Create a Windows image and distribute it to an Azure Compute Gallery

Article
11/10/2023

Applies to: ✔️ Windows VMs

In this article, you learn how to use Azure VM Image Builder and Azure PowerShell to create an image version in an Azure Compute Gallery (formerly Shared Image Gallery) and then distribute the image globally. You can also do this by using the Azure CLI.

To configure the image, this article uses a JSON template, which you can find at armTemplateWinSIG.json. You'll download and edit a local version of the template, so you'll also use a local PowerShell session.

To distribute the image to an Azure Compute Gallery, the template uses sharedImage as the value for the distribute section of the template.

VM Image Builder automatically runs Sysprep to generalize the image. The command is a generic Sysprep command, and you can override it if you need to.

Be aware of the number of times you layer customizations. You can run the Sysprep command a limited number of times on a single Windows image. After you've reached the Sysprep limit, you must re-create your Windows image. For more information, see Limits on how many times you can run Sysprep.

Register the providers

To use VM Image Builder, you need to register the providers.

Check your provider registrations. Make sure that each one returns Registered.

Get-AzResourceProvider -ProviderNamespace Microsoft.VirtualMachineImages | Format-table -Property ResourceTypes,RegistrationState
Get-AzResourceProvider -ProviderNamespace Microsoft.Storage | Format-table -Property ResourceTypes,RegistrationState 
Get-AzResourceProvider -ProviderNamespace Microsoft.Compute | Format-table -Property ResourceTypes,RegistrationState
Get-AzResourceProvider -ProviderNamespace Microsoft.KeyVault | Format-table -Property ResourceTypes,RegistrationState
Get-AzResourceProvider -ProviderNamespace Microsoft.Network | Format-table -Property ResourceTypes,RegistrationState
Get-AzResourceProvider -ProviderNamespace Microsoft.ContainerInstance | Format-table -Property ResourceTypes,RegistrationState

If they don't return Registered, register the providers by running the following commands:

Register-AzResourceProvider -ProviderNamespace Microsoft.VirtualMachineImages
Register-AzResourceProvider -ProviderNamespace Microsoft.Storage
Register-AzResourceProvider -ProviderNamespace Microsoft.Compute
Register-AzResourceProvider -ProviderNamespace Microsoft.KeyVault
Register-AzResourceProvider -ProviderNamespace Microsoft.ContainerInstance

Install PowerShell modules:

'Az.ImageBuilder', 'Az.ManagedServiceIdentity' | ForEach-Object {Install-Module -Name $_ -AllowPrerelease}

Create variables

Because you'll be using some pieces of information repeatedly, create some variables to store that information.

Replace the values for the variables, such as username and vmpassword, with your own information.

# Get existing context
$currentAzContext = Get-AzContext

# Get your current subscription ID. 
$subscriptionID=$currentAzContext.Subscription.Id

# Destination image resource group
$imageResourceGroup="aibwinsig"

# Location
$location="westus"

# Image distribution metadata reference name
$runOutputName="aibCustWinManImg02ro"

# Image template name
$imageTemplateName="helloImageTemplateWin02ps"

# Distribution properties object name (runOutput).
# This gives you the properties of the managed image on completion.
$runOutputName="winclientR01"

# Create a resource group for the VM Image Builder template and Azure Compute Gallery
New-AzResourceGroup `
   -Name $imageResourceGroup `
   -Location $location

Create a user-assigned identity and set permissions on the resource group

VM Image Builder uses the provided user-identity to inject the image into Azure Compute Gallery. In this example, you create an Azure role definition with specific actions for distributing the image. The role definition is then assigned to the user identity.

# setup role def names, these need to be unique
$timeInt=$(get-date -UFormat "%s")
$imageRoleDefName="Azure Image Builder Image Def"+$timeInt
$identityName="aibIdentity"+$timeInt

## Add an Azure PowerShell module to support AzUserAssignedIdentity
Install-Module -Name Az.ManagedServiceIdentity

# Create an identity
New-AzUserAssignedIdentity -ResourceGroupName $imageResourceGroup -Name $identityName

$identityNameResourceId=$(Get-AzUserAssignedIdentity -ResourceGroupName $imageResourceGroup -Name $identityName).Id
$identityNamePrincipalId=$(Get-AzUserAssignedIdentity -ResourceGroupName $imageResourceGroup -Name $identityName).PrincipalId

Assign permissions for the identity to distribute the images

Use this command to download an Azure role definition template, and then update it with the previously specified parameters.

