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--- title: Create a Service Fabric cluster environment description: Learn how to create an environment with a self-contained Service Fabric cluster. See how to start and stop the cluster by using schedules. ms.topic: how-to ms.author: rosemalcolm author: RoseHJM ms.date: 06/26/2020 ms.custom: - UpdateFrequency2 - sfi-image-nochange --- # Create an environment with self-contained Service Fabric cluster in Azure DevTest Labs This article provides information on how to create an environment with a self-contained Service Fabric cluster in Azure DevTest Labs. ## Overview DevTest Labs can create self-contained test environments as defined by Azure Resource Manager templates. These environments contain both IaaS resources, like virtual machines, and PaaS resources, like Service Fabric. DevTest Labs allows you to manage virtual machines in an environment by providing commands to control the virtual machines. These commands give you the ability to start or stop a virtual machine on a schedule. Similarly, DevTest Labs can also help you manage Service Fabric clusters in an environment. You can start or stop a Service Fabric cluster in an environment either manually or via a schedule. [!INCLUDE [direct-azure-deployment-environments](includes/direct-azure-deployment-environments.md)] ## Create a Service Fabric cluster Service Fabric clusters are created using environments in DevTest Labs. Each environment is defined by an Azure Resource Manager template in a Git repository. The [public Git repository](https://github.com/Azure/azure-devtestlab/tree/master/Environments/) for DevTest Labs contains the Resource Manager template to create a Service Fabric cluster in the [ServiceFabric-Cluster](https://github.com/Azure/azure-devtestlab/tree/master/Environments/ServiceFabric-LabCluster) folder. 1. First, create a lab in Azure DevTest Labs by using instructions in the following article: [Create a lab](devtest-lab-create-lab.md). Notice that the **Public environments** option is **On** by default. 2. Confirm that the Service Fabric provider is registered for your subscription by following these steps: 1. Select **Subscriptions** on the left navigational menu, and select your **Subscription** 2. On the **Subscription** page, select **Resource providers** in the **Settings** section on the left menu. 3. If **Microsoft.ServiceFabric** isn't registered, select **Register**. 3. On the **DevTest Lab** page for your lab, select **+ Add** on the toolbar.  3. On the **Choose a base** page, select **Service Fabric Lab Cluster** in the list.  4. On the **Configure settings** page, do the following steps: 1. Specify a **name** for your cluster **environment**, which is the Azure resource group for the Service Fabric cluster. 2. Select the **operating system (OS)** for the cluster virtual machines. The default value is: **Windows**. 3. Specify a name for the **administrator** for the cluster. 4. Specify a **password** for the administrator. 5. For the **certificate**, enter your certificate information as a Base64 encoded string. To create a certificate, do the following steps: 1. Download the **Create-ClusterCertificate.ps1** file from the [Git repository](https://github.com/Azure/azure-devtestlab/tree/master/Environments/ServiceFabric-LabCluster). Or clone the repository on your machine. 2. Launch **PowerShell**. 3. Run the **ps1** file using the command `.\Create-ClusterCertificate.ps1`. You see a text file opened in notepad with the information you need to fill in the certificate-related fields on this page. 6. Enter the **password for the certificate**. 7. Specify the **thumbprint** for your certificate. 8. Select **Add** on the **Configure Settings** page.  5. After the cluster is created, you see a resource group with the name of the environment you provided in the previous step. When you expand, you see the Service Fabric cluster in it. If the status of resource group is stuck at **Creating**, select **Refresh** on the toolbar. The **Service Fabric cluster** environment creates a 5-node 1-nodetype cluster on either Linux or Windows. In the following example, **mysfabricclusterrg** is the name of the resource group you created for the Service Fabric cluster. Remember that lab environments are self-contained in the resource group you created them in. This limitation means that the template that defines the environment can access resources only within the newly created resource group or the [virtual networks that the lab uses](devtest-lab-configure-vnet.md). This sample creates all the required resources in the same resource group.  ## Start or stop the cluster You can start or stop the cluster from either the DevTest Labs page itself or from the Service Fabric Cluster page provided by DevTest Labs. ### From the DevTest Labs page You can start or stop the cluster on the DevTest Labs page for your lab. 1. Select **three dots (...)** for the Service Fabric cluster as shown in the following image:  2. You see two commands in the context menu to **start** and **stop** the cluster. The start command starts all nodes in a cluster. The stop command stops all nodes in a cluster. Once you stop a cluster, the Service Fabric cluster itself remains in a ready state. But no nodes are available until you reissue the start command on the cluster in the lab. There are a few considerations to note when using a Service Fabric cluster in a test environment. It may take some time for the Service Fabric cluster to fully rehydrate after the nodes have been restarted. To keep data from shutdown to startup, you must save the data on a managed disk attached to the virtual machine. There are performance implications when using an attached managed disk, so it's recommended for test environments only. If the disk used for data storage isn't backed up, you lose the data when you issue the stop command on the cluster. ### From the Service Fabric Cluster page There's another way to start or stop the cluster. 1. Select your Service Fabric cluster in the tree view on the DevTest Labs page.  2. On the **Service Fabric Cluster** page for the cluster, you see commands on the toolbar to start or stop the cluster.  ## Configure auto startup and auto shutdown schedule Service Fabric clusters can also be started or stopped on a schedule. This experience is similar to the experience for virtual machines in a lab. To save money, by default, every cluster created in a lab automatically shuts down at the time defined by the lab [shutdown policy](devtest-lab-set-lab-policy.md?#set-auto-shutdown-policy). You can override by specifying whether the cluster should be shut down or by specifying the time the cluster is shut down.  ### Opt in to the auto start schedule To opt in to the startup schedule, do the following steps: 1. Select **Auto-start** on the left menu 2. Select **On** for **Allow this service fabric cluster to be scheduled for automatic start**. This page is enabled only if the lab owner has allowed users to autostart their virtual machines or Service Fabric clusters. 3. Select **Save** on the toolbar.  ### Configure auto shutdown settings To change settings for shutdown, do the following steps: 1. Select **Auto-shutdown** on the left menu. 2. On this page, you can opt out of automatic shutdown by selecting **Off** for **Enabled**. 3. If you selected **On** for **Enabled**, follow these steps: 1. Specify the **time** for shutdown. 2. Specify the **timezone** for the time. 3. Specify whether you want DevTest Labs to send **notifications** before auto shutdown. 4. If you selected **Yes** for the notification option, specify the **Webhook URL** and/or **email address** to send notifications. 5. Select **Save** on the toolbar.  ## To view nodes in the Service Fabric cluster The Service Fabric cluster page in the previous steps is a DevTest Labs page. This page doesn't show you the nodes in the cluster. To see more information about the cluster, follow these steps: 1. On the **DevTest Lab** page for your lab, select the **resource group** in the tree view in the **My virtual machines** section.  2. On the **Resource Group** page, you see all the resources in the resource group in a list. Select your **Service Fabric cluster** from the list.  3. You see the **Service Fabric Cluster** page that Service Fabric provides for your cluster. The page shows all the information about the cluster, such as nodes and node types.  ## Next steps See the following articles for details about environments: - [Create multi-VM environments and PaaS resources with Azure Resource Manager templates](devtest-lab-create-environment-from-arm.md) - [Configure and use public environments in Azure DevTest Labs](devtest-lab-configure-use-public-environments.md)