Partition | Get-Volume).DriveLetter

# inject Unattend.xml

Copy-Item -Path ".\Unattend.xml" -Destination "$(([string]$drive).Trim()):\"

# dismount image

Dismount-Vhd -Path $vhd

- NOTE: Make sure you don’t use clear-text passwords in Unattend.xml file!
create Azure Stack HCI VMs
- I’m creating two VMs from our prepared VHD(X), with a couple of additional data disks, few network adapters for different purposes, nested virtualization enabled, etc.:

### create vms
$vms = "AZS1", "AZS2"
foreach ($vm in $vms) {
    # prepare paths
    $vmpath = "D:\AzureStackHCI\VMs"
    $vhd = "D:\AzureStackHCI\VMs\$vm\Virtual Hard Disks\$vm"
    $vhdt = "D:\AzureStackHCI\AzureStackHCI_20348.288_en-us.vhdx"

    # prepare folders
    New-Item -Name $vm -Type Directory -Path $vmpath -Force
    New-Item -Name "Virtual Machines" -Type Directory -Path "$vmpath\$vm" -Force
    New-Item -Name "Virtual Hard Disks" -Type Directory -Path "$vmpath\$vm" -Force
    
    # copy boot disk
    Copy-Item -Path $vhdt -Destination "$($vhd)_0.vhdx"

    # create vm
    New-VM -Name $vm -MemoryStartupBytes 64GB -VHDPath "$($vhd)_0.vhdx" -SwitchName Corporate -Generation 2 -Path $vmpath
    Set-VM -VMName $vm -AutomaticStartAction Nothing -AutomaticStopAction ShutDown -CheckpointType Standard
    Set-VMProcessor -VMName $vm -Count 16 -ExposeVirtualizationExtensions $true
    New-VHD -Path "$($vhd)_1.vhdx" -SizeBytes 480GB -Dynamic
    Add-VMHardDiskDrive -VMName $vm -Path "$($vhd)_1.vhdx"
    New-VHD -Path "$($vhd)_2.vhdx" -SizeBytes 480GB -Dynamic
    Add-VMHardDiskDrive -VMName $vm -Path "$($vhd)_2.vhdx"
    New-VHD -Path "$($vhd)_3.vhdx" -SizeBytes 480GB -Dynamic
    Add-VMHardDiskDrive -VMName $vm -Path "$($vhd)_3.vhdx"
    New-VHD -Path "$($vhd)_4.vhdx" -SizeBytes 480GB -Dynamic
    Add-VMHardDiskDrive -VMName $vm -Path "$($vhd)_4.vhdx"
    Rename-VMNetworkAdapter -VMName $vm -NewName "Corporate"
    Set-VMNetworkAdapter -VMName $vm -Name "Corporate" -DeviceNaming "On"
    Add-VMNetworkAdapter -VMName $vm -Name "Storage_1" -SwitchName "Storage_1" -DeviceNaming "On"
    Add-VMNetworkAdapter -VMName $vm -Name "Storage_2" -SwitchName "Storage_2" -DeviceNaming "On"
    Add-VMNetworkAdapter -VMName $vm -Name "VM" -SwitchName "Corporate" -DeviceNaming "On"
    Set-VMNetworkAdapter -VMName $vm -Name "VM" -MacAddressSpoofing "On"
    Set-VMFirmware -VMName $vm -BootOrder (Get-VMHardDiskDrive -VMName $vm -ControllerNumber 0 -ControllerLocation 0)
    Start-VM -VMName $vm
}

### create vms

$vms = "AZS1", "AZS2"

foreach ($vm in $vms) {

# prepare paths

$vmpath = "D:\AzureStackHCI\VMs"

$vhd = "D:\AzureStackHCI\VMs\$vm\Virtual Hard Disks\$vm"

$vhdt = "D:\AzureStackHCI\AzureStackHCI_20348.288_en-us.vhdx"

# prepare folders

New-Item -Name $vm -Type Directory -Path $vmpath -Force

New-Item -Name "Virtual Machines" -Type Directory -Path "$vmpath\$vm" -Force

New-Item -Name "Virtual Hard Disks" -Type Directory -Path "$vmpath\$vm" -Force

# copy boot disk

Copy-Item -Path $vhdt -Destination "$($vhd)_0.vhdx"

# create vm

New-VM -Name $vm -MemoryStartupBytes 64GB -VHDPath "$($vhd)_0.vhdx" -SwitchName Corporate -Generation 2 -Path $vmpath

Set-VM -VMName $vm -AutomaticStartAction Nothing -AutomaticStopAction ShutDown -CheckpointType Standard

Set-VMProcessor -VMName $vm -Count 16 -ExposeVirtualizationExtensions $true

New-VHD -Path "$($vhd)_1.vhdx" -SizeBytes 480GB -Dynamic

Add-VMHardDiskDrive -VMName $vm -Path "$($vhd)_1.vhdx"

New-VHD -Path "$($vhd)_2.vhdx" -SizeBytes 480GB -Dynamic

Add-VMHardDiskDrive -VMName $vm -Path "$($vhd)_2.vhdx"

New-VHD -Path "$($vhd)_3.vhdx" -SizeBytes 480GB -Dynamic

Add-VMHardDiskDrive -VMName $vm -Path "$($vhd)_3.vhdx"

New-VHD -Path "$($vhd)_4.vhdx" -SizeBytes 480GB -Dynamic

Add-VMHardDiskDrive -VMName $vm -Path "$($vhd)_4.vhdx"

Rename-VMNetworkAdapter -VMName $vm -NewName "Corporate"

Set-VMNetworkAdapter -VMName $vm -Name "Corporate" -DeviceNaming "On"

Add-VMNetworkAdapter -VMName $vm -Name "Storage_1" -SwitchName "Storage_1" -DeviceNaming "On"

Add-VMNetworkAdapter -VMName $vm -Name "Storage_2" -SwitchName "Storage_2" -DeviceNaming "On"

Add-VMNetworkAdapter -VMName $vm -Name "VM" -SwitchName "Corporate" -DeviceNaming "On"

Set-VMNetworkAdapter -VMName $vm -Name "VM" -MacAddressSpoofing "On"

Set-VMFirmware -VMName $vm -BootOrder (Get-VMHardDiskDrive -VMName $vm -ControllerNumber 0 -ControllerLocation 0)

Start-VM -VMName $vm

}

set node networking, join them to the domain, prepare for cluster (by using PowerShell Direct):

### customize AZS1
# set networking
$localAdmin = Get-Credential -UserName "AZSx\Administrator" -Message "Enter password for the local Administrator account:"
Enter-PSSession -VMName "AZS1" -Credential $localAdmin

# rename network adapters per Hyper-V adapter name
$adapters = "Corporate", "Storage_1", "Storage_2", "VM"
foreach ($adapter in $adapters) {
    Get-NetAdapterAdvancedProperty -RegistryKeyword HyperVNetworkAdapterName | Where-Object { $_.DisplayValue -eq $adapter } | Rename-NetAdapter -NewName $adapter
}

# set IP addresses (AZS1)
$ia = "Corporate"
New-NetIPAddress -InterfaceAlias $ia -IPAddress "192.168.111.51" -PrefixLength "24" -DefaultGateway "192.168.111.1"
Set-DnsClientServerAddress -InterfaceAlias $ia -ServerAddresses "192.168.111.5"
Set-DnsClient -InterfaceAlias $ia -ConnectionSpecificSuffix "lab.tklabs.eu"
Set-NetIPInterface -InterfaceAlias $ia -InterfaceMetric 1