$aibRoleImageCreationUrl="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/azure/azvmimagebuilder/master/solutions/12_Creating_AIB_Security_Roles/aibRoleImageCreation.json"
$aibRoleImageCreationPath = "aibRoleImageCreation.json"

# Download the configuration
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri $aibRoleImageCreationUrl -OutFile $aibRoleImageCreationPath -UseBasicParsing

((Get-Content -path $aibRoleImageCreationPath -Raw) -replace '<subscriptionID>',$subscriptionID) | Set-Content -Path $aibRoleImageCreationPath
((Get-Content -path $aibRoleImageCreationPath -Raw) -replace '<rgName>', $imageResourceGroup) | Set-Content -Path $aibRoleImageCreationPath
((Get-Content -path $aibRoleImageCreationPath -Raw) -replace 'Azure Image Builder Service Image Creation Role', $imageRoleDefName) | Set-Content -Path $aibRoleImageCreationPath

# Create a role definition
New-AzRoleDefinition -InputFile  ./aibRoleImageCreation.json

# Grant the role definition to the VM Image Builder service principal
New-AzRoleAssignment -ObjectId $identityNamePrincipalId -RoleDefinitionName $imageRoleDefName -Scope "/subscriptions/$subscriptionID/resourceGroups/$imageResourceGroup"

Note

If you receive the error "New-AzRoleDefinition: Role definition limit exceeded. No more role definitions can be created," see Troubleshoot Azure RBAC (role-based access control).

Create an Azure Compute Gallery

To use VM Image Builder with an Azure Compute Gallery, you need to have an existing gallery and image definition. VM Image Builder doesn't create the gallery and image definition for you.

If you don't already have a gallery and image definition to use, start by creating them.

# Gallery name
$sigGalleryName= "myIBSIG"

# Image definition name
$imageDefName ="winSvrimage"

# Additional replication region
$replRegion2="eastus"

# Create the gallery
New-AzGallery `
   -GalleryName $sigGalleryName `
   -ResourceGroupName $imageResourceGroup  `
   -Location $location

# Create the image definition
New-AzGalleryImageDefinition `
   -GalleryName $sigGalleryName `
   -ResourceGroupName $imageResourceGroup `
   -Location $location `
   -Name $imageDefName `
   -OsState generalized `
   -OsType Windows `
   -Publisher 'myCompany' `
   -Offer 'WindowsServer' `
   -Sku 'WinSrv2019'

Download and configure the template

Download the JSON template and configure it with your variables.


$templateFilePath = "armTemplateWinSIG.json"

Invoke-WebRequest `
   -Uri "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/azure/azvmimagebuilder/master/quickquickstarts/1_Creating_a_Custom_Win_Shared_Image_Gallery_Image/armTemplateWinSIG.json" `
   -OutFile $templateFilePath `
   -UseBasicParsing

(Get-Content -path $templateFilePath -Raw ) `
   -replace '<subscriptionID>',$subscriptionID | Set-Content -Path $templateFilePath
(Get-Content -path $templateFilePath -Raw ) `
   -replace '<rgName>',$imageResourceGroup | Set-Content -Path $templateFilePath
(Get-Content -path $templateFilePath -Raw ) `
   -replace '<runOutputName>',$runOutputName | Set-Content -Path $templateFilePath
(Get-Content -path $templateFilePath -Raw ) `
   -replace '<imageDefName>',$imageDefName | Set-Content -Path $templateFilePath
(Get-Content -path $templateFilePath -Raw ) `
   -replace '<sharedImageGalName>',$sigGalleryName | Set-Content -Path $templateFilePath
(Get-Content -path $templateFilePath -Raw ) `
   -replace '<region1>',$location | Set-Content -Path $templateFilePath
(Get-Content -path $templateFilePath -Raw ) `
   -replace '<region2>',$replRegion2 | Set-Content -Path $templateFilePath
((Get-Content -path $templateFilePath -Raw) -replace '<imgBuilderId>',$identityNameResourceId) | Set-Content -Path $templateFilePath

Create the image version

Your template must be submitted to the service. The following commands will download any dependent artifacts, such as scripts, and store them in the staging resource group, which is prefixed with IT_.

New-AzResourceGroupDeployment `
   -ResourceGroupName $imageResourceGroup `
   -TemplateFile $templateFilePath `
   -ApiVersion "2022-02-14" `
   -imageTemplateName $imageTemplateName `
   -svclocation $location

To build the image, invoke 'Run' on the template.

Invoke-AzResourceAction `
   -ResourceName $imageTemplateName `
   -ResourceGroupName $imageResourceGroup `
   -ResourceType Microsoft.VirtualMachineImages/imageTemplates `
   -ApiVersion "2022-02-14" `
   -Action Run

Creating the image and replicating it to both regions can take a few moments. Before you begin creating a VM, wait until this part is finished.

