Vhd: Failed to create vhdx with error "One or more arguments are invalid"

[kellymenzel]

Details of the scenario you tried and the problem that is occurring:
I'm trying to use xVHD to create a virtual hard drive on a Hyper-V server running in Windows Server 1709. I dot sourced the Sample_xVHD_NewVHD.ps1 example from this repository and compiled and ran it. But even with the simplest configuration, I receive an error.

The DSC configuration that is using the resource (as detailed as possible):

. .\Sample_xVHD_NewVHD.ps1
Sample_xVHD_NewVhd -Name "test" -Path "D:\" -MaximumSizeBytes 5000000 -Generation Vhdx
Start-DscConfiguration -Path '.\Sample_xVHD_NewVhd' -Verbose -Wait -Force 

Result:

VERBOSE: Perform operation 'Invoke CimMethod' with following parameters, ''methodName' =
SendConfigurationApply,'className' = MSFT_DSCLocalConfigurationManager,'namespaceName' =
root/Microsoft/Windows/DesiredStateConfiguration'.
VERBOSE: An LCM method call arrived from computer CORP-VMHOST-01 with user sid
S-1-5-21-1659004503-963894560-1801674531-3634.
VERBOSE: [CORP-VMHOST-01]: LCM:  [ Start  Set      ]
VERBOSE: [CORP-VMHOST-01]: LCM:  [ Start  Resource ]  [[WindowsFeature]HyperV]
VERBOSE: [CORP-VMHOST-01]: LCM:  [ Start  Test     ]  [[WindowsFeature]HyperV]
VERBOSE: [CORP-VMHOST-01]:                            [[WindowsFeature]HyperV] The operation 'Get-WindowsFeature'
started: Hyper-V
VERBOSE: [CORP-VMHOST-01]:                            [[WindowsFeature]HyperV] The operation 'Get-WindowsFeature'
succeeded: Hyper-V
VERBOSE: [CORP-VMHOST-01]: LCM:  [ End    Test     ]  [[WindowsFeature]HyperV]  in 0.8440 seconds.
VERBOSE: [CORP-VMHOST-01]: LCM:  [ Skip   Set      ]  [[WindowsFeature]HyperV]
VERBOSE: [CORP-VMHOST-01]: LCM:  [ End    Resource ]  [[WindowsFeature]HyperV]
VERBOSE: [CORP-VMHOST-01]: LCM:  [ Start  Resource ]  [[WindowsFeature]HyperVPowerShell]
VERBOSE: [CORP-VMHOST-01]: LCM:  [ Start  Test     ]  [[WindowsFeature]HyperVPowerShell]
VERBOSE: [CORP-VMHOST-01]:                            [[WindowsFeature]HyperVPowerShell] The operation
'Get-WindowsFeature' started: Hyper-V-PowerShell
VERBOSE: [CORP-VMHOST-01]:                            [[WindowsFeature]HyperVPowerShell] The operation
'Get-WindowsFeature' succeeded: Hyper-V-PowerShell
VERBOSE: [CORP-VMHOST-01]: LCM:  [ End    Test     ]  [[WindowsFeature]HyperVPowerShell]  in 0.4690 seconds.
VERBOSE: [CORP-VMHOST-01]: LCM:  [ Skip   Set      ]  [[WindowsFeature]HyperVPowerShell]
VERBOSE: [CORP-VMHOST-01]: LCM:  [ End    Resource ]  [[WindowsFeature]HyperVPowerShell]
VERBOSE: [CORP-VMHOST-01]: LCM:  [ Start  Resource ]  [[xVHD]NewVhd]
VERBOSE: [CORP-VMHOST-01]: LCM:  [ Start  Test     ]  [[xVHD]NewVhd]
VERBOSE: [CORP-VMHOST-01]:                            [[xVHD]NewVhd] Vhd full name is test.Vhdx
VERBOSE: [CORP-VMHOST-01]:                            [[xVHD]NewVhd] Vhd full path is D:\test.Vhdx
VERBOSE: [CORP-VMHOST-01]:                            [[xVHD]NewVhd] Vhd D:\test.Vhdx is present:False and Ensure is
Present
VERBOSE: [CORP-VMHOST-01]: LCM:  [ End    Test     ]  [[xVHD]NewVhd]  in 0.4690 seconds.
VERBOSE: [CORP-VMHOST-01]: LCM:  [ Start  Set      ]  [[xVHD]NewVhd]
VERBOSE: [CORP-VMHOST-01]:                            [[xVHD]NewVhd] Vhd full name is test.Vhdx
VERBOSE: [CORP-VMHOST-01]:                            [[xVHD]NewVhd] Vhd full path is D:\test.Vhdx
VERBOSE: [CORP-VMHOST-01]:                            [[xVHD]NewVhd] Checking if D:\test.Vhdx is Present ...
VERBOSE: [CORP-VMHOST-01]:                            [[xVHD]NewVhd] D:\test.Vhdx is not Present
Failed to create the virtual hard disk.
The system failed to create 'D:\test.Vhdx'.
Failed to create the virtual hard disk.
The system failed to create 'D:\test.Vhdx': One or more arguments are invalid (0x80070057).
    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidArgument: (:) [], CimException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : InvalidParameter,Microsoft.Vhd.PowerShell.Cmdlets.NewVhd
    + PSComputerName        : localhost

