Resolving the “Cannot Set or Update Property allowClaim” Error in Azure ARM Template Deployment

In Azure DevOps, while deploying virtual machines (VMs) using an ARM (Azure Resource Manager) template, you may encounter the following error:

##[error]CannotSetProperty: Cannot set or update property allowClaim.

This error occurs when your ARM template includes the allowClaim property, but Azure DevTest Labs restricts the ability to modify this property once the resource is created. The allowClaim property is typically used in DevTest Labs environments to indicate whether a user can "claim" a virtual machine (VM) for personal use. This property can only be set during the creation of a VM and cannot be updated afterward.

Why This Error Occurs

The allowClaim property is primarily used in DevTest Labs to determine whether VMs can be claimed by users. Once a VM has been created with this property, you cannot modify it in subsequent deployments. The error happens when the ARM template attempts to update an existing VM and includes the allowClaim property, which is not allowed.

Steps to Resolve the Error

To resolve the “Cannot set or update property allowClaim” error, you can:

1. Remove the allowClaim property…