AutomatedLab5.61.0

Provision ephemeral test labs with automatedlab (Install), assembling a single virtual machine or a multi-product environment for technology evaluation. Jan-Hendrik Peters and Raimund Andrée provide it as a Windows system tool and provisioning framework driven by simple PowerShell scripts. Deployments can run on Hyper-V or Azure, with the available hosting option depending on access to a Hyper-V host or an Azure subscription.

AutomatedLab supports Windows operating systems from Windows Server 2008 R2 through Windows Server 2022, along with some Linux distributions. It includes recipes and support for products such as Active Directory, Exchange, PKI, and IIS, making it useful for administrators, developers, and evaluators who need repeatable lab-style environments. Version 5.61.0 can build either a broad, interconnected lab or a focused single-VM setup from the required DVD ISO installation sources.

Windows use requires Windows Management Framework 5 or later, .NET Framework 4.7.1 with Windows PowerShell or .NET Core 2.x with PowerShell 6+, Windows Server 2012 R2 or later, or Windows 8.1 or later, plus administrator privileges. Hyper-V deployments require ISO files for every operating system and role, an Intel VT-x or AMD-V-capable processor, ample RAM, and fast, low-latency storage; spinning disks have known issues, and en-us is the recommended system language.

Azure and Proxmox hosts can use Fedora, Ubuntu, Ubuntu WSL, or Azure Cloud Shell, while supported Linux guests include CentOS/RHEL/Fedora, Ubuntu Server, and OpenSUSE/SUSE; Ubuntu Desktop ISOs are not supported. Linux operation also requires the IP and route commands, is regularly tested on Fedora outside WSL and Ubuntu under WSL, and receives best-effort support because of distribution differences; macOS Azure support is likewise best effort. It is freeware, and its current release is suited to users who want scripted, repeatable lab provisioning rather than manual virtual-machine assembly.