Lab

DSC Workshop Lab Environment

This directory contains scripts to deploy and configure a complete lab environment for the DSC Workshop. The lab environment can be deployed to either Azure or Hyper-V.

Overview

The lab scripts create a fully functional environment with:

• Domain controller (DSCDC01)
• SQL Server (DSCCASQL01)
• DSC Pull Server with SQL backing (DSCPull01)
• Azure DevOps Server (DSCDO01)
• Hyper-V host for nested virtualization (DSCHost01)
• Multiple target nodes for DSC configuration (DSCFile01-03, DSCWeb01-03)

Lab Deployment Workflow

The numbered scripts follow a specific sequence for deploying and configuring the lab:

1. Deploy the base lab (00, 10)
2. Customize the environment (20)
3. Configure Azure DevOps pipelines (31, 32)
4. Add additional features (33, 40, 50)

Script Descriptions

Main Deployment Scripts

Script	Description
00 Lab Deployment.ps1	Main entry point that determines deployment type (Azure/Hyper-V) and calls all other scripts in sequence
10 Azure Full Lab with DSC and AzureDevOps.ps1	Deploys lab to Azure with all required VMs and configurations
10 HyperV Full Lab with DSC and AzureDevOps.ps1	Deploys lab to local Hyper-V with all required VMs and configurations

Environment Customization Scripts

Script	Description
20 Lab Customizations.ps1	Performs post-deployment customizations, including installing required modules and software
20 SoftwarePackages.psd1	Configuration data for software packages to be installed in the lab

Pipeline Configuration Scripts

Script	Description
31 New Release Pipeline DscConfig.Demo.ps1	Creates Azure DevOps release pipeline for the DscConfig.Demo project
32 New Release Pipeline DscWorkshop.ps1	Creates Azure DevOps release pipeline for the main DscWorkshop project

Additional Feature Scripts

Script	Description
33 Install DscAutoOnboarding.ps1	Installs and configures the DSC auto-onboarding feature
40 SQL Server Reporting DB.ps1	Sets up SQL Server Reporting Services with DSC reports
50 HyperV Host.ps1	Configures the Hyper-V host for nested virtualization

How to Use the Lab

Prerequisites

• PowerShell 5.1 or higher
• AutomatedLab module installed
• For Azure deployment: Azure subscription and appropriate permissions
• For Hyper-V deployment: Windows 10/11 or Windows Server with Hyper-V role installed

Deploying the Lab

Option 1: Full Deployment (Recommended)

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/dsccommunity/DscWorkshop.git
cd DscWorkshop/Lab

# Deploy to Azure
.\00 Lab Deployment.ps1 -HostType Azure

# OR deploy to Hyper-V
.\00 Lab Deployment.ps1 -HostType HyperV

This will execute all scripts in the correct order, creating a complete lab environment.

Option 2: Selective Deployment

If you need to run specific parts of the deployment:

# First import the lab if it exists but is not imported
Import-Lab -Name DscWorkshop -NoValidation

# Then run individual scripts as needed
.\20 Lab Customizations.ps1
.\31 New Release Pipeline DscConfig.Demo.ps1

Lab Structure

After deployment, you'll have the following key machines:

• DSCDC01: Domain Controller
• DSCCASQL01: SQL Server and Certificate Authority
• DSCPull01: DSC Pull Server
• DSCDO01: Azure DevOps Server
• DSCHost01: Hyper-V Host for nested virtualization
• DSCFile01-03, DSCWeb01-03: Target nodes for configuration

                                    +------------+
                                    |            |
                                    |   DSCDC01  |
                                    |            |
                                    +------------+
                                           |
                +-----------------------------------------------+
                |              |              |                 |
        +------------+  +------------+  +------------+   +------------+
        |            |  |            |  |            |   |            |
        | DSCCASQL01 |  |  DSCPull01 |  |   DSCDO01  |   |  DSCHost01 |
        |            |  |            |  |            |   |            |
        +------------+  +------------+  +------------+   +------------+
                                                              |
                          +-----------------------------+
                          |             |               |
                   +------------+ +------------+ +------------+
                   |  DSCFile01 | |  DSCWeb01  | |    ...     |
                   |  DSCFile02 | |  DSCWeb02  | |            |
                   |  DSCFile03 | |  DSCWeb03  | |            |
                   +------------+ +------------+ +------------+