# test if it works
$dc = Resolve-DnsName "DOM1"
Test-NetConnection $dc.IPAddress

# set other IP addresses (AZS1)
$ia = "Storage_1"
New-NetIPAddress -InterfaceAlias $ia -IPAddress "10.111.111.1" -PrefixLength "30"
Set-DnsClient -InterfaceAlias $ia -RegisterThisConnectionsAddress $false
$ia = "Storage_2"
New-NetIPAddress -InterfaceAlias $ia -IPAddress "10.111.112.1" -PrefixLength "30"
Set-DnsClient -InterfaceAlias $ia -RegisterThisConnectionsAddress $false
$ia = "VM"
New-NetIPAddress -InterfaceAlias $ia -IPAddress "10.111.113.1" -PrefixLength "30"
Set-DnsClient -InterfaceAlias $ia -RegisterThisConnectionsAddress $false

# enable RDP
Set-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server' -Name "fDenyTSConnections" -Value 0
Enable-NetFirewallRule -DisplayGroup "Remote Desktop"

# Power Options - High Performance
(Get-WmiObject -Namespace root\cimv2\power -Class Win32_PowerPlan -Filter "ElementName = 'High Performance'").Activate()

# Rename C:
Set-Volume -DriveLetter "C" -NewFileSystemLabel "OSDisk"

# timezone
Set-Timezone "Central European Standard Time"

# Windows Update PowerShell module
[Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [Net.SecurityProtocolType]::Tls12
Install-PackageProvider -Name NuGet -MinimumVersion 2.8.5.201 -Force
Set-PSRepository -Name 'PSGallery' -InstallationPolicy Trusted
Install-Module PSWindowsUpdate

# domain join
Add-Computer -DomainName "lab.tklabs.eu" -Credential "LAB\Administrator" -NewName "AZS1" -Restart -Force

## additional settings
$domainadmin = Get-Credential -UserName "LAB\Administrator" -Message "Enter password for the domain Administrator account:"
Enter-PSSession -VMName "AZS1" -Credential $domainadmin

# disable SConfig on login
Set-SConfig -AutoLaunch $false

# Windows Update
Install-WindowsUpdate -MicrosoftUpdate -AcceptAll -Verbose

### customize AZS1

# set networking

$localAdmin = Get-Credential -UserName "AZSx\Administrator" -Message "Enter password for the local Administrator account:"

Enter-PSSession -VMName "AZS1" -Credential $localAdmin

# rename network adapters per Hyper-V adapter name

$adapters = "Corporate", "Storage_1", "Storage_2", "VM"

foreach ($adapter in $adapters) {

Get-NetAdapterAdvancedProperty -RegistryKeyword HyperVNetworkAdapterName | Where-Object { $_.DisplayValue -eq $adapter } | Rename-NetAdapter -NewName $adapter

}

# set IP addresses (AZS1)

$ia = "Corporate"

New-NetIPAddress -InterfaceAlias $ia -IPAddress "192.168.111.51" -PrefixLength "24" -DefaultGateway "192.168.111.1"

Set-DnsClientServerAddress -InterfaceAlias $ia -ServerAddresses "192.168.111.5"

Set-DnsClient -InterfaceAlias $ia -ConnectionSpecificSuffix "lab.tklabs.eu"

Set-NetIPInterface -InterfaceAlias $ia -InterfaceMetric 1

# test if it works

$dc = Resolve-DnsName "DOM1"

Test-NetConnection $dc.IPAddress

# set other IP addresses (AZS1)

$ia = "Storage_1"

New-NetIPAddress -InterfaceAlias $ia -IPAddress "10.111.111.1" -PrefixLength "30"

Set-DnsClient -InterfaceAlias $ia -RegisterThisConnectionsAddress $false

$ia = "Storage_2"

New-NetIPAddress -InterfaceAlias $ia -IPAddress "10.111.112.1" -PrefixLength "30"

Set-DnsClient -InterfaceAlias $ia -RegisterThisConnectionsAddress $false

$ia = "VM"

New-NetIPAddress -InterfaceAlias $ia -IPAddress "10.111.113.1" -PrefixLength "30"

Set-DnsClient -InterfaceAlias $ia -RegisterThisConnectionsAddress $false

# enable RDP

Set-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server' -Name "fDenyTSConnections" -Value 0

Enable-NetFirewallRule -DisplayGroup "Remote Desktop"

# Power Options - High Performance

(Get-WmiObject -Namespace root\cimv2\power -Class Win32_PowerPlan -Filter "ElementName = 'High Performance'").Activate()

# Rename C:

Set-Volume -DriveLetter "C" -NewFileSystemLabel "OSDisk"

# timezone

Set-Timezone "Central European Standard Time"

# Windows Update PowerShell module

[Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [Net.SecurityProtocolType]::Tls12

Install-PackageProvider -Name NuGet -MinimumVersion 2.8.5.201 -Force

Set-PSRepository -Name 'PSGallery' -InstallationPolicy Trusted

Install-Module PSWindowsUpdate

# domain join

Add-Computer -DomainName "lab.tklabs.eu" -Credential "LAB\Administrator" -NewName "AZS1" -Restart -Force

## additional settings

$domainadmin = Get-Credential -UserName "LAB\Administrator" -Message "Enter password for the domain Administrator account:"

Enter-PSSession -VMName "AZS1" -Credential $domainadmin

# disable SConfig on login

Set-SConfig -AutoLaunch $false

# Windows Update

Install-WindowsUpdate -MicrosoftUpdate -AcceptAll -Verbose

### customize AZS2
# set networking
$localAdmin = Get-Credential -UserName "AZSx\Administrator" -Message "Enter password for the local Administrator account:"
Enter-PSSession -VMName "AZS2" -Credential $localAdmin

# rename network adapters per Hyper-V adapter name
$adapters = "Corporate", "Storage_1", "Storage_2", "VM"
foreach ($adapter in $adapters) {
    Get-NetAdapterAdvancedProperty -RegistryKeyword HyperVNetworkAdapterName | Where-Object { $_.DisplayValue -eq $adapter } | Rename-NetAdapter -NewName $adapter
}

# set IP addresses (AZS2)
$ia = "Corporate"
New-NetIPAddress -InterfaceAlias $ia -IPAddress "192.168.111.52" -PrefixLength "24" -DefaultGateway "192.168.111.1"
Set-DnsClientServerAddress -InterfaceAlias $ia -ServerAddresses "192.168.111.5"
Set-DnsClient -InterfaceAlias $ia -ConnectionSpecificSuffix "lab.tklabs.eu"
Set-NetIPInterface -InterfaceAlias $ia -InterfaceMetric 1

# test if it works
$dc = Resolve-DnsName "DOM1"
Test-NetConnection $dc.IPAddress

# set other IP addresses (AZS2)
$ia = "Storage_1"
New-NetIPAddress -InterfaceAlias $ia -IPAddress "10.111.111.2" -PrefixLength "30"
Set-DnsClient -InterfaceAlias $ia -RegisterThisConnectionsAddress $false
$ia = "Storage_2"
New-NetIPAddress -InterfaceAlias $ia -IPAddress "10.111.112.2" -PrefixLength "30"
Set-DnsClient -InterfaceAlias $ia -RegisterThisConnectionsAddress $false
$ia = "VM"
New-NetIPAddress -InterfaceAlias $ia -IPAddress "10.111.113.2" -PrefixLength "30"
Set-DnsClient -InterfaceAlias $ia -RegisterThisConnectionsAddress $false

# enable RDP
Set-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server' -Name "fDenyTSConnections" -Value 0
Enable-NetFirewallRule -DisplayGroup "Remote Desktop"

# Power Options - High Performance
(Get-WmiObject -Namespace root\cimv2\power -Class Win32_PowerPlan -Filter "ElementName = 'High Performance'").Activate()

