Certificate Issues during Sitecore 9.2 install with SIF 2.1.0: missing "SitecoreIdentityCert" from script config?

Question

I have already read this question, that describes a problem similar to mine but not the same none the less.

I have the following Powershell output when I try to run IdentityServer.json script using SIF 2.1.0:

VERBOSE: Resolving ConfigFunction extension 'ResolveCertificatePath'
VERBOSE: Resolved 'Invoke-ResolveCertificatePathConfigFunction'
VERBOSE: Resolving ConfigFunction extension 'joinpath'
VERBOSE: Resolved 'Invoke-JoinPathConfigFunction'
VERBOSE: Resolving ConfigFunction extension 'GetCertificateThumbprint'
VERBOSE: Resolved 'Invoke-GetCertificateThumbprintConfigFunction'
Install-SitecoreConfiguration : Unable to parse [ResolveCertificatePath(variable('Security.IdentityServer.CertificatePath'))] - Exception calling "Evaluate" with "2" argument(s): "The running command stopped because the preference variable "ErrorActionPreference" or common parameter is set to Stop: Unable to parse [joinpath(variable('Security.CertificateStore'), variable('Security.IdentityServer.CertificateThumbprint'))] - Exception calling "Evaluate" with "2" argument(s): "The running command stopped because the preference variable "ErrorActionPreference" or common parameter is set to Stop: Unable to parse [GetCertificateThumbprint(parameter('SitecoreIdentityCert'), variable('Security.CertificateStore'))] - Exception calling "InvokeWithContext" with "2" argument(s): "Cannot bind argument to parameter 'Id' because it is an empty string."""
At line:1 char:1
+ Install-SitecoreConfiguration –Path "C:\Sitecore\ConfigurationFiles\I ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo          : NotSpecified: (:) [Write-Error],    WriteErrorException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.WriteErrorException,Install-SitecoreConfiguration

[TIME] 00:00:04
GetConfigFunctionResult : Unable to parse [ResolveCertificatePath(variable('Security.IdentityServer.CertificatePath'))] - Exception calling "Evaluate" with "2" argument(s): "The running command stopped because the preference variable "ErrorActionPreference" or common parameter is set to Stop: Unable to parse [joinpath(variable('Security.CertificateStore'), variable('Security.IdentityServer.CertificateThumbprint'))] - Exception calling "Evaluate" with "2" argument(s): "The running command stopped because the preference variable "ErrorActionPreference" or common parameter is set to Stop: Unable to parse [GetCertificateThumbprint(parameter('SitecoreIdentityCert'), variable('Security.CertificateStore'))] -
Exception calling "InvokeWithContext" with "2" argument(s): "Cannot bind argument to parameter 'Id' because it is an empty string."""
At C:\Program Files\WindowsPowerShell\Modules\SitecoreInstallFramework\2.1.0\Private\JsonConfiguration.ps1:226 char:20
+ ...      return GetConfigFunctionResult -FunctionText $InputObject -Param ...
+                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo          : NotSpecified: (:) [Write-Error], WriteErrorException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.WriteErrorException,GetConfigFunctionResult

QUESTION(s)

Is this saying that the SitecoreIdentityCert parameter is missing? If so, am I supposed to specify what exactly, the name of this certificate in the Certificates Store?

I previously installed a default developer version of XP1 Scaled using SIF, but the self-signed certificates were created automatically. Why is this not happening this time?

Answer 1

OOTB IdentityServer.json needs a certificate name, that certificate name is used to create a Server+Client authentication certificate, and that certificate is further used for following:

1. HTTPS binding in IIS for Identity Server website.
2. Thumbprint of certificate used inside configuration of identity server. See "CertificateThumbprint" setting value in file {Your-Identityserver-webroot}\Config\production\Sitecore.IdentityServer.Host.xml

If you are trying to execute IdentityServer.json directly, I would suggest you to review all default parameters in the json file and check the values are correct for your requirement.