Document Details
Start Machines Use Automation Runbooks
❌
This page contains Windows bias
About This Page
This page is part of the Azure documentation. It contains code examples and configuration instructions for working with Azure services.
Bias Analysis
Bias Types:
⚠️
powershell_heavy
⚠️
windows_tools
⚠️
missing_linux_example
⚠️
windows_first
Summary:
The documentation page exclusively uses PowerShell scripts and Azure Automation runbooks, both of which are traditionally Windows-centric. All examples and instructions are provided for PowerShell, with no mention of Bash, Azure CLI, or Linux automation alternatives. The workflow and tooling described (e.g., PowerShell runbooks, PowerShell jobs, Windows environment variables like $env:Temp) are specific to Windows environments, and there are no Linux or cross-platform examples or guidance. The structure and order of the documentation also present Windows/PowerShell approaches first and exclusively.
Recommendations:
- Provide equivalent examples using Azure CLI and/or Bash scripts for Linux users.
- Mention and link to Azure Automation support for Python runbooks, which are cross-platform.
- Include guidance for running automation scripts from Linux environments (e.g., using Azure CLI in a cron job).
- Clarify that Azure Automation supports multiple runbook types and provide a comparison or decision guide.
- Avoid using Windows-specific environment variables (like $env:Temp) in examples, or provide Linux equivalents.
- Add a section or callout for Linux/macOS users, summarizing their options for automating VM startup order.
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Scan History
| Date | Scan ID | Status | Bias Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-07-12 23:44 | #41 | in_progress | ❌ Biased |
| 2025-07-12 00:58 | #8 | cancelled | ✅ Clean |
| 2025-07-10 05:06 | #7 | processing | ✅ Clean |
Flagged Code Snippets
#Requires -Version 3.0
#Requires -Module AzureRM.Resources
param
(
[Parameter(Mandatory=$false, HelpMessage="Name of the subscription that has the lab")]
[string] $SubscriptionName,
[Parameter(Mandatory=$false, HelpMessage="Lab name")]
[string] $LabName
)
# Connect and add the appropriate subscription
$Conn = Get-AutomationConnection -Name AzureRunAsConnection
Add-AzureRMAccount -ServicePrincipal -Tenant $Conn.TenantID -ApplicationID $Conn.ApplicationId -Subscription $SubscriptionName -CertificateThumbprint $Conn.CertificateThumbprint
# Find the lab
$dtLab = Find-AzResource -ResourceType 'Microsoft.DevTestLab/labs' -ResourceNameEquals $LabName
# Get the VMs
$dtlAllVms = New-Object System.Collections.ArrayList
$AllVMs = Get-AzResource -ResourceId "$($dtLab.ResourceId)/virtualmachines" -ApiVersion 2016-05-15
# Get the StartupOrder tag. If missing, set to start up last (10).
ForEach ($vm in $AllVMs) {
if ($vm.Tags) {
if ($vm.Tags['StartupOrder']) {
$startupValue = $vm.Tags['StartupOrder']
} else {
$startupValue = 10
}
} else {
$startupValue = 10
}
$dtlAllVms.Add(@{$vm.Name = $startupValue}) > $null
}
# Setup for the async multiple vm start
# Save profile
$profilePath = Join-Path $env:Temp "profile.json"
If (Test-Path $profilePath){
Remove-Item $profilePath
}
Save-AzContext -Path $profilePath
# Job to start VMs asynch
$startVMBlock = {
Param($devTestLab,$vmToStart,$profilePath)
Import-AzContext -Path ($profilePath)
Invoke-AzResourceAction `
-ResourceId "$($devTestLab.ResourceId)/virtualmachines/$vmToStart" `
-Action Start `
-Force
Write-Output "Started: $vmToStart"
}
$current = 0
# Start in order from 0 to 10
While ($current -le 10) {
# Get the VMs in the current stage
$tobeStarted = $null
$tobeStarted = $dtlAllVms | Where-Object { $_.Values -eq $current}
if ($tobeStarted.Count -eq 1) {
# Run sync – jobs not necessary for a single VM
$returnStatus = Invoke-AzResourceAction `
-ResourceId "$($dtLab.ResourceId)/virtualmachines/$($tobeStarted.Keys)" `
-Action Start `
-Force
Write-Output "$($tobeStarted.Keys) status: $($returnStatus.status)"
} elseif ($tobeStarted.Count -gt 1) {
# Start multiple VMs async
$jobs = @()
Write-Output "Start Jobs start: $(Get-Date)"
# Jobs
$jobs += Start-Job -ScriptBlock $startVMBlock -ArgumentList $dtLab, $($singlevm.Keys), $profilePath
Write-Output "Start Jobs end: $(Get-Date)"
}
# Get results from all jobs
if($jobs.Count -ne 0) {
Write-Output "Receive Jobs start: $(Get-Date)"
foreach ($job in $jobs){
$jobResult = Receive-Job -Job $job -Wait | Write-Output
}
Remove-Job -Job $jobs -Force
}
else
{
Write-Output "Information: No jobs available"
}
}