Connecting to the Lab

After deployment, you can connect to any VM using:

# Get lab VM details
Get-LabVM

# Connect via RDP
Connect-LabVM -ComputerName DSCDO01

Lab Snapshots

During deployment, several VM snapshots are created to allow easy recovery:

1. AfterInstall: Created after initial VM deployment
2. AfterCustomizations: Created after software installation and customization
3. AfterPipelines: Created after Azure DevOps pipeline setup
4. AfterSqlReporting: Created after SQL reporting setup

To restore to a specific point:

# List available snapshots
Get-LabVMSnapshot -ComputerName DSCDO01

# Restore a specific VM to a snapshot
Restore-LabVMSnapshot -ComputerName DSCDO01 -SnapshotName AfterCustomizations

# Restore all VMs to a snapshot
Restore-LabVMSnapshot -All -SnapshotName AfterInstall

Additional Components

DSC Auto-Onboarding

The lab includes scripts for automated DSC node onboarding:

• DscAutoOnboarding/Install-DscAutoOnboarding.ps1: Sets up the auto-onboarding environment
• DscAutoOnboarding/Start-DscAutoOnboarding.ps1: Script to run on target nodes for auto-onboarding

DSC Reporting

The lab includes SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) reports for DSC:

• Reports/NodeAdditionalInfo.rdl
• Reports/NodeConfigurationData.rdl
• Reports/NodeMetaData.rdl
• Reports/NodeStatusOverview.rdl

To access reports, you can use the shortcut created on the DSCDO01 desktop or navigate to: http://DSCCASQL01/Reports

Example: Manual DSC Pull Configuration

If you want to manually configure a node to pull from the DSC Pull Server:

# On a target node, import required modules
Install-Module -Name xPSDesiredStateConfiguration

# Create a meta config
[DSCLocalConfigurationManager()]
configuration PullClientConfigID
{
    Node localhost
    {
        Settings
        {
            RefreshMode = 'Pull'
            ConfigurationMode = 'ApplyAndMonitor'
            RefreshFrequencyMins = 30
            RebootNodeIfNeeded = $true
        }
        
        ConfigurationRepositoryWeb PullServer
        {
            ServerURL = 'https://DSCPull01.contoso.com:8080/PSDSCPullServer.svc'
            RegistrationKey = '42b8f0eb-07da-4a45-a3f7-d35cf4feb268'
            AllowUnsecureConnection = $false
        }
    }
}

# Apply configuration
PullClientConfigID
Set-DscLocalConfigurationManager -Path ./PullClientConfigID -Verbose

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Network Connectivity Issues:

   • Ensure all VMs are running and can communicate with each other
   • Check the network configuration in Azure or Hyper-V

2. Certificate Errors:

   • The lab uses a self-signed certificate authority
   • Errors may occur if certificates are not properly distributed

3. Azure DevOps Access:

   • Azure DevOps Server is accessible at: https://DSCDO01:8080/AutomatedLab
   • Default credentials: contoso\install with password Somepass1

4. DSC Pull Server Issues:

   • Verify the pull server is running: https://DSCPull01:8080/PSDSCPullServer.svc/

Restoring or Rebuilding

If you encounter significant issues, you can:

1. Restore to a snapshot (see Lab Snapshots section)
2. Remove the lab and redeploy:

Remove-Lab -Name DscWorkshop -Confirm:$false
.\00 Lab Deployment.ps1 -HostType HyperV

Additional Resources

• DSC Workshop Exercises
• AutomatedLab Documentation
• PowerShell DSC Documentation
• Azure DevOps Documentation