New-AzureRMVM Object reference not set to an instance of an object - previously working script

[jeanfrancoislarente]

Currently on 6.6.0

Had a script to create a new VM from a stored VHD (been using for ~8 months now).

I'm all of a sudden getting New-AzureRmVM : Object reference not set to an instance of an object.

Omitting the creation of RG, networking, etc. Below is the script to create OS disk and VM.

Has anything changed in the latest releases?

Write-Host "Creating OS Disk" -ForegroundColor Green
# OS Disk
New-AzureRmDisk -DiskName $osDiskName -Disk `
(New-AzureRmDiskConfig -AccountType Premium_LRS  `
        -Location $location -CreateOption Import `
        -StorageAccountId $storageAccountId `
        -SourceUri $osVHDUri) `
    -ResourceGroupName $resourceGroupName
$osDisk = Get-AzureRMDisk -DiskName $osDiskName -ResourceGroupName $resourceGroupName

Write-Host "Setting VM Configuration" -ForegroundColor Green
#Initialize virtual machine configuration
$VirtualMachine = New-AzureRmVMConfig -VMName $virtualMachineName -VMSize $virtualMachineSize
$VirtualMachine = Set-AzureRmVMOSDisk -VM $VirtualMachine -ManagedDiskId $osDisk.Id -CreateOption Attach -Windows
$VirtualMachine = Add-AzureRmVMNetworkInterface -VM $VirtualMachine -Id $nic.Id

#Create the virtual machine with Managed Disk
Write-Host "Creating Virtual Machine" -ForegroundColor Green
New-AzureRmVM -VM $VirtualMachine -ResourceGroupName $resourceGroupName -Location $location -Verbose

Write-Host "Enabling Auto-Shutdown" -ForegroundColor Green
Enable-AzureRMVmAutoShutdown -SubscriptionId $subscriptionId -ResourceGroupName $resourceGroupName -VirtualMachineName $virtualMachineName -TimeZone $timeZone


