Azure/General

Generalising Windows machine before creating an image

1. Create Windows VM
2. Provision/baseline your VM by RDPing and installing software
3. Generalise your system using sysprep to create System Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE)
   1. Win+R, type sysprep, it will take you to C:\Windows\System32\Sysprep and run sysprep.exe
      • System Cleanup Action: Enter System Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE)
      • Generalize: Yes (tick)
      • Shutdown Options: Reboot
   2. Optional run: C:\Windows\System32\Sysprep\sysprep.exe /oobe /generalize /shutdown /mode:vm
   3. You will be disconnected from RDP but the instance still run generalising and will stop once done
4. Go to Azure portal and click on Capture to create an image now
5. You find new image in Images service where you can create new VM from

Generalising Linux machine before creating an image

1. Create Linux VM
2. Provision/baseline your VM by SSHing to provisioning your software
3. Generalise your system using Azure Linux Agent - waagent
   1. • sudo waagent -deprovision+user
      • account you are currently logged in will be completly deleted including home
      • Linux system does not neet to be shut
4. Go to Azure portal and click on Capture to create an image now
5. You find new image in Images service where you can create new VM from

Not supported server roles and services

This section has been updated on 26/09/2018, for upto date information see 1.

The following roles are not supported on Microsoft Azure virtual machines:

• Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol Server
• Hyper-V (Hyper-V role is supported in Azure Ev3, and Dv3 series VMs only)
• Rights Management Services
• Windows Deployment Services
• Windows Server features

The following significant features are not supported:

• BitLocker Drive Encryption (on the operating system hard disk, may be used on data disks)
• Internet Storage Name Server
• Multipath I/O
• Network Load Balancing
• Peer Name Resolution Protocol
• RRAS
• DirectAccess
• SNMP Services
• Storage Manager for SANs
• Windows Internet Name Service
• Wireless LAN Service

Azure tools

• blob storage
• Powershell AZModule to copy files
• Powershell DSC Desired State Configuration system
• VMagent custom script extension - runs on Azure VMs, allows to run one-off scripts

VMagent custom script extension

Windows

$fileUri = @("https://xxxxxxx.blob.core.windows.net/buildServer1/1_Add_Tools.ps1",
"https://xxxxxxx.blob.core.windows.net/buildServer1/2_Add_Features.ps1",
"https://xxxxxxx.blob.core.windows.net/buildServer1/3_CompleteInstall.ps1")

$Settings = @{"fileUris" = $fileUri};

$storageaccname = "xxxxxxx"
$storagekey = "1234ABCD"
$ProtectedSettings = @{"storageAccountName" = $storageaccname; "storageAccountKey" = $storagekey; "commandToExecute" = "powershell -ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted -File 1_Add_Tools.ps1"};

#run command
Set-AzureRmVMExtension -ResourceGroupName myRG `
    -Location myLocation ` 
    -VMName myVM ` 
    -Name "buildserver1" ` 
    -Publisher "Microsoft.Compute" ` 
    -ExtensionType "CustomScriptExtension" ` 
    -TypeHandlerVersion "1.9" ` 
    -Settings $Settings ` 
    -ProtectedSettings $ProtectedSettings

Linux

az vm extension set \
  --resource-group myResourceGroup \
  --vm-name myVM --name customScript \
  --publisher Microsoft.Azure.Extensions \
  --settings ./script-config.json

Resources

• Custom Script for Windows

Resources

• What is and can't be suppoerted on Azure Windows systems
• Minimum version support for Linux and Windows virtual machine agents in Azure Linux systems

Azure for AWS Administrators

• Azure for AWS Professionals
• AWS to Azure services comparison

Blog resources

• Tips and tricks 100+