AutomatedLab

Image

AutomatedLab (AL) enables you to

  • Set up lab and test environments
  • On Hyper-v or Azure with multiple products
  • Including just a single VM quickly.

Require one:

  • .NET 4.7.1 (Windows PowerShell)
  • .NET Core 2+ (PowerShell 6+)

Require one:

  • Hyper-V Host
  • Azure Subscription

Finally:

  • Operating System DVD ISO Images
Build Status Last Commit Latest Release
Develop Build status dev GitHub last commit
Master Build status GitHub last commit GitHub releasePowerShell Gallery

GitHub issues Downloads PowerShell Gallery

Tutorials

Videos

Scripts

Requirement

Apart from the module itself, your system needs to meet the following requirements:

  1. .NET Core 2.x (PowerShell Core 6+) Preferred
  2. Recommended en-us language Operating Systems language
  3. Operating Systems ISO files for all roles to be deployed
  4. Intel VT-x or AMD/V capable CPU
  5. A generous amount of RAM
  6. Low-Latency high-throughput storage (No spinning disks, please, as there are issues related to them)

Windows

  • Windows Management Framework 5+ or ideally PowerShell 7
  • Windows Server 2012 R2+/Windows 8.1+
  • Recommended OS language is en-us
  • Admin privileges are required

Linux, macOS

  • Fedora, Ubuntu, Ubuntu WSL & Azure Cloud Shell supported
  • macOS supported on best effort due to lack of Apple devices - feel free to sponsor two though :D
  • Tested on Ubuntu and Fedora. Due to fragmented nature of Linux distributions, we cannot support much else.
  • PowerShell Core 6+
  • SSH or gss-ntlmssp to enable remoting (mandatory - no remoting, no way for AutomatedLab to do its thing)
  • If in doubt, try to Install-Module PSWSMAN; Install-WSMAN - no success warranted
  • IP and route commands available
  • Azure subscription
  • At the moment, AutomatedLab only works using Azure when using Linux.
  • KVM planned for a later date by virtue of libvirt.

Supported products

This solution supports setting up virtual machines with the following.

  1. Windows 7, 2008 R2, 8 / 8.1 and 2012 / 2012 R2, 10 / 2016, 2019, 2022
  2. SQL Server 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022 more
  3. Visual Studio 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017 more
  4. Team Foundation Services 2015+
  5. Azure DevOps more
  6. Exchange 2013, 2016, 2019
  7. SharePoint 2013, 2016, 2019
  8. System Center Orchestrator 2012
  9. System Center Configuration Manager 1809 or 1902+
  10. System Center Operations Manager
  11. System Center Virtual Machine Manager
  12. Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) more
  13. ProGet (Private PowerShell Gallery)
  14. Office 2013, 2016
  15. DSC Pull Server (with SQL Reporting) more
  16. Hyper-V more
  17. Failover Clustering more
  18. Dynamics 365 more
  19. Remote Desktop Services including HTML5 web client
  20. Windows Admin Center

Feature List

Set-Up

Environment

  • A single command to connect Azure or Hyper-V Lab Learn more
  • Composite scenarios to demo PowerShell Gallery resources
  • Inedo ProGet more
  • Desired State Configuration (DSC) Pull Service more
  • Multiple Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS) Forests Trusts more

Configuration

Manage one, some, or all virtual lab machines

  • Run Checkpoint-LabVM, Get-LabVMSnapshoft, Restore-LabVMSnapshot, Remove-LabVMSnapshot
  • Get-LabWindows Feature,Install-LabWindowsFeature, Uninstall-LabWindowsFeature
  • Get-LabSoftwarePackage, Install-LabSoftwarePackage(s)
  • Silent installation mode available
  • MSI & EXE supported
  • Parallel workflows supported
  • Invoke-LabDscConfiguration
  • Invoke-LabCommand to run Script & ScriptBlock
  • CredSsp is always enabled to use with the UseCredSsp switch

Network

  • Multi-Virtual Network Adapter to create DMZs
  • External, Internal & Private network supported
  • DHCP, DNS, IPAM, NLB, SMB supported
  • Routing & Remote Access Service (RRAS)
  • Single Domain, Routing & File Server with DMZ lab

Management

  • Single command offline patching
  • All lab machines use one disk per OS
  • Update-LabIsoImage Efficiently patch OS ISO files more
  • Remove-Lab obliterate lab with one command

Telemetry

Starting with AutomatedLab version 5, we are collecting telemetry. To see what you guys deliver, we are sharing the resulting Power BI report with you. You can view the full report at your leisure. To learn more about what is collected, see here.

Facts and figures

Country distribution

Role distribution

Version distribution

Next Steps

Change Log