Exercise - Create and save scripts in Azure PowerShell - Training

10 minutes

In this unit, you'll continue with the example of a company that makes Linux admin tools. Recall that you plan to use Linux VMs to let potential customers test your software. You have a resource group ready, and now it's time to create the VMs.

Your company has paid for a booth at a large Linux trade show. You plan a demo area containing three terminals each connected to a separate Linux VM. At the end of each day, you want to delete the VMs and re-create them so they start fresh every morning. Creating the VMs manually after work when you're tired would be error prone. You want to write a PowerShell script to automate the VM-creation process.

Write a script to create virtual machines

Follow these steps in Cloud Shell on the right to write the script:

Switch to your home folder in Cloud Shell.
```
cd $HOME\clouddrive
```
Create a new text file, named ConferenceDailyReset.ps1.
```
touch "./ConferenceDailyReset.ps1"
```
Open the integrated editor, and select the ConferenceDailyReset.ps1 file.
```
code "./ConferenceDailyReset.ps1"
```
Tip

The integrated Cloud Shell also supports vim, nano, and emacs if you'd prefer to use one of those editors.
Start by capturing the input parameter in a variable. Add the following line to your script.
```
param([string]$resourceGroup)
```
Note

Normally, you'd have to authenticate with Azure using your credentials using Connect-AzAccount, and you could do so in the script. However, in the Cloud Shell environment, you're already authenticated, so this is unnecessary.

Prompt for a username and password for the VM's admin account and capture the result in a variable:

$adminCredential = Get-Credential -Message "Enter a username and password for the VM administrator."

Create a loop that executes three times:
```
For ($i = 1; $i -le 3; $i++) 
{

}
```
In the loop body, create a name for each VM and store it in a variable, and output it to the console:
```
$vmName = "ConferenceDemo" + $i
Write-Host "Creating VM: " $vmName
```

Next, create a VM using the $vmName variable:

New-AzVm -ResourceGroupName $resourceGroup -Name $vmName -Credential $adminCredential -Image Canonical:0001-com-ubuntu-server-focal:20_04-lts:latest

Save the file. You can use the "..." menu at the top-right corner of the editor. There are also common accelerator keys for Save, like Ctrl + S.

The completed script should look like the following code:

param([string]$resourceGroup)

$adminCredential = Get-Credential -Message "Enter a username and password for the VM administrator."

For ($i = 1; $i -le 3; $i++)
{
    $vmName = "ConferenceDemo" + $i
    Write-Host "Creating VM: " $vmName
    New-AzVm -ResourceGroupName $resourceGroup -Name $vmName -Credential $adminCredential -Image Canonical:0001-com-ubuntu-server-focal:20_04-lts:latest
}

Run the script

Save the file and close the editor using the "..." context menu on the top right of the editor (or use Ctrl + Q).
Run the script.
```
./ConferenceDailyReset.ps1 <rgn>[sandbox resource group name]</rgn>
```
The script will take several minutes to complete. When it's finished, verify it ran successfully by looking at the resources you now have in your resource group:
```
Get-AzResource -ResourceType Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines
```

You should have three VMs, each with a unique name.

You wrote a script that automated the creation of three VMs in the resource group indicated by a script parameter. The script is short and simple, but automates a process that would take a long time to complete manually with the Azure portal.

Continue

Exercise - Create and save scripts in Azure PowerShell

Write a script to create virtual machines

Run the script

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