### Debug output

``` DEBUG: AzureQoSEvent: CommandName - New-AzureRmVM; IsSuccess - False; Duration - 00:01:15.8115447; Exception - System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
   at Microsoft.Azure.Management.Compute.Models.StorageAccountTypes.ToString()
   at Microsoft.Azure.Management.Compute.Models.StorageAccountTypesConverter.WriteJson(JsonWriter writer, Object value, JsonSerializer serializer)
   at Newtonsoft.Json.Serialization.JsonSerializerInternalWriter.SerializeConvertable(JsonWriter writer, JsonConverter converter, Object value, JsonContract contract, JsonContainerContract collectionContract, JsonProperty
containerProperty)
   at Newtonsoft.Json.Serialization.JsonSerializerInternalWriter.SerializeObject(JsonWriter writer, Object value, JsonObjectContract contract, JsonProperty member, JsonContainerContract collectionContract, JsonProperty
containerProperty)
   at Newtonsoft.Json.Serialization.JsonSerializerInternalWriter.SerializeObject(JsonWriter writer, Object value, JsonObjectContract contract, JsonProperty member, JsonContainerContract collectionContract, JsonProperty
containerProperty)
   at Newtonsoft.Json.Serialization.JsonSerializerInternalWriter.SerializeObject(JsonWriter writer, Object value, JsonObjectContract contract, JsonProperty member, JsonContainerContract collectionContract, JsonProperty
containerProperty)
   at Newtonsoft.Json.Serialization.JsonSerializerInternalWriter.Serialize(JsonWriter jsonWriter, Object value, Type objectType)
   at Newtonsoft.Json.Linq.JToken.FromObjectInternal(Object o, JsonSerializer jsonSerializer)
   at Microsoft.Rest.Serialization.TransformationJsonConverter.WriteJson(JsonWriter writer, Object value, JsonSerializer serializer)
   at Newtonsoft.Json.Serialization.JsonSerializerInternalWriter.SerializeConvertable(JsonWriter writer, JsonConverter converter, Object value, JsonContract contract, JsonContainerContract collectionContract, JsonProperty
containerProperty)
   at Newtonsoft.Json.Serialization.JsonSerializerInternalWriter.Serialize(JsonWriter jsonWriter, Object value, Type objectType)
   at Newtonsoft.Json.JsonSerializer.SerializeInternal(JsonWriter jsonWriter, Object value, Type objectType)
   at Microsoft.Rest.Serialization.SafeJsonConvert.SerializeObject(Object obj, JsonSerializerSettings settings)
   at Microsoft.Azure.Management.Compute.VirtualMachinesOperations.<BeginCreateOrUpdateWithHttpMessagesAsync>d__24.MoveNext()
--- End of stack trace from previous location where exception was thrown ---
   at System.Runtime.ExceptionServices.ExceptionDispatchInfo.Throw()
   at System.Runtime.CompilerServices.TaskAwaiter.HandleNonSuccessAndDebuggerNotification(Task task)
   at Microsoft.Azure.Management.Compute.VirtualMachinesOperations.<CreateOrUpdateWithHttpMessagesAsync>d__6.MoveNext()
--- End of stack trace from previous location where exception was thrown ---
   at System.Runtime.ExceptionServices.ExceptionDispatchInfo.Throw()
   at System.Runtime.CompilerServices.TaskAwaiter.HandleNonSuccessAndDebuggerNotification(Task task)
   at Microsoft.Azure.Commands.Compute.NewAzureVMCommand.<DefaultExecuteCmdlet>b__114_0()
   at Microsoft.Azure.Commands.Compute.ComputeClientBaseCmdlet.ExecuteClientAction(Action action)
   at Microsoft.Azure.Commands.Compute.NewAzureVMCommand.DefaultExecuteCmdlet()
   at Microsoft.WindowsAzure.Commands.Utilities.Common.AzurePSCmdlet.ProcessRecord(); ```

[markcowl]

@jeanfrancoislarente Thanks for the report, cna you also provide the output when executing Resolve-AzureRmError -Last immdeiately after the error?

@singhkays @hyonholee can you take a look?

[JVSemmelrock]

Issue with error "Object reference not set to an instance of an object." also applies to Get-AzureRmVm. I had a prior working script suddenly start failing after 6.6.0 update and after discovering that the example powershell at https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-machines/windows/attach-disk-ps also now fails with the same error i rolled back to an earlier module and it succeeded.

The only time Update-AzureRmVm would acccept the vm object on 6.6.0 was via a pipestream, but, at least in the adding-a-data-disk flow, something still wasn't actually functioning.

[jeanfrancoislarente]

@singhkays @hyonholee @markcowl

Here is the error for New-AzureRMVm

Message        : Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
StackTrace     :    at Microsoft.Azure.Management.Compute.Models.StorageAccountTypes.ToString()
                    at Microsoft.Azure.Management.Compute.Models.StorageAccountTypesConverter.WriteJson(JsonWriter writer, Object value, JsonSerializer serializer)
                    at Newtonsoft.Json.Serialization.JsonSerializerInternalWriter.SerializeConvertable(JsonWriter writer, JsonConverter converter, Object value, JsonContract contract, JsonContainerContract
                 collectionContract, JsonProperty containerProperty)
                    at Newtonsoft.Json.Serialization.JsonSerializerInternalWriter.SerializeObject(JsonWriter writer, Object value, JsonObjectContract contract, JsonProperty member, JsonContainerContract collectionContract,
                 JsonProperty containerProperty)
