Deploying custom software and configuration on Azure VMs - azure

Question

Context: looking to build out a test lab in Azure. The goal is to have VMs spun up from a CI/CD pipeline to run end2end automation tests. The VMs will need to be deployed based on a custom image. However, I don't want to maintain specific virtual machine images which have certain software installed in various flavors and permutations.
Furthermore, looking to have a self service and declarative solution where teams can specify in automation templates or scripts etc which software they need provisioned on the VM after it comes up, desired state.
Example: get me a VM based on image template X and install package A version 2.3, package B version 1.2 and and configure OS with setting X, Y and Z.
Software packages can come from various sources. MSIs, chocolatey, copy deploys etc.
There seems to be so many ways of doing it - seems like a jungle. Azure VM Apps? Powershell Desired State Configuration? Something else?
Cheers

Answer 1

Furthermore, looking to have a self service and declarative solution
where teams can specify in automation templates or scripts etc which
software they need provisioned on the VM after it comes up, desired
state. There seems to be so many ways of doing it - seems like a
jungle. Azure VM Apps? Powershell Desired State Configuration?
Something else?
There are 2 more ways you can accomplish this task.
You can make use of custom script extension in your pipeline and store the scripts with various packages or softwares in the storage account and use different scripts for installing different packages for different VM’s. Here, Your teams can just create a new script and store it in an Azure Storage account, And you can use any script with the package to deploy your VM.
Custom Script Extension:-
I created one Storage account and uploaded my custom script with package to install IIS server in Azure VM.
Now, While deploying your VM you can select this Custom Script in the Advanced tab like below:-
Select extension search for Custom Script Extension :-
You can browse the Storage account and pick your script to be installed in the VM. You can also install this script after VM deployment by going to VM > Left pane > VM + Extensions + application.
Script got deployed inside the VM and IIS server was installed successfully :-
As You want to automate this in your Azure DevOps pipeline, You can make use of ARM Template to install the Custom script extension in your VM pipeline. You can make use of TeamServicesagent property in ARM template to connect to your DevOps organization and deployment group in the ARM template and deploy the extension, Refer below :-
ARM Template :-
{
"name": "vmname",
"type": "Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines",
"apiVersion": "2021-03-01",
"location": "[resourceGroup().location]",
"resources": [
{
"name": "[concat('vmname','/TeamServicesAgent')]",
"type": "Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/extensions",
"location": "[resourceGroup().location]",
"apiVersion": "2021-03-01",
"dependsOn": [
"[resourceId('Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/','vmname')]"
],
"properties": {
"publisher": "Microsoft.VisualStudio.Services",
"type": "TeamServicesAgent",
"typeHandlerVersion": "1.0",
"autoUpgradeMinorVersion": true,
"settings": {
"VSTSAccountName": "AzureDevOpsorg",
"TeamProject": "Azuredevopsproject",
"DeploymentGroup": "Deploymentgroup",
"AgentName": "vmname"
},
"protectedSettings": {
"PATToken": "personal-access-token-azuredevops"
}
}
}
],
"dependsOn": [
"[resourceId('Microsoft.Storage/storageAccounts', toLower('vmstore8677676'))]"
],
"properties": {
"hardwareProfile": {
"vmSize": "Standard_D2s_v3"
},
"osProfile": {
"computerName": "vmname",
"adminUsername": "username",
"adminPassword": "Password"
},
"storageProfile": {
"imageReference": {
"publisher": "MicrosoftWindowsServer",
"offer": "WindowsServer",
"sku": "2019-Datacenter",
"version": "latest"
},
"osDisk": {
"name": "windowsVM1OSDisk",
"caching": "ReadWrite",
"createOption": "FromImage"
}
},
"networkProfile": {
"networkInterfaces": [
{
"id": "[resourceId('Microsoft.Network/networkInterfaces', 'app-interface')]"
}
]
},
"diagnosticsProfile": {
"bootDiagnostics": {
"enabled": true,
"storageUri": "[reference(resourceId('Microsoft.Storage/storageAccounts/', toLower('storaegeaccountname'))).primaryEndpoints.blob]"
}
}
}
},
{
"type": "Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/extensions",
"name": "[concat('vmname', '/config-app')]",
"location": "[resourceGroup().location]",
"apiVersion": "2018-06-01",
"dependsOn": [
"[resourceId('Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/', 'vmname')]"
],
"properties": {
"publisher": "Microsoft.Compute",
"type": "CustomScriptExtension",
"typeHandlerVersion": "1.10",
"autoUpgradeMinorVersion": true,
"settings": {
"fileUris": [
"https://storageaccountname.blob.core.windows.net/installers/script.ps1?sp=r&st=2022-08-13T16:32:07Z&se=sas-token"
],
"commandToExecute": "powershell -ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted -File script.ps1"
}
}}
],
"outputs": {}
}
You need to generate SAS URL for the script file in your Azure storage account.
You can make use of Azure Dev-Test Labs and deploy a custom artifacts inside your Dev-test labs and different packages for different VM’s and copy the ARM Template and tasks of VM in the release pipeline of Azure DevOps.
Dev-Test Labs:-
I created one Azure Dev-Test Lab resource like below:-
Now, You can directly select from the bunch of pre-built images here:-
After selecting an Image create the VM > And Add Artifacts, Here you can add any desired package that needs to be installed in your VM
You can create multiple Dev-test labs according to your requirements and add additional packages as artifacts after the deployment of the VM.
You can click on apply artifacts and add additional or custom packages to your VM’s.
You can also automate this deployment via ARM template, Refer here :-
azure-docs/devtest-lab-use-resource-manager-template.md at main · MicrosoftDocs/azure-docs · GitHub
You can automate Azure Dev-Test lab deployment in Azure DevOps by following the steps given in this document:-
Integrate Azure DevTest Labs into Azure Pipelines - Azure DevTest Labs | Microsoft Learn
Apart from these methods, You can use chef and puppet to automate your deployments and packages.
Chef - Chef extension for Azure VMs - Azure Virtual Machines | Microsoft Learn
Puppet - Get Started on Azure With Puppet | Puppet by Perforce