# Rename C:
Set-Volume -DriveLetter "C" -NewFileSystemLabel "OSDisk"

# timezone
Set-Timezone "Central European Standard Time"

# Windows Update PowerShell module
[Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [Net.SecurityProtocolType]::Tls12
Install-PackageProvider -Name NuGet -MinimumVersion 2.8.5.201 -Force
Set-PSRepository -Name 'PSGallery' -InstallationPolicy Trusted
Install-Module PSWindowsUpdate

# domain join
Add-Computer -DomainName "lab.tklabs.eu" -Credential "LAB\Administrator" -NewName "AZS2" -Restart -Force

## additional settings
$domainadmin = Get-Credential -UserName "LAB\Administrator" -Message "Enter password for the domain Administrator account:"
Enter-PSSession -VMName "AZS2" -Credential $domainadmin

# disable SConfig on login
Set-SConfig -AutoLaunch $false

# Windows Update
Install-WindowsUpdate -MicrosoftUpdate -AcceptAll -Verbose

### customize AZS2

# set networking

$localAdmin = Get-Credential -UserName "AZSx\Administrator" -Message "Enter password for the local Administrator account:"

Enter-PSSession -VMName "AZS2" -Credential $localAdmin

# rename network adapters per Hyper-V adapter name

$adapters = "Corporate", "Storage_1", "Storage_2", "VM"

foreach ($adapter in $adapters) {

Get-NetAdapterAdvancedProperty -RegistryKeyword HyperVNetworkAdapterName | Where-Object { $_.DisplayValue -eq $adapter } | Rename-NetAdapter -NewName $adapter

}

# set IP addresses (AZS2)

$ia = "Corporate"

New-NetIPAddress -InterfaceAlias $ia -IPAddress "192.168.111.52" -PrefixLength "24" -DefaultGateway "192.168.111.1"

Set-DnsClientServerAddress -InterfaceAlias $ia -ServerAddresses "192.168.111.5"

Set-DnsClient -InterfaceAlias $ia -ConnectionSpecificSuffix "lab.tklabs.eu"

Set-NetIPInterface -InterfaceAlias $ia -InterfaceMetric 1

# test if it works

$dc = Resolve-DnsName "DOM1"

Test-NetConnection $dc.IPAddress

# set other IP addresses (AZS2)

$ia = "Storage_1"

New-NetIPAddress -InterfaceAlias $ia -IPAddress "10.111.111.2" -PrefixLength "30"

Set-DnsClient -InterfaceAlias $ia -RegisterThisConnectionsAddress $false

$ia = "Storage_2"

New-NetIPAddress -InterfaceAlias $ia -IPAddress "10.111.112.2" -PrefixLength "30"

Set-DnsClient -InterfaceAlias $ia -RegisterThisConnectionsAddress $false

$ia = "VM"

New-NetIPAddress -InterfaceAlias $ia -IPAddress "10.111.113.2" -PrefixLength "30"

Set-DnsClient -InterfaceAlias $ia -RegisterThisConnectionsAddress $false

# enable RDP

Set-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server' -Name "fDenyTSConnections" -Value 0

Enable-NetFirewallRule -DisplayGroup "Remote Desktop"

# Power Options - High Performance

(Get-WmiObject -Namespace root\cimv2\power -Class Win32_PowerPlan -Filter "ElementName = 'High Performance'").Activate()

# Rename C:

Set-Volume -DriveLetter "C" -NewFileSystemLabel "OSDisk"

# timezone

Set-Timezone "Central European Standard Time"

# Windows Update PowerShell module

[Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [Net.SecurityProtocolType]::Tls12

Install-PackageProvider -Name NuGet -MinimumVersion 2.8.5.201 -Force

Set-PSRepository -Name 'PSGallery' -InstallationPolicy Trusted

Install-Module PSWindowsUpdate

# domain join

Add-Computer -DomainName "lab.tklabs.eu" -Credential "LAB\Administrator" -NewName "AZS2" -Restart -Force

## additional settings

$domainadmin = Get-Credential -UserName "LAB\Administrator" -Message "Enter password for the domain Administrator account:"

Enter-PSSession -VMName "AZS2" -Credential $domainadmin

# disable SConfig on login

Set-SConfig -AutoLaunch $false

# Windows Update

Install-WindowsUpdate -MicrosoftUpdate -AcceptAll -Verbose

create the Azure Stack HCI cluster:

### create Azure Stack HCI cluster
# prepare and clean disks
$servers = "AZS1", "AZS2"
$cluster = "AzSCluster"
$clusterIp = "192.168.111.50/24"

Invoke-Command ($servers) {
    Update-StorageProviderCache
    Get-StoragePool | Where-Object { $_.IsPrimordial -eq $false } | Set-StoragePool -IsReadOnly:$false -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    Get-StoragePool | Where-Object { $_.IsPrimordial -eq $false } | Get-VirtualDisk | Remove-VirtualDisk -Confirm:$false -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    Get-StoragePool | Where-Object { $_.IsPrimordial -eq $false } | Remove-StoragePool -Confirm:$false -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    Get-PhysicalDisk | Reset-PhysicalDisk -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    Get-Disk | Where-Object { $_.Number -ne $null } | Where-Object { $_.IsBoot -ne $true } | Where-Object { $_.IsSystem -ne $true } | Where-Object { $_.PartitionStyle -ne "RAW" } | ForEach-Object {
        $_ | Set-Disk -IsOffline:$false
        $_ | Set-Disk -IsReadOnly:$false
        $_ | Clear-Disk -RemoveData -RemoveOEM -Confirm:$false
        $_ | Set-Disk -IsReadOnly:$true
        $_ | Set-Disk -IsOffline:$true
    }
    Get-Disk | Where-Object { $_.Number -ne $Null } | Where-Object { $_.IsBoot -ne $True } | Where-Object { $_.IsSystem -ne $True } | Where-Object { $_.PartitionStyle -eq "RAW" } | Group-Object -NoElement -Property "FriendlyName"
} | Sort-Object -Property "PsComputerName", "Count"
# Count Name                      PSComputerName
# ----- ----                      --------------
#     4 Msft Virtual Disk         AZS1
#     4 Msft Virtual Disk         AZS2

# check if cluster can be created
Test-Cluster -Node $servers -Include "Storage Spaces Direct", "Inventory", "Network", "System Configuration"

# create cluster
New-Cluster -Name $cluster -Node $servers -StaticAddress $clusterIp -NoStorage

# check cluster
Get-Cluster -Name $cluster | Get-ClusterResource
# Name                        State  OwnerGroup    ResourceType
# ----                        -----  ----------    ------------
# Cluster IP Address          Online Cluster Group IP Address
# Cluster Name                Online Cluster Group Network Name
# Virtual Machine Cluster WMI Online Cluster Group Virtual Machine Cluster WMI

# set cluster quorum (file share witness)
Set-ClusterQuorum -Cluster $cluster -FileShareWitness "\\DOM1.lab.tklabs.eu\Witness_AZSCluster$"
# Cluster              QuorumResource
# -------              --------------
# AzSCluster           File Share Witness

Get-Cluster -Name $cluster | Get-ClusterResource
# Name                        State  OwnerGroup    ResourceType
# ----                        -----  ----------    ------------
# Cluster IP Address          Online Cluster Group IP Address
# Cluster Name                Online Cluster Group Network Name
# File Share Witness          Online Cluster Group File Share Witness
# Virtual Machine Cluster WMI Online Cluster Group Virtual Machine Cluster WMI

### create Azure Stack HCI cluster

# prepare and clean disks

$servers = "AZS1", "AZS2"

$cluster = "AzSCluster"

$clusterIp = "192.168.111.50/24"

