Skip to content

Latest commit

 

History

History
172 lines (120 loc) · 6.21 KB

notes.md

File metadata and controls

172 lines (120 loc) · 6.21 KB
Raw

Image creation with packer

https://www.packer.io/docs

allow trafic on VMWare ESXI server for vnc

http://t3chnot3s.blogspot.com.es/2012/03/how-to-enable-vnc-access-to-vms-on.html

Add the rules to service.xml, with the number one more of the current rules. Refresh the firewall ruleset

http://www.metallic-badger.com/using-packer-deploy-vms-nested-esxi-environment/

This changes do not persist on restart. Some people suggest enable gdbdebugger rule to allow traffic, but I don like as it is a very permissive firewall rule.

http://www.bluebox-web.com/2013/04/11/create-a-custom-esxi-firewall-service/

The solution to create a permanent firewall rule is to include the rule in a vib package. The tool to create custom vib packages: 'Fling' is now deprecated.

** The best solution I've come to this is to enable the vnc rule prior run packer. I create the enable_vnc_on_esxi_firewall.yml and disable_vnc_on_esxi_firewall.yml to enable vnc on ESXi host. This changes don't persist at restart.

Allow key-based ssh access on esxi host

From https://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1002866

On the remote host, store the public key content, id_rsa.pub in ~/.ssh/authorized_keys.

Notes:

For ESXi 5.x, 6.0 and 6.5 the location of authorized_keys is: /etc/ssh/keys-<username>/authorized_keys
More than one key can be stored in this file.

To allow root access, change PermitRootLogin no to PermitRootLogin yes in the /etc/ssh/sshd_config file. To disable password login, ensure that ChallengeResponseAuthentication and PasswordAuthentication are set to no.

For now only non-passphrase keys works. See: hashicorp/packer#3602

Only works for ´root´ user.

ESXi disk types:

  • zeroedthick
  • thin
  • eagerzeroedthick
  • rdmp
  • rdm
  • 2gbsparse / sparse2GB

See: https://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1028042

ESXi guest host identifiers:

  • debian8-64
  • ubuntu-64

** In case of doubt, the best is to create a vm manually and then extract the values from the .vmx file.

Other VM settings

I choose to use paravirtualized drivers: vmxnet3, pvscsi

Command line commands to register the VM

https://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=2012964 http://www.blackmanticore.com/206da0c17840b37177b113a44d96e1c4

** not needed telling packer to not unregister the vm.

Boot command

Examples of different packer templates with different linux flavours: https://github.com/chef/bento

boot command for Debian

    boot_command:
      - "PACKER_KEY_INTERVAL=80ms"
      - "<esc><wait>"
      - "install <wait>"
      - "preseed/url=http://{% raw %}{{.HTTPIP }}:{{ .HTTPPort }}{% endraw %}/{{ preseed_file }} <wait>"
      - "debian-installer=en_US <wait>"
      - "auto <wait>"
      - "locale=en_US <wait>"
      - "kbd-chooser/method=es <wait>"
      - "keyboard-configuration/xkb-keymap=es <wait>"
      - "netcfg/get_hostname={{ hostname }} <wait>"
      - "netcfg/get_domain={{ domain }} <wait>"
      - "fb=false <wait>"
      - "debconf/frontend=noninteractive <wait>"
      - "console-setup/ask_detect=false <wait>"
      - "console-keymaps-at/keymap=es <wait>"
      - "grub-installer/bootdev=/dev/sda <wait>"
      - "<enter><wait>"

boot command for Ubuntu

    boot_command:
      - "PACKER_KEY_INTERVAL=80ms"
      - "<enter><wait><f6><esc><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs>"
      - "<bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs>"
      - "<bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs>"
      - "<bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs><bs>"
      - "install <wait>"
      - "auto "
      - "url=http://{% raw %}{{.HTTPIP }}:{{ .HTTPPort }}{% endraw %}/{{ preseed_file }} "
      - "preseed-md5={{ generated_preseed.stat.md5 }} "
      - "locale=en_US.UTF-8 "
      - "language=en "
      - "country=US "
      - "keymap=es "
      - "hostname={{ hostname }} "
      - "domain={{ domain }} "
      - "fb=false "
      - "initrd=/install/initrd.gz "
      - "debconf/frontend=noninteractive "
      - "console-setup/ask_detect=false "
      - "console-keymaps-at/keymap=es "
      - "grub-installer/bootdev=/dev/sda "
      - "<enter><wait>"

Preseed files for Ubuntu / Debian

Preseed files are the way to unattend the instalation of Debian/Ubuntu, consists of a series of answer to the installation process asks.

The process is not very well documented. Mostly examples and not proper documentation.

Some resources:

Sources of information

To get the proper values for some options of preseed files can install manually the system and then copy files generated by the install process.

Run an installation, on the installed machine run:

sudo apt-get install debconf-utils
sudo debconf-get-selections --installer > system.preseed

The install process logs to the folder: ´/var/log/installer´

Also more information lie on ´/var/cache/debconf´

Gotchas: Can't choose whatever language/locale

In my case I try to use language en with country ES and I have to desist as always ended prompting a dialog.

You cant choose a combination of language/country that has non existing locale.

Lots of bugs rising that matter: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/localechooser/+bug/37138 https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/localechooser/+bug/828412

http://www.gnu.org/software/gettext/manual/gettext.html#Setting-the-POSIX-Locale

Gotchas: Preseed partitioning, not for multiple disk

Debian preseed's partman options are an incomprehensible automatic partitioning language.

** Preseed don't allow to partition multiple disks unless use lvm.