                    at Newtonsoft.Json.Serialization.JsonSerializerInternalWriter.SerializeObject(JsonWriter writer, Object value, JsonObjectContract contract, JsonProperty member, JsonContainerContract collectionContract,
                 JsonProperty containerProperty)
                    at Newtonsoft.Json.Serialization.JsonSerializerInternalWriter.SerializeObject(JsonWriter writer, Object value, JsonObjectContract contract, JsonProperty member, JsonContainerContract collectionContract,
                 JsonProperty containerProperty)
                    at Newtonsoft.Json.Serialization.JsonSerializerInternalWriter.Serialize(JsonWriter jsonWriter, Object value, Type objectType)
                    at Newtonsoft.Json.Linq.JToken.FromObjectInternal(Object o, JsonSerializer jsonSerializer)
                    at Microsoft.Rest.Serialization.TransformationJsonConverter.WriteJson(JsonWriter writer, Object value, JsonSerializer serializer)
                    at Newtonsoft.Json.Serialization.JsonSerializerInternalWriter.SerializeConvertable(JsonWriter writer, JsonConverter converter, Object value, JsonContract contract, JsonContainerContract
                 collectionContract, JsonProperty containerProperty)
                    at Newtonsoft.Json.Serialization.JsonSerializerInternalWriter.Serialize(JsonWriter jsonWriter, Object value, Type objectType)
                    at Newtonsoft.Json.JsonSerializer.SerializeInternal(JsonWriter jsonWriter, Object value, Type objectType)
                    at Microsoft.Rest.Serialization.SafeJsonConvert.SerializeObject(Object obj, JsonSerializerSettings settings)
                    at Microsoft.Azure.Management.Compute.VirtualMachinesOperations.<BeginCreateOrUpdateWithHttpMessagesAsync>d__24.MoveNext()
                 --- End of stack trace from previous location where exception was thrown ---
                    at System.Runtime.ExceptionServices.ExceptionDispatchInfo.Throw()
                    at System.Runtime.CompilerServices.TaskAwaiter.HandleNonSuccessAndDebuggerNotification(Task task)
                    at Microsoft.Azure.Management.Compute.VirtualMachinesOperations.<CreateOrUpdateWithHttpMessagesAsync>d__6.MoveNext()
                 --- End of stack trace from previous location where exception was thrown ---
                    at System.Runtime.ExceptionServices.ExceptionDispatchInfo.Throw()
                    at System.Runtime.CompilerServices.TaskAwaiter.HandleNonSuccessAndDebuggerNotification(Task task)
                    at Microsoft.Azure.Commands.Compute.NewAzureVMCommand.<DefaultExecuteCmdlet>b__114_0()
                    at Microsoft.Azure.Commands.Compute.ComputeClientBaseCmdlet.ExecuteClientAction(Action action)
                    at Microsoft.Azure.Commands.Compute.NewAzureVMCommand.DefaultExecuteCmdlet()
                    at Microsoft.WindowsAzure.Commands.Utilities.Common.AzurePSCmdlet.ProcessRecord()
Exception      : System.NullReferenceException
InvocationInfo : {New-AzureRmVM}
Line           : New-AzureRmVM -VM $VirtualMachine -ResourceGroupName $resourceGroupName -Location $location

Position       : At C:\Projects\gh.s.hh.utils\Azure\CreateVMFromVhd.ps1:176 char:1
                 + New-AzureRmVM -VM $VirtualMachine -ResourceGroupName $resourceGroupNa ...
                 + ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HistoryId      : 200```

[jeanfrancoislarente]

Read another thread about storage account type names changing with/without the underscore. Since the disk is being created as Premium, is it possible that the New-AzureRMVm command, which is trying to create boot diagnostics in basic storage is using the wrong name for the "standard" storage account type?

[jeanfrancoislarente]

Works correctly in 6.3.0. Didn't try any newer versions except for the reproducible 6.6.0 version.

[OmegaMadLab]

Faced same issue yesterday on 5.4.0. Solved by specifying StorageAccountType in the Set-AzureRmVMOSDisk phase, before creating the VM with New-AzureRmVm:

$TestVm = Set-AzureRmVMOSDisk -VM $TestVm -ManagedDiskId $Disk.Id -CreateOption Attach -Windows -StorageAccountType Premium_LRS

Previously I was specifying storage sku only in New-AzureRmDiskConfig, as per official documentation, and New-AzureRMVm stopped working after last update.

[jeanfrancoislarente]

Fantastic @OmegaMadLab - re-installed 6.6.0 and tried by adding the StorageAccountType to the Set-AzureRmVMOSDisk CmdLet and it worked like a charm.

Interesting that it works in 6.3.0 without setting that value but not in 5.4.0 and 6.6.0

[hyonholee]

The root cause is the generated client library has a converter for storage account type, and even the value is null, it tries to write the value by calling value.ToString() (below line).
https://github.com/Azure/azure-sdk-for-net/blob/8852cf540d6b68acf2ce7f0d3505749c8dd9aa91/src/SDKs/Compute/Management.Compute/Generated/Models/StorageAccountTypesConverter.cs#L49

[Karishma-Tiwari-MSFT]

@hyonholee @singhkays Is there an update on this issue? Many customers are still facing the same issue. Is there a timeline on when this be fixed? Thanks.

[BrandonBoone]

FYI: @OmegaMadLab 's fix is also working when calling Add-AzureRmVMDataDisk

$vmConfig = Add-AzureRmVMDataDisk -VM $vmConfig -VM $vmConfig -StorageAccountType Premium_LRS #...

[Drewm3]

Cleaning up old issues from 2016 - 2018. Please reopen this issue if it is still a concern.