Invoke-Command ($servers) {

Update-StorageProviderCache

Get-StoragePool | Where-Object { $_.IsPrimordial -eq $false } | Set-StoragePool -IsReadOnly:$false -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

Get-StoragePool | Where-Object { $_.IsPrimordial -eq $false } | Get-VirtualDisk | Remove-VirtualDisk -Confirm:$false -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

Get-StoragePool | Where-Object { $_.IsPrimordial -eq $false } | Remove-StoragePool -Confirm:$false -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

Get-PhysicalDisk | Reset-PhysicalDisk -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

Get-Disk | Where-Object { $_.Number -ne $null } | Where-Object { $_.IsBoot -ne $true } | Where-Object { $_.IsSystem -ne $true } | Where-Object { $_.PartitionStyle -ne "RAW" } | ForEach-Object {

$_ | Set-Disk -IsOffline:$false

$_ | Set-Disk -IsReadOnly:$false

$_ | Clear-Disk -RemoveData -RemoveOEM -Confirm:$false

$_ | Set-Disk -IsReadOnly:$true

$_ | Set-Disk -IsOffline:$true

}

Get-Disk | Where-Object { $_.Number -ne $Null } | Where-Object { $_.IsBoot -ne $True } | Where-Object { $_.IsSystem -ne $True } | Where-Object { $_.PartitionStyle -eq "RAW" } | Group-Object -NoElement -Property "FriendlyName"

} | Sort-Object -Property "PsComputerName", "Count"

# Count Name PSComputerName

# ----- ---- --------------

# 4 Msft Virtual Disk AZS1

# 4 Msft Virtual Disk AZS2

# check if cluster can be created

Test-Cluster -Node $servers -Include "Storage Spaces Direct", "Inventory", "Network", "System Configuration"

# create cluster

New-Cluster -Name $cluster -Node $servers -StaticAddress $clusterIp -NoStorage

# check cluster

Get-Cluster -Name $cluster | Get-ClusterResource

# Name State OwnerGroup ResourceType

# ---- ----- ---------- ------------

# Cluster IP Address Online Cluster Group IP Address

# Cluster Name Online Cluster Group Network Name

# Virtual Machine Cluster WMI Online Cluster Group Virtual Machine Cluster WMI

# set cluster quorum (file share witness)

Set-ClusterQuorum -Cluster $cluster -FileShareWitness "\\DOM1.lab.tklabs.eu\Witness_AZSCluster$"

# Cluster QuorumResource

# ------- --------------

# AzSCluster File Share Witness

Get-Cluster -Name $cluster | Get-ClusterResource

# Name State OwnerGroup ResourceType

# ---- ----- ---------- ------------

# Cluster IP Address Online Cluster Group IP Address

# Cluster Name Online Cluster Group Network Name

# File Share Witness Online Cluster Group File Share Witness

# Virtual Machine Cluster WMI Online Cluster Group Virtual Machine Cluster WMI

### https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure-stack/hci/deploy/register-with-azure
# prerequisites
Install-Module -Name "Az.StackHCI" -Force -Confirm:$false

# registration
Register-AzStackHCI -SubscriptionId "<your_Azure_subscription_ID>" -ResourceGroupName "AzureStackHCI"
# WARNING: To sign in, use a web browser to open the page https://microsoft.com/devicelogin and enter the code DW84XWSHV to authenticate.
# WARNING: We have migrated the API calls for this cmdlet from Azure Active Directory Graph to Microsoft Graph. Visit https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=2181475 for any permission issues.

# Result                          : Success
# AzurePortalResourceURL          : https://portal.azure.com/#@<some_resource_ID>/resource/subscriptions/<your_Azure_subscription_ID>/resourceGroups/AzureStackHCI/providers/Microsoft.AzureStackHCI/clusters/AzSCluster/overview
# AzureResourceId                 : /Subscriptions/<your_Azure_subscription_ID>/resourceGroups/AzureStackHCI/providers/Microsoft.AzureStackHCI/clusters/AzSCluster
# AzurePortalAADAppPermissionsURL : https://portal.azure.com/#blade/Microsoft_AAD_RegisteredApps/ApplicationMenuBlade/CallAnAPI/appId/<some_App_ID>/isMSAApp/
# Details                         : Azure Stack HCI is successfully registered. An Azure resource representing Azure Stack HCI has been created in your Azure subscription to enable an Azure-consistent monitoring, billing, and support experience.

### https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure-stack/hci/deploy/register-with-azure

# prerequisites

Install-Module -Name "Az.StackHCI" -Force -Confirm:$false

# registration

# WARNING: To sign in, use a web browser to open the page https://microsoft.com/devicelogin and enter the code DW84XWSHV to authenticate.

# WARNING: We have migrated the API calls for this cmdlet from Azure Active Directory Graph to Microsoft Graph. Visit https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=2181475 for any permission issues.

# Result : Success

# AzurePortalResourceURL : https://portal.azure.com/#@<some_resource_ID>/resource/subscriptions/<your_Azure_subscription_ID>/resourceGroups/AzureStackHCI/providers/Microsoft.AzureStackHCI/clusters/AzSCluster/overview

# AzureResourceId : /Subscriptions/<your_Azure_subscription_ID>/resourceGroups/AzureStackHCI/providers/Microsoft.AzureStackHCI/clusters/AzSCluster

# AzurePortalAADAppPermissionsURL : https://portal.azure.com/#blade/Microsoft_AAD_RegisteredApps/ApplicationMenuBlade/CallAnAPI/appId/<some_App_ID>/isMSAApp/

# Details : Azure Stack HCI is successfully registered. An Azure resource representing Azure Stack HCI has been created in your Azure subscription to enable an Azure-consistent monitoring, billing, and support experience.

create CSV(s) and virtual switches for child workloads (but add nodes/cluster to WAC before, if not using PowerShell)
- NOTE: I’m not using intent-based networking at this time. Nor SDN.

play around with your new cluster
(optional) clean all/redeploy if needed:

### cleanup script
Get-VM "AZS*" | Stop-VM -TurnOff -Force
Remove-VM "AZS*" -Force
Remove-Item "D:\AzureStackHCI\VMs\AZS*" -Force -Recurse

### cleanup script

Get-VM "AZS*" | Stop-VM -TurnOff -Force

Remove-VM "AZS*" -Force

Remove-Item "D:\AzureStackHCI\VMs\AZS*" -Force -Recurse

And now you have fully functional, nested, 2-node Azure Stack HCI cluster – nothing too fancy, but you can extend it how you wish! 😊

You can begin exploring the Azure Stack HCI itself, use it with Azure Arc, or perhaps install AKS on Azure Stack HCI and play around with it. Or something else.

Cheers!

P.S. You can use these scripts also for stuff other than Azure Stack HCI, of course! 😉
P.P.S. Code is also available on my GitHub page.

Fixing Hyper-V virtual machine import with Compare-VM

By Tomica Kaniski in Other 30/07/2020 2 Comments

Well, I was rearranging some stuff the other day, and come to an interesting “lesson learned”, which I’ll share. 🙂

In my lab, I’ve had a Hyper-V server running Windows 2012 R2, which I finally wanted to upgrade to something newer. I’ve decided to go with the latest Windows Server Insider Preview (SA 20180), just for fun.

When trying to do an in-place upgrade, I was presented with the message “it can’t be done“, which is fine – my existing installation is with GUI, the new one will be Core.

So, evacuate everything and reinstall.

In the process, I’ve also reorganized some stuff (machines were moved to another disk, not all files were on the same place, etc.).

Installed Windows, installed Hyper-V, created VM switches, but when I tried to import it all back (from PowerShell… because I had no GUI anymore), I was presented with an error.

