HowTo.md

Azure Resource Inventory User Guide

How to install, configure, and use ARI

Table of Contents

• Installation
• Basic Usage
• Command Reference
  • Common Parameters
  • Common Scenarios
• Multi-Tenant Support
• Working with Network Diagrams

Installation

ARI is available as a PowerShell module that can be installed directly from the PowerShell Gallery:

Install-Module -Name AzureResourceInventory

Basic Usage

Once installed, you can run ARI with a simple command:

Invoke-ARI

This will authenticate you to Azure and begin collecting inventory data from all accessible subscriptions.

Command Reference

Common Parameters

Parameter	Description	Usage	Category
Core Parameters
TenantID	Specify the tenant ID for inventory	-TenantID <ID>	Scope
SubscriptionID	Specify subscription(s) to inventory	-SubscriptionID <ID>	Scope
ResourceGroup	Specify resource group(s) to inventory	-ResourceGroup <NAME>	Scope
ManagementGroup	Inventory all subscriptions in a management group	-ManagementGroup <ID>	Scope
Data Collection
IncludeTags	Include resource tags	-IncludeTags	Content
SecurityCenter	Include Security Center data	-SecurityCenter	Content
SkipAdvisory	Skip Azure Advisory collection	-SkipAdvisory	Content
QuotaUsage	Include quota usage information	-QuotaUsage	Content
Authentication
DeviceLogin	Use device login authentication	-DeviceLogin	Auth
AzureEnvironment	Specify Azure cloud environment	-AzureEnvironment <NAME>	Auth
Report Options
ReportName	Custom report filename	-ReportName <NAME>	Output
ReportDir	Custom directory for report	-ReportDir "<Path>"	Output
Lite	Lightweight Excel (no charts)	-Lite	Output
Online	Use online modules from GitHub	-Online	Config
Diagram Options
Diagram	Create Draw.IO diagram	-Diagram	Diagram
SkipDiagram	Skip diagram creation	-SkipDiagram	Diagram
DiagramFullEnvironment	Include all network components	-DiagramFullEnvironment	Diagram
Automation
Automation	Run using an Automation Account	-Automation	Automation
StorageAccount	Storage account for automation	-StorageAccount	Automation
StorageContainer	Container for automation output	-StorageContainer	Automation
Other
Debug	Run in debug mode	-Debug	Debug
TagKey	Filter resources by tag key	-TagKey <NAME>	Filter
TagValue	Filter resources by tag value	-TagValue <NAME>	Filter

Common Scenarios

Running in Azure Cloud Shell

The simplest way to run ARI is directly in Azure Cloud Shell, where authentication is already handled:

Invoke-ARI -Debug

Inventory a Specific Tenant and Subscription

To target a specific tenant and subscription:

Invoke-ARI -TenantID <Azure-Tenant-ID> -SubscriptionID <Subscription-ID>

If you do not specify a subscription, ARI will inventory all subscriptions in the selected tenant.

Include Resource Tags

By default, ARI does not include resource tags. To include them:

Invoke-ARI -TenantID <Azure-Tenant-ID> -IncludeTags

Include Security Center Data

To include Security Center assessments:

Invoke-ARI -TenantID <Azure-Tenant-ID> -SecurityCenter

Skip Azure Advisor Data

To skip collection of Azure Advisor recommendations (which can speed up the process):

Invoke-ARI -TenantID <Azure-Tenant-ID> -SkipAdvisory

Skip Network Diagram Generation

To skip the creation of network diagrams (faster execution):

Invoke-ARI -TenantID <Azure-Tenant-ID> -SkipDiagram

Multi-Tenant Support

If you have access to multiple Azure tenants, ARI will detect this and provide a menu of available tenants:

You can either select from this menu or specify the tenant directly using the -TenantID parameter:

Working with Network Diagrams

ARI can generate detailed network topology diagrams in Draw.io format (.xml).

Diagram Location

By default, the diagram files are saved to:

• Windows: C:\AzureResourceInventory\
• Linux/CloudShell: $HOME/AzureResourceInventory/

Opening Diagrams

To view the generated diagram:

1. Open draw.io in your browser
2. Select "Open Existing Diagram"
3. Navigate to your ARI output folder and select the XML file

Diagram Features

The diagrams provide interactive features:

• Hover over resources to see details
• Click on components to select them
• Zoom in/out to explore complex environments
• Export to various formats including PNG, PDF, and SVG

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For more detailed information, visit the project repository.