Build Repeatable Image with Packer and Export as VMware Template

[kayiwa]

Description:

This ticket proposes the creation of a Packer template to build a repeatable image and export it as a VMware template. This will allow us to automate the process of creating consistent and reproducible virtual machine images for our infrastructure.

Goals:

Learn how to use Packer
Create a Packer template that builds a virtual machine image.
Configure the template to provision the image with necessary software and configurations.
Export the final image as a VMware template.
Ensure the process is fully automated and repeatable.

Technical Details:

Packer: Use the latest version of Packer.
VMware: Target the desired VMware vSphere environment.
Base Image: Specify the base operating system image to use.
Provisioners: Utilize appropriate provisioners (e.g., shell, Ansible,) to install and configure software within the image.
Template Export: Configure Packer to export the final image as a VMware template.
Acceptance Criteria:

A Packer template is created and successfully builds a virtual machine image.
The image is provisioned with the required software and configurations.
The image is exported as a VMware template.
The template can be used to deploy new virtual machines consistently.
Tasks:

Define the base operating system image.
Create the Packer template with necessary configurations.
Define the provisioning steps using appropriate provisioners.
Configure the template to export the image as a VMware template.
Test the template and ensure it meets the acceptance criteria.
Additional Considerations:

Version Control: Store the Packer template here
Documentation: Document the process of building and deploying the image.
Testing: Implement automated tests to validate the image build process.
Benefits:

Automation: Automate the image creation process, saving time and effort.
Consistency: Ensure consistent and reproducible images across the infrastructure.
Scalability: Easily scale the deployment of new virtual machines.
Maintainability: Simplify the maintenance and updating of images.

[kayiwa]

Read up on Autoinstall which seems to have changed.