Error during virtual machine import was (I know – could’ve used more specific Import-VM command, which will select all the right folders and required options, but… learned something new by doing it this way!):

Import-VM -Path 'D:\VMs\azshci\azshci1\Virtual Machines\5381F80D-C752-42E0-AE26-6402B019B785.vmcx'
# Import-VM : Unable to import virtual machine due to configuration errors.  Please use Compare-VM to repair the virtual machine.
# At line:1 char:1
# + Import-VM -Path 'D:\VMs\azshci\azshci1\Virtual Machines\5381F80D-C752-42E0-AE26-6402B019B785.vmcx'
# + ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
#     + CategoryInfo          : InvalidOperation: (:) [Import-VM], VirtualizationException
#     + FullyQualifiedErrorId : OperationFailed,Microsoft.HyperV.PowerShell.Commands.ImportVM

Import-VM -Path 'D:\VMs\azshci\azshci1\Virtual Machines\5381F80D-C752-42E0-AE26-6402B019B785.vmcx'

# Import-VM : Unable to import virtual machine due to configuration errors. Please use Compare-VM to repair the virtual machine.

# At line:1 char:1

# + Import-VM -Path 'D:\VMs\azshci\azshci1\Virtual Machines\5381F80D-C752-42E0-AE26-6402B019B785.vmcx'

# + ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

# + CategoryInfo : InvalidOperation: (:) [Import-VM], VirtualizationException

# + FullyQualifiedErrorId : OperationFailed,Microsoft.HyperV.PowerShell.Commands.ImportVM

So, the error says it all – “Please use Compare-VM to repair the virtual machine.” 🙂

But how?! 🙂

If you go to the docs page of Compare-VM, you can see how it’s used.

And, in my case, the whole process of repairing this virtual machine looks like this:

# create an incompatibility report for a virtual machine
$report = Compare-VM -Path 'D:\VMs\azshci\azshci1\Virtual Machines\5381F80D-C752-42E0-AE26-6402B019B785.vmcx'

# check the created report as some incompatibilities were found
$report
# VM                 : VirtualMachine (Name = 'azshci1') [Id = '5381F80D-C752-42E0-AE26-6402B019B785']
# OperationType      : ImportVirtualMachine
# ...
# Incompatibilities  : {40010, 40010, 40010, 40010}
# ...

# check what exactly is incompatible (VHD locations, in this case)
$report.Incompatibilities.Source | Format-Table
# VMName  ControllerType ControllerNumber ControllerLocation DiskNumber Path
# ------  -------------- ---------------- ------------------ ---------- ----
# azshci1 SCSI           0                0                             C:\VMs\azshci\azshci1\azshci1_0_0.vhdx
# azshci1 SCSI           1                0                             C:\VMs\azshci\azshci1\azshci1_1_0.vhdx
# azshci1 SCSI           1                1                             C:\VMs\azshci\azshci1\azshci1_1_1.vhdx
# azshci1 SCSI           1                2                             C:\VMs\azshci\azshci1\azshci1_1_2.vhdx

# fixing the VHD locations (by replacing C: with D: for all VHDs)
$report.Incompatibilities[0].Source | Set-VMHardDiskDrive -Path 'D:\VMs\azshci\azshci1\azshci1_0_0.vhdx'
$report.Incompatibilities[1].Source | Set-VMHardDiskDrive -Path 'D:\VMs\azshci\azshci1\azshci1_1_0.vhdx'
$report.Incompatibilities[2].Source | Set-VMHardDiskDrive -Path 'D:\VMs\azshci\azshci1\azshci1_1_1.vhdx'
$report.Incompatibilities[3].Source | Set-VMHardDiskDrive -Path 'D:\VMs\azshci\azshci1\azshci1_1_2.vhdx'

# recheck if all looks fine
$report.Incompatibilities.Source | Format-Table
# VMName  ControllerType ControllerNumber ControllerLocation DiskNumber Path
# ------  -------------- ---------------- ------------------ ---------- ----
# azshci1 SCSI           0                0                             D:\VMs\azshci\azshci1\azshci1_0_0.vhdx
# azshci1 SCSI           1                0                             D:\VMs\azshci\azshci1\azshci1_1_0.vhdx
# azshci1 SCSI           1                1                             D:\VMs\azshci\azshci1\azshci1_1_1.vhdx
# azshci1 SCSI           1                2                             D:\VMs\azshci\azshci1\azshci1_1_2.vhdx

# import the fixed virtual machine (success!)
Import-VM -CompatibilityReport $report
# Name    State CPUUsage(%) MemoryAssigned(M) Uptime   Status             Version
# ----    ----- ----------- ----------------- ------   ------             -------
# azshci1 Off   0           0                 00:00:00 Operating normally 9.0

# create an incompatibility report for a virtual machine

$report = Compare-VM -Path 'D:\VMs\azshci\azshci1\Virtual Machines\5381F80D-C752-42E0-AE26-6402B019B785.vmcx'

# check the created report as some incompatibilities were found

$report

# VM : VirtualMachine (Name = 'azshci1') [Id = '5381F80D-C752-42E0-AE26-6402B019B785']

# OperationType : ImportVirtualMachine

# ...

# Incompatibilities : {40010, 40010, 40010, 40010}

# ...

# check what exactly is incompatible (VHD locations, in this case)

$report.Incompatibilities.Source | Format-Table

# VMName ControllerType ControllerNumber ControllerLocation DiskNumber Path

# ------ -------------- ---------------- ------------------ ---------- ----

# azshci1 SCSI 0 0 C:\VMs\azshci\azshci1\azshci1_0_0.vhdx

# azshci1 SCSI 1 0 C:\VMs\azshci\azshci1\azshci1_1_0.vhdx

# azshci1 SCSI 1 1 C:\VMs\azshci\azshci1\azshci1_1_1.vhdx

# azshci1 SCSI 1 2 C:\VMs\azshci\azshci1\azshci1_1_2.vhdx

# fixing the VHD locations (by replacing C: with D: for all VHDs)

$report.Incompatibilities[0].Source | Set-VMHardDiskDrive -Path 'D:\VMs\azshci\azshci1\azshci1_0_0.vhdx'

$report.Incompatibilities[1].Source | Set-VMHardDiskDrive -Path 'D:\VMs\azshci\azshci1\azshci1_1_0.vhdx'

$report.Incompatibilities[2].Source | Set-VMHardDiskDrive -Path 'D:\VMs\azshci\azshci1\azshci1_1_1.vhdx'

$report.Incompatibilities[3].Source | Set-VMHardDiskDrive -Path 'D:\VMs\azshci\azshci1\azshci1_1_2.vhdx'

# recheck if all looks fine

$report.Incompatibilities.Source | Format-Table

# VMName ControllerType ControllerNumber ControllerLocation DiskNumber Path

# ------ -------------- ---------------- ------------------ ---------- ----

# azshci1 SCSI 0 0 D:\VMs\azshci\azshci1\azshci1_0_0.vhdx

# azshci1 SCSI 1 0 D:\VMs\azshci\azshci1\azshci1_1_0.vhdx

# azshci1 SCSI 1 1 D:\VMs\azshci\azshci1\azshci1_1_1.vhdx

# azshci1 SCSI 1 2 D:\VMs\azshci\azshci1\azshci1_1_2.vhdx

# import the fixed virtual machine (success!)

Import-VM -CompatibilityReport $report

# Name State CPUUsage(%) MemoryAssigned(M) Uptime Status Version

# ---- ----- ----------- ----------------- ------ ------ -------

# azshci1 Off 0 0 00:00:00 Operating normally 9.0

Hope this helps you as well!

Cheers!

