Azure Powershell - Deployment Template Validation Failed - Jtoken - json

Question

I'm trying to deploy multiple virtual machines one at a time with Powershell and a template file but I keep getting this error:
New-AzResourceGroupDeployment : 9:27:40 AM - Error: Code=InvalidTemplate; Message=Deployment template validation
failed: 'Template parameter JToken type is not valid. Expected 'String, Uri'. Actual 'Object'. Please see
https://aka.ms/resource-manager-parameter-files for usage details.'.
At C:\Users\jackk\OneDrive\Desktop\AzureAutomation\main.ps1:193 char:9
+ New-AzResourceGroupDeployment #parameters
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : NotSpecified: (:) [New-AzResourceGroupDeployment], Exception
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : Microsoft.Azure.Commands.ResourceManager.Cmdlets.Implementation.NewAzureResourceGroupDep
loymentCmdlet
New-AzResourceGroupDeployment : The deployment validation failed
At C:\Users\jackk\OneDrive\Desktop\AzureAutomation\main.ps1:193 char:9
+ New-AzResourceGroupDeployment #parameters
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : CloseError: (:) [New-AzResourceGroupDeployment], InvalidOperationException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : Microsoft.Azure.Commands.ResourceManager.Cmdlets.Implementation.NewAzureResourceGroupDep
loymentCmdlet
Here is the relevant part of my powershell script:
$location = "eastus2"
$networkInterfaceName = ""
$networkSecurityGroupName = ""
#$networkSecurityGroupRules = #()
$subnetName = $SubnetSelection
$virtualNetworkId = "/subscriptions/1234-1234-123-123-123/resourceGroups/MainGroup/providers/Microsoft.Network/virtualNetworks/Main_Network"
$virtualMachineName = ""
$virtualMachineComputerName = ""
$virtualMachineRG = $resourceGroupSelection
$osDiskType = "StandardSSD_LRS"
$virtualMachineSize = "Standard_B2s"
$adminUsername = "ADMIN"
$adminPassword = ConvertTo-SecureString "Password1234" -AsPlainText -Force
$diagnosticsStorageAccountName = $StorageAccountName
$diagnosticsStorageAccountId = $StorageAccountID
$imageName = $ImageSelection
foreach ($i in 1..5) {
$virtualMachineName = "test-$i".ToString()
$virtualMachineComputerName = "test-$i".ToString()
$rand = Get-Random -Maximum 1000
$networkInterfaceName = "test-$i$rand".ToString()
$networkSecurityGroupName = "test-$i-nsg".ToString()
$paramObject = #{
'location' = $location
'networkInterfaceName' = $networkInterfaceName
'networkSecurityGroupName' = $networkSecurityGroupName
'subnetName' = $SubnetSelection
'virtualNetworkId' = $virtualNetworkId
'virtualMachineName' = $virtualMachineName
'virtualMachineComputerName' = $virtualMachineComputerName
'virtualMachineRG' = $resourceGroupSelection
'osDiskType' = $osDiskType
'virtualMachineSize' = $virtualMachineSize
'adminUsername' = $adminUsername
'adminPassword' = $adminPassword
'diagnosticsStorageAccountName' = $diagnosticsStorageAccountName
'diagnosticsStorageAccountId' = $diagnosticsStorageAccountId
'imageName' = $imageName
}
$parameters = #{
'ResourceGroupName' = $resourceGroupSelection
'TemplateFile' = $PathTemplate
'TemplateParameterObject' = $paramObject
'Verbose' = $True
}
New-AzResourceGroupDeployment #parameters
}
Assume any variables not defined in this snippet are strings defined elsewhere with valid information.
The Template file I am using:
{
"$schema": "http://schema.management.azure.com/schemas/2015-01-01/deploymentTemplate.json#",
"contentVersion": "1.0.0.0",
"parameters": {
"location": {
"type": "String"
},
"networkInterfaceName": {
"type": "String"
},
"networkSecurityGroupName": {
"type": "String"
},
"networkSecurityGroupRules": {
"type": "Array",
"defaultValue": []
},
"subnetName": {
"type": "String"
},
"virtualNetworkId": {
"type": "String"
},
"virtualMachineName": {
