[Bug]: Error when attempting to add a VM with Add-LabMachineDefinition

[Stephanevg]

Description

Hi,

I do have a an existing lab which a provisioned a few days back. I wanted to add an additional VM to it (a WIN11 machine) to do tests on that specific OS.

When I try, to use Add-LabMachineDefinition I get the following message back.

PS C:\Users\svang> Add-LabMachineDefinition -Name "WIN1101" -Memory 1GB -OperatingSystem 'Windows 11 Pro' -Verbose
VERBOSE: [15:31:58][Write-LogFunctionEntry] Add-LabMachineDefinition Entering... (Name=WIN1101,Memory=1073741824,OperatingSystem=Windows 11 Pro,Verbose=True)
VERBOSE: [15:31:58][Write-LogFunctionEntry] Get-LabDefinition Entering... )
VERBOSE: [15:31:58][Write-LogFunctionEntry] Get-LabDefinition Entering... )
VERBOSE: [15:31:58][Write-ScreenInfo] Adding Hyper-V machine definition 'WIN1101'
VERBOSE: [15:31:58][Write-ScreenInfo] 15:31:58|00:52:36|00:00:00.000|     - Adding Hyper-V machine definition 'WIN1101'
15:31:58|00:52:36|00:00:00.000|     - Adding Hyper-V machine definition 'WIN1101'
VERBOSE: [15:31:58][Write-LogFunctionEntry] Get-LabDefinition Entering... )
VERBOSE: [15:31:58][Write-LogFunctionEntry] Get-LabDefinition Entering... )
Exception: Lab is already imported. Please create a new lab definition by calling New-LabDefinition before adding machines
PS C:\Users\svang>

When I launch New-LabDefintion it actually proposes to create a new lab. Which is not what I want, and I specifically do not want to lose my existing lab. I would like to ADD a vm to it, and not add a second lab next it.

The documentation does not indicates that that is a mandatory step, and it would make sense to me that we could add VM's to an existing loaded (or not) lab.

Steps to reproduce the issue

Get-Lab -list
BasementLab

#Returns my labName -> BasementLab

Import-Lab -Name BasementLab -PassThru

#returns

<#
15:40:08|01:00:46|00:00:00.000|       - Validating lab definition
15:40:10|01:00:48|00:00:01.644|         - Success

    Lab Name: BasementLab (HyperV)

        LabFilePath: C:\ProgramData\AutomatedLab\Labs\BasementLab\Lab.xml
        VM Path: C:\AutomatedLab-VMs

        Machines: 3
        Domains:  1
        Networks: 1

15:40:10|01:00:48|00:00:01.698|       - Lab 'BasementLab' hosted on 'HyperV' imported with 3 machines
#>

#If i try from a fresh powershell console. I get this.

Add-LabMachineDefinition -Name "WIN1101" -Memory 1GB -OperatingSystem 'Windows 11 Pro' -Verbose
<#
PowerShell 7.3.8
PS C:\Users\svang> Add-LabMachineDefinition -Name "WIN1101" -Memory 1GB -OperatingSystem 'Windows 11 Pro' -Verbose
WARNING: (544,45): warning CS0168: The variable 'e' is declared but never used
                        catch (COMException e)
                                            ^

VERBOSE: [15:41:12][Write-LogFunctionEntry] Add-LabMachineDefinition Entering... (Name=WIN1101,Memory=1073741824,OperatingSystem=Windows 11 Pro,Verbose=True)
VERBOSE: [15:41:12][Write-LogFunctionEntry] Get-LabDefinition Entering... )
VERBOSE: [15:41:12][Write-ScreenInfo] Adding Hyper-V machine definition 'WIN1101'
VERBOSE: [15:41:12][Write-ScreenInfo] 15:41:12|00:00:00|00:00:00.004| Adding Hyper-V machine definition 'WIN1101'
15:41:12|00:00:00|00:00:00.004| Adding Hyper-V machine definition 'WIN1101'
VERBOSE: [15:41:12][Write-LogFunctionEntry] Get-LabDefinition Entering... )
Exception: Please create a lab definition by calling New-LabDefinition before adding machines
#>

PowerShell Version

Name                           Value
----                           -----
PSVersion                      7.3.8
PSEdition                      Core
GitCommitId                    7.3.8
OS                             Microsoft Windows 10.0.22621
Platform                       Win32NT
PSCompatibleVersions           {1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0…}
PSRemotingProtocolVersion      2.3
SerializationVersion           1.1.0.1
WSManStackVersion              3.0

AutomatedLab Version

Name                      Version
----                      -------
AutomatedLab              5.49.0
AutomatedLab.Common       2.3.17
AutomatedLab.Recipe       5.49.0
AutomatedLab.Ships        5.49.0
AutomatedLabCore          5.49.0
AutomatedLabDefinition    5.49.0
AutomatedLabNotifications 5.49.0
AutomatedLabTest          5.49.0
AutomatedLabUnattended    5.49.0
AutomatedLabWorker        5.49.0

[Stephanevg]

I tried with another ISO as well, I still get the same error:

PS C:\Users\svang> Get-Lab

    Lab Name: BasementLab (HyperV)

        LabFilePath: C:\ProgramData\AutomatedLab\Labs\BasementLab\Lab.xml
        VM Path: C:\AutomatedLab-VMs

        Machines: 3
        Domains:  1
        Networks: 1


PS C:\Users\svang> Add-LabMachineDefinition -Name "WIN10" -Memory 1GB -OperatingSystem 'Windows 10 Enterprise Evaluation' -Verbose
VERBOSE: [10:03:48][Write-LogFunctionEntry] Add-LabMachineDefinition Entering... (Name=WIN10,Memory=1073741824,OperatingSystem=Windows 10 Enterprise Evaluation,Verbose=True)
VERBOSE: [10:03:48][Write-LogFunctionEntry] Get-LabDefinition Entering... )
VERBOSE: [10:03:48][Write-LogFunctionEntry] Get-LabDefinition Entering... )
VERBOSE: [10:03:48][Write-ScreenInfo] Adding Hyper-V machine definition 'WIN10'
VERBOSE: [10:03:48][Write-ScreenInfo] 10:03:48|00:11:48|00:00:00.000| - Adding Hyper-V machine definition 'WIN10'
10:03:48|00:11:48|00:00:00.000| - Adding Hyper-V machine definition 'WIN10'
VERBOSE: [10:03:48][Write-LogFunctionEntry] Get-LabDefinition Entering... )
VERBOSE: [10:03:48][Write-LogFunctionEntry] Get-LabDefinition Entering... )
Exception: Lab is already imported. Please create a new lab definition by calling New-LabDefinition before adding machines

Using the New-LabDefinition actually goes and creates another lab. I tried giving it the same name hoping it would add the machine to the already existing one, but unfortunatly it removed the previous lab, and created an empty one. I managed to get it back as my original one was located at C:\ProgramData\AutomatedLab\Labs\BasementLab\Lab.xml

What would the solution be? Is this not supported ? Do I have to create a new lab from scratch?

@raandree maybe you can point me in the right direction? I am a bit blocked unfortunatley :(

[dkettman]

@Stephanevg

Did you get anywhere with this? I am running into the same problem working to get portable training environments for my colleagues.

[Stephanevg]

hey @dkettman I actually did.

You actually should use import-LabDefinition instead of import-Lab

Import-LabDefinition -Name BasementLab
Add-LabMachineDefinition -Name win10
Install-Lab

[raandree]

Sorry for my late answer. @Stephanevg, is the issue solved for you?