CRC – OpenShift 4 cluster in your pocket

By Tomica Kaniski in Other 01/05/2020 0 Comment

… but only if you have large pockets, that is! 🙂

I suppose that, by now, you’ve already heard of minishift – tool which helps you run a single-node OpenShift 3.x cluster inside a virtual machine (on your preferred hypervisor), which is extremely convenient if you need to do some local development, testing, etc. Of course, you can always deploy what you need on top of Azure or any other cloud provider, but having OpenShift cluster locally can have its benefits.

And what if you need, let’s say, an OpenShift 4.x cluster “to go”?

Don’t worry, there is a solution for you as well! It’s called CodeReady Containers (CRC) (version 1.9 at the time of writing), and is basically a single node OpenShift 4.x cluster, inside a virtual machine (sounds a lot like minishift, doesn’t it?).

So, how can you get your hands on CRC and make it work?

There are a couple of steps involved:

look at the prerequisites:

create a free Red Hat account:

download the CRC disk image and your pull secret file:

download the OpenShift tools (as I’m using Windows, so I’ll use this one):

unzip all to a location you like (mine is C:\PocketOpenShift):

(optional) add this location to PATH for easier usage (as already mentined, I’m using Windows & PowerShell):

[System.Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("PATH", $Env:Path + ";C:\PocketOpenShift", "Machine")

1	[System.Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("PATH", $Env:Path + ";C:\PocketOpenShift", "Machine")

run “crc setup” which will prepare the environment:

crc setup
# INFO Checking if oc binary is cached
# INFO Checking if podman remote binary is cached
# INFO Checking if CRC bundle is cached in '$HOME/.crc'
# INFO Checking if running as normal user
# INFO Checking Windows 10 release
# INFO Checking if Hyper-V is installed and operational
# INFO Checking if user is a member of the Hyper-V Administrators group
# INFO Checking if Hyper-V service is enabled
# INFO Checking if the Hyper-V virtual switch exist
# INFO Found Virtual Switch to use: Default Switch
# Setup is complete, you can now run 'crc start' to start the OpenShift cluster

crc setup

# INFO Checking if oc binary is cached

# INFO Checking if podman remote binary is cached

# INFO Checking if CRC bundle is cached in '$HOME/.crc'

# INFO Checking if running as normal user

# INFO Checking Windows 10 release

# INFO Checking if Hyper-V is installed and operational

# INFO Checking if user is a member of the Hyper-V Administrators group

# INFO Checking if Hyper-V service is enabled

# INFO Checking if the Hyper-V virtual switch exist

# INFO Found Virtual Switch to use: Default Switch

# Setup is complete, you can now run 'crc start' to start the OpenShift cluster

run “crc start” (with one or more options, if needed – as you can see, I’ll be using custom number of vCPUs, amount of RAM and a custom nameserver):

crc start --cpus 4 --memory 8192 --nameserver 8.8.8.8 --pull-secret-file ".\pull-secret.txt"
# INFO Checking if oc binary is cached
# INFO Checking if podman remote binary is cached
# INFO Checking if running as normal user
# INFO Checking Windows 10 release
# INFO Checking if Hyper-V is installed and operational
# INFO Checking if user is a member of the Hyper-V Administrators group
# INFO Checking if Hyper-V service is enabled
# INFO Checking if the Hyper-V virtual switch exist
# INFO Found Virtual Switch to use: Default Switch
# INFO Loading bundle: crc_hyperv_4.3.10.crcbundle ...
# INFO Checking size of the disk image C:\Users\tomica\.crc\cache\crc_hyperv_4.3.10\crc.vhdx ...
# INFO Creating CodeReady Containers VM for OpenShift 4.3.10...
# INFO Verifying validity of the cluster certificates ...
# INFO Adding 8.8.8.8 as nameserver to the instance ...
# INFO Will run as admin: add dns server address to interface vEthernet (Default Switch)
# INFO Check internal and public DNS query ...
# INFO Check DNS query from host ...
# INFO Copying kubeconfig file to instance dir ...
# INFO Adding user's pull secret ...
# INFO Updating cluster ID ...
# INFO Starting OpenShift cluster ... [waiting 3m]
# INFO
# INFO To access the cluster, first set up your environment by following 'crc oc-env' instructions
# INFO Then you can access it by running 'oc login -u developer -p developer https://api.crc.testing:6443'
# INFO To login as an admin, run 'oc login -u kubeadmin -p <a_secret_password> https://api.crc.testing:6443'
# INFO
# INFO You can now run 'crc console' and use these credentials to access the OpenShift web console
# Started the OpenShift cluster
# WARN The cluster might report a degraded or error state. This is expected since several operators have been disabled to lower the resource usage. For more information, please consult the documentation

crc start --cpus 4 --memory 8192 --nameserver 8.8.8.8 --pull-secret-file ".\pull-secret.txt"

# INFO Checking if oc binary is cached

# INFO Checking if podman remote binary is cached

# INFO Checking if running as normal user

# INFO Checking Windows 10 release

# INFO Checking if Hyper-V is installed and operational

# INFO Checking if user is a member of the Hyper-V Administrators group

# INFO Checking if Hyper-V service is enabled

# INFO Checking if the Hyper-V virtual switch exist

# INFO Found Virtual Switch to use: Default Switch

# INFO Loading bundle: crc_hyperv_4.3.10.crcbundle ...

# INFO Checking size of the disk image C:\Users\tomica\.crc\cache\crc_hyperv_4.3.10\crc.vhdx ...

# INFO Creating CodeReady Containers VM for OpenShift 4.3.10...

# INFO Verifying validity of the cluster certificates ...

# INFO Adding 8.8.8.8 as nameserver to the instance ...

# INFO Will run as admin: add dns server address to interface vEthernet (Default Switch)

# INFO Check internal and public DNS query ...

# INFO Check DNS query from host ...

# INFO Copying kubeconfig file to instance dir ...

# INFO Adding user's pull secret ...

# INFO Updating cluster ID ...

# INFO Starting OpenShift cluster ... [waiting 3m]

# INFO

# INFO To access the cluster, first set up your environment by following 'crc oc-env' instructions

# INFO Then you can access it by running 'oc login -u developer -p developer https://api.crc.testing:6443'

# INFO To login as an admin, run 'oc login -u kubeadmin -p <a_secret_password> https://api.crc.testing:6443'

# INFO

# INFO You can now run 'crc console' and use these credentials to access the OpenShift web console

# Started the OpenShift cluster

# WARN The cluster might report a degraded or error state. This is expected since several operators have been disabled to lower the resource usage. For more information, please consult the documentation

at any time, you can check the status of your cluster by using “crc status” command:

crc status
# CRC VM:          Running
# OpenShift:       Running (v4.3.10)
# Disk Usage:      10.67GB of 32.72GB (Inside the CRC VM)
# Cache Usage:     14.27GB
# Cache Directory: C:\Users\tomica\.crc\cache

crc status

# CRC VM: Running

# OpenShift: Running (v4.3.10)

# Disk Usage: 10.67GB of 32.72GB (Inside the CRC VM)

# Cache Usage: 14.27GB

# Cache Directory: C:\Users\tomica\.crc\cache

once it is up, you can use “oc login” or console (bring it up with “crc console“) to connect to it, either as an (kube)admin or a developer, and continue working as you would normally with any other OpenShift cluster:

oc login -u kubeadmin -p <a_secret_password> https://api.crc.testing:6443
# The server uses a certificate signed by an unknown authority.
# You can bypass the certificate check, but any data you send to the server could be intercepted by others.
# Use insecure connections? (y/n): <strong>y</strong>
# 
# Login successful.
# 
# You have access to 53 projects, the list has been suppressed. You can list all projects with 'oc projects'
# 
# Using project "default".
# Welcome! See 'oc help' to get started.