"type": "String"
},
"virtualMachineComputerName": {
"type": "String"
},
"virtualMachineRG": {
"type": "String"
},
"osDiskType": {
"type": "String"
},
"virtualMachineSize": {
"type": "String"
},
"adminUsername": {
"type": "String"
},
"adminPassword": {
"type": "SecureString"
},
"diagnosticsStorageAccountName": {
"type": "String"
},
"diagnosticsStorageAccountId": {
"type": "String"
},
"imageName": {
"type": "String"
}
},
"variables": {
"nsgId": "[resourceId(resourceGroup().name, 'Microsoft.Network/networkSecurityGroups', parameters('networkSecurityGroupName'))]",
"vnetId": "[parameters('virtualNetworkId')]",
"subnetRef": "[concat(variables('vnetId'), '/subnets/', parameters('subnetName'))]"
},
"resources": [
{
"type": "Microsoft.Network/networkInterfaces",
"apiVersion": "2019-07-01",
"name": "[parameters('networkInterfaceName')]",
"location": "[parameters('location')]",
"dependsOn": [
"[concat('Microsoft.Network/networkSecurityGroups/', parameters('networkSecurityGroupName'))]"
],
"properties": {
"ipConfigurations": [
{
"name": "ipconfig1",
"properties": {
"subnet": {
"id": "[variables('subnetRef')]"
},
"privateIPAllocationMethod": "Dynamic"
}
}
],
"networkSecurityGroup": {
"id": "[variables('nsgId')]"
}
}
},
{
"type": "Microsoft.Network/networkSecurityGroups",
"apiVersion": "2019-02-01",
"name": "[parameters('networkSecurityGroupName')]",
"location": "[parameters('location')]",
"properties": {
"securityRules": "[parameters('networkSecurityGroupRules')]"
}
},
{
"type": "Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines",
"apiVersion": "2019-07-01",
"name": "[parameters('virtualMachineName')]",
"location": "[parameters('location')]",
"dependsOn": [
"[concat('Microsoft.Network/networkInterfaces/', parameters('networkInterfaceName'))]"
],
"properties": {
"hardwareProfile": {
"vmSize": "[parameters('virtualMachineSize')]"
},
"storageProfile": {
"osDisk": {
"createOption": "fromImage",
"managedDisk": {
"storageAccountType": "[parameters('osDiskType')]"
}
},
"imageReference": {
"id": "[parameters('imageName')]"
}
},
"networkProfile": {
"networkInterfaces": [
{
"id": "[resourceId('Microsoft.Network/networkInterfaces', parameters('networkInterfaceName'))]"
}
]
},
"osProfile": {
"computerName": "[parameters('virtualMachineComputerName')]",
"adminUsername": "[parameters('adminUsername')]",
"adminPassword": "[parameters('adminPassword')]",
"windowsConfiguration": {
"enableAutomaticUpdates": true,
"provisionVmAgent": true
}
},
"diagnosticsProfile": {
"bootDiagnostics": {
"enabled": true,
"storageUri": "[concat('https://', parameters('diagnosticsStorageAccountName'), '.blob.core.windows.net/')]"
}
}
}
}
],
"outputs": {
"adminUsername": {
"type": "String",
"value": "[parameters('adminUsername')]"
}
}
}
I have tried everything I could think of and I think I've narrowed the issue down to networkSecurityGroupRules. I took this template file from a valid deployment in Azure and the parameter file that came with networkSecurityGroupRules had the value of the that set to []. So I created a default value for it but it does not work. I've also tried declaring it as a empty array in powershell and passing it through with the other paramObjects but I get the same error. I've tried ArrayList as well to no avail. I have also filled in a parameter.json file with the exact values I pass to it in $paramObjects and it works flawlessly. If I change the defaultValue to null, then on deployment it will ask me to fill in networkSecurityGroupRules[0], networkSecurityGroupRules[1], etc.. I really don't know where the issue is so any help would be really appreciated, thanks.

Answer 1

Found the issue. Everything in the 'paramObject' must be in quotes. For example, 'location' = $location must be 'location' = "$location"