Get-AzImageBuilderTemplate -ImageTemplateName $imageTemplateName -ResourceGroupName $imageResourceGroup |
  Select-Object -Property Name, LastRunStatusRunState, LastRunStatusMessage, ProvisioningState

Create the VM

Create a VM from the image version that you created with VM Image Builder.

Get the image version that you created:

$imageVersion = Get-AzGalleryImageVersion `
-ResourceGroupName $imageResourceGroup `
-GalleryName $sigGalleryName `
-GalleryImageDefinitionName $imageDefName
$imageVersionId = $imageVersion.Id

Create the VM in the second region, where the image was replicated:

$vmResourceGroup = "myResourceGroup"
$vmName = "myVMfromImage"

# Create user object
$cred = Get-Credential -Message "Enter a username and password for the virtual machine."

# Create a resource group
New-AzResourceGroup -Name $vmResourceGroup -Location $replRegion2

# Network pieces
$subnetConfig = New-AzVirtualNetworkSubnetConfig -Name mySubnet -AddressPrefix 192.168.1.0/24
$vnet = New-AzVirtualNetwork -ResourceGroupName $vmResourceGroup -Location $replRegion2 `
-Name MYvNET -AddressPrefix 192.168.0.0/16 -Subnet $subnetConfig
$pip = New-AzPublicIpAddress -ResourceGroupName $vmResourceGroup -Location $replRegion2 `
-Name "mypublicdns$(Get-Random)" -AllocationMethod Static -IdleTimeoutInMinutes 4
$nsgRuleRDP = New-AzNetworkSecurityRuleConfig -Name myNetworkSecurityGroupRuleRDP  -Protocol Tcp `
-Direction Inbound -Priority 1000 -SourceAddressPrefix * -SourcePortRange * -DestinationAddressPrefix * `
-DestinationPortRange 3389 -Access Deny
$nsg = New-AzNetworkSecurityGroup -ResourceGroupName $vmResourceGroup -Location $replRegion2 `
-Name myNetworkSecurityGroup -SecurityRules $nsgRuleRDP
$nic = New-AzNetworkInterface -Name myNic -ResourceGroupName $vmResourceGroup -Location $replRegion2 `
-SubnetId $vnet.Subnets[0].Id -PublicIpAddressId $pip.Id -NetworkSecurityGroupId $nsg.Id

# Create a virtual machine configuration using $imageVersion.Id to specify the image
$vmConfig = New-AzVMConfig -VMName $vmName -VMSize Standard_D1_v2 | `
Set-AzVMOperatingSystem -Windows -ComputerName $vmName -Credential $cred | `
Set-AzVMSourceImage -Id $imageVersion.Id | `
Add-AzVMNetworkInterface -Id $nic.Id

# Create a virtual machine
New-AzVM -ResourceGroupName $vmResourceGroup -Location $replRegion2 -VM $vmConfig

Verify the customization

Create a Remote Desktop connection to the VM by using the username and password that you set when you created the VM. In the VM, open a Command Prompt window and run the following command:

dir c:\

You should see a directory named buildActions that was created during image customization.

Clean up your resources

Note

If you now want to try to recustomize the image version to create a new version of the same image, skip the step outlined here and go to Use VM Image Builder to create another image version.

If you no longer need the resources that you created as you followed the process in this article, you can delete them.

The following process deletes both the image that you created and all the other resource files. Make sure that you've finished this deployment before you delete the resources.

Delete the resource group template first. Otherwise, the staging resource group (IT_) that VM Image Builder uses won't be cleaned up.

Get the ResourceID of the image template.

$resTemplateId = Get-AzResource -ResourceName $imageTemplateName -ResourceGroupName $imageResourceGroup -ResourceType Microsoft.VirtualMachineImages/imageTemplates -ApiVersion "2022-02-14"

Delete image template.

Remove-AzResource -ResourceId $resTemplateId.ResourceId -Force

Delete the role assignment.

Remove-AzRoleAssignment -ObjectId $identityNamePrincipalId -RoleDefinitionName $imageRoleDefName -Scope "/subscriptions/$subscriptionID/resourceGroups/$imageResourceGroup"

Remove the definitions.

Remove-AzRoleDefinition -Name "$identityNamePrincipalId" -Force -Scope "/subscriptions/$subscriptionID/resourceGroups/$imageResourceGroup"

Delete the identity.

Remove-AzUserAssignedIdentity -ResourceGroupName $imageResourceGroup -Name $identityName -Force

Delete the resource group.

Remove-AzResourceGroup $imageResourceGroup -Force

Next steps

To update the image version that you created in this article, see Use VM Image Builder to create another image version.