Can't Add Azure DSC Extension to VM in ARM mode

Question

I need to create VM based on image (SQL Server 2016 on Windows Server 2016) and add DSC extension to it by powershell. I have template.json and it's parameters.json files that I saved when was creating VM(sql2016 server on windows 2016 server) in portal(in parameters file I define url where published sdc zip and admin password). Zip file withconfiguration is located on github public repository. And it was created by powershell publish commandlet. After this my next steps are:

Login-AzureRmAccount
# Create resource group
New-AzureRmResourceGroup -Name orsql1 -Location 'North Europe' # succeed

# Define deployment variables
$Deployment = @{
    ResourceGroupName = 'orsqllast';
    Mode = 'Complete';
    TemplateFile = 'template.json';
    TemplateParameterFile = 'parameters.json';
    Force = $true;
}
New-AzureRmResourceGroupDeployment @Deployment  -DeploymentDebugLogLevel All

dsc1.ps1 contents:

configuration IISInstall
{
    node ("localhost")
    {
        WindowsFeature IIS
        {
            Ensure = "Present"
            Name = "Web-Server"
        }
    }
}

After a lot of time I get this errors:

New-AzureRmResourceGroupDeployment : 14:02:10 - Resource Microsoft.Resources/deployments 'Microsoft.DSC-20161
010122604' failed with message '{
  "status": "Failed",
  "error": {
    "code": "ResourceDeploymentFailure",
    "message": "The resource operation completed with terminal provisioning state 'Failed'.",
    "details": [
      {
        "code": "DeploymentFailed",
        "message": "At least one resource deployment operation failed. Please list deployment operations for 
details. Please see https://aka.ms/arm-debug for usage details.",
        "details": [
          {
            "code": "Conflict",
            "message": "{\r\n  \"status\": \"Failed\",\r\n  \"error\": {\r\n    \"code\": \"ResourceDeploymen
tFailure\",\r\n    \"message\": \"The resource operation completed with terminal provisioning state 'Failed'.
\",\r\n    \"details\": [\r\n      {\r\n        \"code\": \"VMExtensionProvisioningError\",\r\n        \"mess
age\": \"VM has reported a failure when processing extension 'Microsoft.Powershell.DSC'. Error message: \\\"E
rror unpacking 'dsc1.ps1.zip'; verify this is a valid ZIP package.\\nError details: Exception calling \\\"Ext
ractToDirectory\\\" with \\\"2\\\" argument(s): \\\"End of Central Directory record could not be found.\\\"\\
\".\"\r\n      }\r\n    ]\r\n  }\r\n}"
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}'
At line:14 char:1
+ New-AzureRmResourceGroupDeployment @Deployment  -DeploymentDebugLogLe ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : NotSpecified: (:) [New-AzureRmResourceGroupDeployment], Exception
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : Microsoft.Azure.Commands.ResourceManager.Cmdlets.Implementation.NewAzureResour 
   ceGroupDeploymentCmdlet

New-AzureRmResourceGroupDeployment : 14:02:10 - At least one resource deployment operation failed. Please lis
t deployment operations for details. Please see https://aka.ms/arm-debug for usage details.
At line:14 char:1
+ New-AzureRmResourceGroupDeployment @Deployment  -DeploymentDebugLogLe ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : NotSpecified: (:) [New-AzureRmResourceGroupDeployment], Exception
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : Microsoft.Azure.Commands.ResourceManager.Cmdlets.Implementation.NewAzureResour 
   ceGroupDeploymentCmdlet

New-AzureRmResourceGroupDeployment : 14:02:10 - Template output evaluation skipped: at least one resource dep
loyment operation failed. Please list deployment operations for details. Please see https://aka.ms/arm-debug 
for usage details.
At line:14 char:1
+ New-AzureRmResourceGroupDeployment @Deployment  -DeploymentDebugLogLe ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : NotSpecified: (:) [New-AzureRmResourceGroupDeployment], Exception
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : Microsoft.Azure.Commands.ResourceManager.Cmdlets.Implementation.NewAzureResour 
   ceGroupDeploymentCmdlet

New-AzureRmResourceGroupDeployment : 14:02:10 - Template output evaluation skipped: at least one resource dep
loyment operation failed. Please list deployment operations for details. Please see https://aka.ms/arm-debug 
for usage details.
At line:14 char:1
+ New-AzureRmResourceGroupDeployment @Deployment  -DeploymentDebugLogLe ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : NotSpecified: (:) [New-AzureRmResourceGroupDeployment], Exception
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : Microsoft.Azure.Commands.ResourceManager.Cmdlets.Implementation.NewAzureResour 
   ceGroupDeploymentCmdlet

The zip is valid and I use anouther one - the same error. Part of parameters.json

"ex0_vmName": {
"value": "node1"
},
"ex0_location": {
"value": "northeurope"
},
"ex0_modulesUrl": {
"value": "https://github.com/myname/mydsc/blob/master/dsc1.ps1.zip"
},
"ex0_configurationFunction": {
"value": "dsc1.ps1\\IISInstall"
},
"ex0_wmfVersion": {
"value": "latest"
},
"ex0_privacy": {
"value": "Enable"
},
"ex0_version": {
"value": "2.8"
}

Answer 1

I would suggest you consult logs in the VM itself in c:\windowsazure\logs. Under c:\extensions (now C:\Packages\Plugins) you can find your zip package and DSC extension files.

The easiest way to troubleshoot that would be to create the DSC extension using the portal. If it fails with the same error you would want to recreate the zip file. I've had the same errors with the zip package and solved them by recreating it.

I would also suggest you move to Azure Automation. Depending on your scope, you might be okay with 500 free minutes monthly and you can upload mof's to Azure Automation. And I've found Azure Automation to be much more consistent than DSC extension.