VERBOSE: [CORP-VMHOST-01]:                            [[xVHD]NewVhd] D:\test.Vhdx is now Present
VERBOSE: [CORP-VMHOST-01]: LCM:  [ End    Set      ]  [[xVHD]NewVhd]  in 1.1870 seconds.
The PowerShell DSC resource '[xVHD]NewVhd' with SourceInfo '::48::9::xVhd' threw one or more non-terminating errors
while running the Set-TargetResource functionality. These errors are logged to the ETW channel called
Microsoft-Windows-DSC/Operational. Refer to this channel for more details.
    + CategoryInfo          : InvalidOperation: (:) [], CimException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : NonTerminatingErrorFromProvider
    + PSComputerName        : localhost

VERBOSE: [CORP-VMHOST-01]: LCM:  [ End    Set      ]
The SendConfigurationApply function did not succeed.
    + CategoryInfo          : NotSpecified: (root/Microsoft/...gurationManager:String) [], CimException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : MI RESULT 1
    + PSComputerName        : localhost

VERBOSE: Operation 'Invoke CimMethod' complete.
VERBOSE: Time taken for configuration job to complete is 3.885 seconds

Version of the Operating System and PowerShell the DSC Target Node is running:
Windows Server 1709

Version of the DSC module you're using, or 'dev' if you're using current dev branch:
xHyper-V 3.12.0.0

PS>$PsVersionTable

Name                           Value
----                           -----
PSVersion                      5.1.16299.551
PSEdition                      Desktop
PSCompatibleVersions           {1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0...}
BuildVersion                   10.0.16299.551
CLRVersion                     4.0.30319.42000
WSManStackVersion              3.0
PSRemotingProtocolVersion      2.3
SerializationVersion           1.1.0.1

[johlju]

The problem seems to be the $Type property

https://github.com/PowerShell/xHyper-V/blob/528678479e6f82f421e0622554ecc8719da211e6/DSCResources/MSFT_xVHD/MSFT_xVHD.psm1#L113-L116

It just adds Type = $true here.

https://github.com/PowerShell/xHyper-V/blob/528678479e6f82f421e0622554ecc8719da211e6/DSCResources/MSFT_xVHD/MSFT_xVHD.psm1#L206-L211

There are no parameter named Type on the cmdlet New-Vhd. Instead $Type should be evaluated to either -Differencing, -Dynamic or -Fixed.

[johlju]

This was not caught in the tests because the cmdlet is overriden with no parameters. Instead there should be made a stub module file of the Hyper-V cmdlets. See example of creating a stub module file here Write-ModuleStubFile.ps1

https://github.com/PowerShell/xHyper-V/blob/528678479e6f82f421e0622554ecc8719da211e6/Tests/Unit/MSFT_xVHD.tests.ps1#L239-L242

[johlju]

@kellymenzel Thank you for reporting this issue! Labeled is help wanted so that anyone in the community can run with this.

[kellymenzel]

I delved into this and found that there really isn't a bug, but there is a very strange, possibly intentional behavior in the New-VHD cmdlet...

New-VHD -Path 'C:\Test.vhdx' -SizeBytes 5000000 -Dynamic

...I get the 'One or more arguments are invalid' error. However, if I type

New-VHD -Path 'C:\Test.vhdx' -SizeBytes 5242880 -Dynamic

The VHD file is created just fine. Note, the size is 5 * 1024 * 1024.

Splatting the switch is working just fine. Note, in the Params hash table, it's $Type, not Type which would evaluate to -Dynamic:$True

[johlju]

Ah I miss read the hash table. Thank you for sharing this. Let’s open this again and we could update the documentation for that parameter.