oc login -u kubeadmin -p <a_secret_password> https://api.crc.testing:6443

# The server uses a certificate signed by an unknown authority.

# You can bypass the certificate check, but any data you send to the server could be intercepted by others.

# Use insecure connections? (y/n): <strong>y</strong>

# Login successful.

# You have access to 53 projects, the list has been suppressed. You can list all projects with 'oc projects'

# Using project "default".

# Welcome! See 'oc help' to get started.

one other thing I like to do is to enable monitoring and other disabled stuff (note though – your VM should have 12+ GB RAM) – you can do it with two commands – first one lists all that is disabled, and the second one, with the index at the end, enables it (also note that in the official documentation there is an issue with “” and ” (they are switched), if you’re working in PowerShell):

oc get clusterversion version -ojsonpath="{range .spec.overrides[*]}{.name}{'\n'}{end}" | % {$nl++;"`t$($nl-1) `t $_"};$nl=0
# 0 cluster-monitoring-operator
# 1 machine-config-operator
# 2 etcd-quorum-guard
# 3 machine-api-operator
# 4 cluster-autoscaler-operator
# 5 insights-operator
# 6 prometheus-k8s

oc patch clusterversion/version --type="json" -p "[{'op':'remove', 'path':'/spec/overrides/0'}]" -oyaml
# ...
# state: Completed
# ...

oc get clusterversion version -ojsonpath="{range .spec.overrides[*]}{.name}{'\n'}{end}" | % {$nl++;"`t$($nl-1) `t $_"};$nl=0

# 0 cluster-monitoring-operator

# 1 machine-config-operator

# 2 etcd-quorum-guard

# 3 machine-api-operator

# 4 cluster-autoscaler-operator

# 5 insights-operator

# 6 prometheus-k8s

oc patch clusterversion/version --type="json" -p "[{'op':'remove', 'path':'/spec/overrides/0'}]" -oyaml

# ...

# state: Completed

# ...

monitoring should now be working as well:

And that’s it – you’re ready to work on your own “pocket OpenShift cluster”! 🙂

Of course, don’t forget that there is also the official documentation, including the Getting Started guide and Release Notes and Known Issues document. So… take a look!

Cheers!

PowerShell helps with Altaro

By Tomica Kaniski in Other 28/06/2018 0 Comment

I really like Altaro VM Backup! It’s so simple, fast and gets the job done. If you haven’t tried it yet, please do – it fulfills the backup needs of small and medium businesses. I’m using it for backup of my Hyper-V virtual machines, of course.

Have I mentioned that they also have the free version, because – they do!

With this little digression out of the way, the thing I want to write now is something that really helped me the other day. I created (yet another) virtual machine on my Hyper-V host and then I tried to add it to backup as well. It is really simple to do this in Altaro – you just select your virtual machine and then drag & drop it to the desired backup location and schedule and that’s it!

As I was connected to my host via Remote Desktop, I was having trouble with drag & drop. I wasn’t able to add my new virtual machine to either backup location or schedule. I’m stuck.

So… when all things fail, you’re usually saved by “reading the friendly manual” (RTFM). Or by using PowerShell. I’ve decided to try the latter.

How do you use PowerShell to add the virtual machine to backup when using Altaro VM Backup?

There are a couple of steps, but basically you need to establish the connection to backup server, make Altaro VM Backup aware of your virtual machine, assign it to the desired backup location and schedule. And that’s it! And, even better – the good people at Altaro have written the PowerShell scripts that help you do all that!

The steps are:

(inside PowerShell console) go to the C:\Program Files\Altaro\Altaro Backup\Cmdlets where here you can see all the scripts that come out-of-the-box:

all scripts are equipped with help and examples, accessible by adding the –help parameter:

first, we need to establish connection to backup server by using the StartSessionPasswordHidden.ps1 scripts (that will give us connection to the backup server and also Session token (Data field) which we need as first parameter for all the next steps):

next, we need to make Altaro VM Backup aware of our new virtual machine by getting the HypervisorVirtualMachineUuid of this virtual machine with GetVirtualMachines.ps1 script:

then we can add this virtual machine to Altaro with AddVirtualMachineToConfig.ps1 script by passing the Data (actually the VirtualMachineRefId) value from the previous step:

next, we need to check our available backup locations with GetBackupLocations.ps1 script:

by using the AddVirtualMachineToBackupLocation.ps1 with BackupLocationId from the previous step, we will assign our virtual machine to desired backup location:

next, we need to add this virtual machine to a desired schedule as well – with GetSchedules.ps1 script, we can get the ScheduleId:

and with this parameter in hand, we can start the AddVirtualMachineToSchedule.ps1 script:

last, but not least, we need to close all sessions by using the EndAllSessions.ps1 script:

finally, we can see the results in the GUI (our machine should be added to the backup location and schedule – everything that’s needed to start backing it up!):

Pretty simple (and cool), right?! Hope it helps!

Cheers!

Getting started with Microsoft Azure Stack (ASDK) (8)

By Tomica Kaniski in Other 06/05/2018 0 Comment

After seven posts on how to get started with Microsoft Azure Stack/Azure Stack Development Kit, I think it’s finally time to share some additional resources that can help you on this amazing journey!

First (and the most important one… and the one that I already mentioned a few times) is the official documentation – hosted at docs.microsoft.com, regularly updated… with everything you need… just at the tip of your fingers! Amazing!

Next, there are two books I’ve been reading (feel free to leave a comment if you know any other book or resource I’ve missed) – the first one is Packt’s Building Hybrid Clouds with Azure Stack by Markus Klein and Susan Roesner (thank you, Ron!). The second book is Sams’ Microsoft Hybrid Cloud Unleashed with Azure Stack and Azure by Kerrie Meyler, Steve Buchanan, Mark Scholman, Jakob Gottlieb Svendsen and Janaka Rangama. Great books written by great authors!

Also, PluralSight is offering the short Microsoft Azure Stack: The Big Picture by Jason Helmick – totally free!

And if you plan to certify on Azure Stack – the official exam 70-537: Configuring and Operating a Hybrid Cloud with Microsoft Azure Stack is available
(accompanied by the official MOC, of course)!

Lastly – make also sure that you don’t miss Jeffrey’s inspiring talk!

Hope it helps!

Getting started with Microsoft Azure Stack (ASDK) (7)

By Tomica Kaniski in Other 04/05/2018 0 Comment

One other important topic of running your Microsoft Azure Stack/ASDK environment is updating. You’ll need to update your deployment regularly to stay supported.

So… how do we do it?

First, you’ll download updates by using the provided Azure Stack Updates Downloader utility.

If you remember the following video, starting at 1:04, you could see the Downloader in action:

Next, you’ll unpack and upload the updates to your Stack deployment (to the updateadminaccount storage account, to be exact):

As the last step, Azure Stack will pick the info about uploaded updates and let you press the (magic) Update now button.

Then… we wait and our updates will be (magically) installed. And that’s it! Cool!

I’ve recorded a short video about this one as well:

Note, though, that updating of the nested Azure Stack/ASDK (i.e. installed inside of a virtual machine, either on Hyper-V, Azure or somewhere else) will probably not work… and this is perfectly fine (and expected)!

Cheers!

P.S. The whole YouTube playlist is available here.

Getting started with Microsoft Azure Stack (ASDK) (6)

By Tomica Kaniski in Other 02/05/2018 0 Comment

Once you’re all set with preparing your Azure Stack/ASDK infrastructure, it’s time to let other users actually use it by forming tenants.

For this, you’ll first create a Plan which contains all the services a tenant is allowed to use with setting the appropriate Quotas on these services. Next, you’ll create an Offer consisting of the plan you just created (and any other you may have created earlier). With that, you can create a Subscription which will, finally, allow your user to consume Azure Stack/ASDK services (i.e. provision virtual machines and any other service you may have put in your plan).

