Automation Dsc Onboarding - Document Details

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This page is part of the Azure documentation. It contains code examples and configuration instructions for working with Azure services.

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Bias Analysis

Detected Bias Types

powershell_heavy

windows_first

windows_tools

missing_linux_example

Summary

The documentation demonstrates a strong Windows and PowerShell bias. Most examples, scripts, and workflows are presented using PowerShell and Windows-specific tooling (e.g., WMF 5, PowerShell DSC cmdlets), with Linux instructions often appearing later, being less detailed, or requiring Windows tools to manage Linux nodes. Some Linux-specific steps are present, but they are less comprehensive, and Linux users are frequently directed to use Windows/PowerShell environments for configuration generation and management.

Recommendations

Provide Linux-first and cross-platform examples alongside Windows/PowerShell examples, especially in sections on generating and applying DSC metaconfigurations.
Include native Linux command-line examples (e.g., Bash, Python) for all major workflows, such as onboarding, configuration, and status checking.
Document how to generate and apply DSC metaconfigurations entirely from a Linux environment, without requiring access to Windows or PowerShell.
List Linux and Windows instructions in parallel, or clearly separate them, rather than always presenting Windows/PowerShell first.
Expand Linux troubleshooting and operational guidance to match the depth provided for Windows.
Where PowerShell is required for Linux, clarify if PowerShell Core on Linux is supported, and provide examples accordingly.
Avoid assuming the user has access to a Windows machine for managing Linux nodes; provide alternatives where possible.

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Scan History

Date	Scan	Status	Result
2026-01-14 00:00	#250	in_progress	Biased
2026-01-13 00:00	#246	completed	Biased
2026-01-12 00:00	#243	cancelled	Biased
2026-01-11 00:00	#240	completed	Biased
2026-01-10 00:00	#237	completed	Biased
2026-01-09 00:34	#234	completed	Biased
2026-01-08 00:53	#231	completed	Clean
2026-01-06 18:15	#225	cancelled	Clean
2025-08-17 00:01	#83	cancelled	Clean
2025-07-13 21:37	#48	completed	Biased
2025-07-09 13:09	#3	cancelled	Clean
2025-07-08 04:23	#2	cancelled	Biased

Flagged Code Snippets

   Set-DscLocalConfigurationManager -Path $env:UserProfile\Desktop\DscMetaConfigs

   # The DSC configuration that will generate metaconfigurations
   [DscLocalConfigurationManager()]
   Configuration DscMetaConfigs
   {
        param
        (
            [Parameter(Mandatory=$True)]
            [String]$RegistrationUrl,

            [Parameter(Mandatory=$True)]
            [String]$RegistrationKey,

            [Parameter(Mandatory=$True)]
            [String[]]$ComputerName,

            [Int]$RefreshFrequencyMins = 30,

            [Int]$ConfigurationModeFrequencyMins = 15,

            [String]$ConfigurationMode = 'ApplyAndMonitor',

            [String]$NodeConfigurationName,

            [Boolean]$RebootNodeIfNeeded= $False,

            [String]$ActionAfterReboot = 'ContinueConfiguration',

            [Boolean]$AllowModuleOverwrite = $False,

            [Boolean]$ReportOnly
        )

        if(!$NodeConfigurationName -or $NodeConfigurationName -eq '')
        {
            $ConfigurationNames = $null
        }
        else
        {
            $ConfigurationNames = @($NodeConfigurationName)
        }

        if($ReportOnly)
        {
            $RefreshMode = 'PUSH'
        }
        else
        {
            $RefreshMode = 'PULL'
        }

        Node $ComputerName
        {
            Settings
            {
                RefreshFrequencyMins           = $RefreshFrequencyMins
                RefreshMode                    = $RefreshMode
                ConfigurationMode              = $ConfigurationMode
                AllowModuleOverwrite           = $AllowModuleOverwrite
                RebootNodeIfNeeded             = $RebootNodeIfNeeded
                ActionAfterReboot              = $ActionAfterReboot
                ConfigurationModeFrequencyMins = $ConfigurationModeFrequencyMins
            }

            if(!$ReportOnly)
            {
            ConfigurationRepositoryWeb AzureAutomationStateConfiguration
                {
                    ServerUrl          = $RegistrationUrl
                    RegistrationKey    = $RegistrationKey
                    ConfigurationNames = $ConfigurationNames
                }

                ResourceRepositoryWeb AzureAutomationStateConfiguration
                {
                    ServerUrl       = $RegistrationUrl
                    RegistrationKey = $RegistrationKey
                }
            }

            ReportServerWeb AzureAutomationStateConfiguration
            {
                ServerUrl       = $RegistrationUrl
                RegistrationKey = $RegistrationKey
            }
        }
   }

   # Create the metaconfigurations
   # NOTE: DSC Node Configuration names are case sensitive in the portal.
   # TODO: edit the below as needed for your use case
   $Params = @{
        RegistrationUrl = '<fill me in>';
        RegistrationKey = '<fill me in>';
        ComputerName = @('<some VM to onboard>', '<some other VM to onboard>');
        NodeConfigurationName = 'SimpleConfig.webserver';
        RefreshFrequencyMins = 30;
        ConfigurationModeFrequencyMins = 15;
        RebootNodeIfNeeded = $False;
        AllowModuleOverwrite = $False;
        ConfigurationMode = 'ApplyAndMonitor';
        ActionAfterReboot = 'ContinueConfiguration';
        ReportOnly = $False;  # Set to $True to have machines only report to AA DSC but not pull from it
   }

   # Use PowerShell splatting to pass parameters to the DSC configuration being invoked
   # For more info about splatting, run: Get-Help -Name about_Splatting
   DscMetaConfigs @Params

   Set-DscLocalConfigurationManager -Path ./DscMetaConfigs

   $SecurePass = ConvertTo-SecureString -String '<root password>' -AsPlainText -Force
   $Cred = New-Object System.Management.Automation.PSCredential 'root', $SecurePass
   $Opt = New-CimSessionOption -UseSsl -SkipCACheck -SkipCNCheck -SkipRevocationCheck
   # need a CimSession for each Linux machine to onboard
   $Session = New-CimSession -Credential $Cred -ComputerName <your Linux machine> -Port 5986 -Authentication basic -SessionOption $Opt
   Set-DscLocalConfigurationManager -CimSession $Session -Path C:\Users\joe\Desktop\DscMetaConfigs