I’ve made a short video about provisioning the above mentioned for my newly created [email protected] user:

Note that my user is using the “tenant portal” (https://portal.local.azurestack.external/) for provisioning its services, and not the “admin portal” (https://adminportal.local.azurestack.external/).

Cheers!

Getting started with Microsoft Azure Stack (ASDK) (5)

By Tomica Kaniski in Other 30/04/2018 0 Comment

It’s not like we can deploy only WordPress or Ubuntu on top of our ASDK – we can do so much more! And now I’ll show you how to add Windows 2016 image to your Azure Stack (ASDK) environment.

First, you’ll need to connect to your ASDK environment by using the Login-AzureRmAccount command. Then you’ll need the Windows Server 2016 ISO, and with an easy New-AzsServer2016VMImage command, you’ll import the Windows Server 2016 bits and create Windows Server 2016 image/template for your Azure Stack environment.

cd C:\AzureStack-Tools-master
Import-Module .\Connect\AzureStack.Connect.psm1
Add-AzureRmEnvironment -Name "AzureStackAdmin" -ARMEndpoint "https://adminmanagement.local.azurestack.external"
Login-AzureRmAccount -Environment "AzureStackAdmin"
# enter your CloudAdmin credentials

# actually importing the Windows Server 2016 image
Import-Module .\ComputeAdmin\AzureStack.ComputeAdmin.psm1
$TenantId = Get-AzsDirectoryTenantId -ADFS -EnvironmentName "AzureStackAdmin"
$ISOPath = "C:\Install\14393.0.161119-1705.RS1_REFRESH_SERVER_EVAL_X64FRE_EN-US.ISO"
New-AzsServer2016VMImage -ISOPath $ISOPath -IncludeLatestCU

cd C:\AzureStack-Tools-master

Import-Module .\Connect\AzureStack.Connect.psm1

Add-AzureRmEnvironment -Name "AzureStackAdmin" -ARMEndpoint "https://adminmanagement.local.azurestack.external"

# enter your CloudAdmin credentials

# actually importing the Windows Server 2016 image

Import-Module .\ComputeAdmin\AzureStack.ComputeAdmin.psm1

$TenantId = Get-AzsDirectoryTenantId -ADFS -EnvironmentName "AzureStackAdmin"

$ISOPath = "C:\Install\14393.0.161119-1705.RS1_REFRESH_SERVER_EVAL_X64FRE_EN-US.ISO"

New-AzsServer2016VMImage -ISOPath $ISOPath -IncludeLatestCU

There is also a video showing you all the steps and note that you can also add the latest Cumulative Update (CU) to the template with a simple switch called -IncludeLatestCU (how cool is that?!):

After that, you can easily create a new virtual machine based on Windows Server 2016 template you’ve just created, like in the following video:

Cheers!

Getting started with Microsoft Azure Stack (ASDK) (4)

By Tomica Kaniski in Other 28/04/2018 0 Comment

And now, a short and sweet one – once you have downloaded, installed and registered your ASDK, you can finally start using it!

First thing I would do is to grab something from the Azure Marketplace – inside your Admin Portal (https://adminportal.local.azurestack.external/), you can open up the Marketplace management section and then click on Add from Azure button:

This gives you a whole selection of images available on Azure, which can be downloaded and used on you ASDK. Just for fun, in the next video, I’ll download WordPress (on Ubuntu) and a VM extension called Microsoft Antimalware (hmmm… I wonder what it does? Smile ):

Once downloaded, you can provision yourself a brand new WordPress instance, running on top of Ubuntu, on top of your own ASDK, as you can see in the following video:

Happy weekend!

Getting started with Microsoft Azure Stack (ASDK) (3)

By Tomica Kaniski in Other 26/04/2018 0 Comment

As a final preparation step (following my previous post) in using the ASDK, we need to first register it. For that, an Azure subscription is required!

So… let’s do it.

First, we need to make sure we have the required Azure Stack PowerShell modules. It’s also convenient to make the PSGallery trusted repository for installation of the modules, if we need to install them. Then we can download all the tools we’ll need, and finally register our (connected) ASDK environment, using the following commands:

# make PSGallery a trusted repository
Set-PSRepository -Name "PSGallery" -InstallationPolicy Trusted

# check if modules are installed
Get-Module -ListAvailable | Where-Object {$_.Name -like "Azure*"}

# install the required Azure Stack modules
Install-Module -Name AzureRm.Bootstrapper
User-AzureRmProfile '2017-03-09-profile' -Force
Install-Module -Name AzureStack -RequiredVersion 1.2.11

# check if modules are installed
Get-Module -ListAvailable | Where-Object {$_.Name -like "Azure*"}

# download the fresh copy of Azure Stack tools as well (if this fails, you can always download the file through your browser :))
cd \
[Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [Net.SecurityProtocolType]::Tls12
Invoke-WebRequest https://github.com/Azure/AzureStack-Tools/archive/master.zip -Outfile master.zip
Expand-Archive -Path .\master.zip -DestinationPath .

# now we are ready for registering our ASDK
cd AzureStack-Tools-master
Import-Module .\Connect\AzureStack.Connect.psm1
Add-AzureRmAccount -Environment "AzureCloud"
# enter your Azure credentials
Get-AzureRmSubscription -SubscriptionId "your_azure_subscription_id" | Select-AzureRmSubscription
Register-AzureRmResourceProvider -ProviderNamespace Microsoft.AzureStack
Import-Module .\Registration\RegisterWithAzure.psm1
$CloudAdminCred = Get-Credential -UserName "AZURESTACK\CloudAdmin" -Message "Enter CloudAdmin passwor, please."
# enter the Azure Stack's CloudAdmin password
Set-AzsRegistration -PrivilegedEndpointCredential $CloudAdminCred -PrivilegedEndpoint "AzS-ERCS01.azurestack.local" -BillingMode Development

# make PSGallery a trusted repository

Set-PSRepository -Name "PSGallery" -InstallationPolicy Trusted

# check if modules are installed

Get-Module -ListAvailable | Where-Object {$_.Name -like "Azure*"}

# install the required Azure Stack modules

Install-Module -Name AzureRm.Bootstrapper

User-AzureRmProfile '2017-03-09-profile' -Force

Install-Module -Name AzureStack -RequiredVersion 1.2.11

# check if modules are installed

Get-Module -ListAvailable | Where-Object {$_.Name -like "Azure*"}

# download the fresh copy of Azure Stack tools as well (if this fails, you can always download the file through your browser :))

cd \

[Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [Net.SecurityProtocolType]::Tls12

Invoke-WebRequest https://github.com/Azure/AzureStack-Tools/archive/master.zip -Outfile master.zip

Expand-Archive -Path .\master.zip -DestinationPath .

# now we are ready for registering our ASDK

cd AzureStack-Tools-master

Import-Module .\Connect\AzureStack.Connect.psm1

Add-AzureRmAccount -Environment "AzureCloud"

# enter your Azure credentials

Get-AzureRmSubscription -SubscriptionId "your_azure_subscription_id" | Select-AzureRmSubscription

Import-Module .\Registration\RegisterWithAzure.psm1

$CloudAdminCred = Get-Credential -UserName "AZURESTACK\CloudAdmin" -Message "Enter CloudAdmin passwor, please."

# enter the Azure Stack's CloudAdmin password

Set-AzsRegistration -PrivilegedEndpointCredential $CloudAdminCred -PrivilegedEndpoint "AzS-ERCS01.azurestack.local" -BillingMode Development

You can find the whole procedure explained in more detail inside the official documentation, of course.

And… once registered – we can finally start using our ASDK!

As before – I’ve also prepared a short video about registering the ASDK:

Happy exploring!