website: document the virtualbox-ovf builder
This commit is contained in:
Mitchell Hashimoto
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---
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layout: "docs"
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page_title: "VirtualBox Builder (from an ISO)"
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---
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# VirtualBox Builder (from an ISO)
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Type: `virtualbox`
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The VirtualBox builder is able to create [VirtualBox](https://www.virtualbox.org/)
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virtual machines and export them in the OVF format, starting from an
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ISO image.
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The builder builds a virtual machine by creating a new virtual machine
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from scratch, booting it, installing an OS, provisioning software within
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the OS, then shutting it down. The result of the VirtualBox builder is a directory
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containing all the files necessary to run the virtual machine portably.
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## Basic Example
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Here is a basic example. This example is not functional. It will start the
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OS installer but then fail because we don't provide the preseed file for
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Ubuntu to self-install. Still, the example serves to show the basic configuration:
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<pre class="prettyprint">
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{
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"type": "virtualbox",
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"guest_os_type": "Ubuntu_64",
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"iso_url": "http://releases.ubuntu.com/12.04/ubuntu-12.04.3-server-amd64.iso",
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"iso_checksum": "2cbe868812a871242cdcdd8f2fd6feb9",
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"iso_checksum_type": "md5",
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"ssh_username": "packer",
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"ssh_password": "packer",
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"ssh_wait_timeout": "30s",
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"shutdown_command": "echo 'packer' | sudo -S shutdown -P now"
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}
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</pre>
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It is important to add a `shutdown_command`. By default Packer halts the
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virtual machine and the file system may not be sync'd. Thus, changes made in a
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provisioner might not be saved.
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## Configuration Reference
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There are many configuration options available for the VirtualBox builder.
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They are organized below into two categories: required and optional. Within
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each category, the available options are alphabetized and described.
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Required:
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* `iso_checksum` (string) - The checksum for the OS ISO file. Because ISO
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files are so large, this is required and Packer will verify it prior
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to booting a virtual machine with the ISO attached. The type of the
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checksum is specified with `iso_checksum_type`, documented below.
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* `iso_checksum_type` (string) - The type of the checksum specified in
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`iso_checksum`. Valid values are "md5", "sha1", "sha256", or "sha512" currently.
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* `iso_url` (string) - A URL to the ISO containing the installation image.
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This URL can be either an HTTP URL or a file URL (or path to a file).
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If this is an HTTP URL, Packer will download it and cache it between
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runs.
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* `ssh_username` (string) - The username to use to SSH into the machine
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once the OS is installed.
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Optional:
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* `boot_command` (array of strings) - This is an array of commands to type
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when the virtual machine is first booted. The goal of these commands should
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be to type just enough to initialize the operating system installer. Special
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keys can be typed as well, and are covered in the section below on the boot
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command. If this is not specified, it is assumed the installer will start
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itself.
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* `boot_wait` (string) - The time to wait after booting the initial virtual
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machine before typing the `boot_command`. The value of this should be
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a duration. Examples are "5s" and "1m30s" which will cause Packer to wait
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five seconds and one minute 30 seconds, respectively. If this isn't specified,
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the default is 10 seconds.
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* `disk_size` (int) - The size, in megabytes, of the hard disk to create
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for the VM. By default, this is 40000 (40 GB).
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* `floppy_files` (array of strings) - A list of files to put onto a floppy
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disk that is attached when the VM is booted for the first time. This is
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most useful for unattended Windows installs, which look for an
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`Autounattend.xml` file on removable media. By default no floppy will
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be attached. The files listed in this configuration will all be put
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into the root directory of the floppy disk; sub-directories are not supported.
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* `format` (string) - Either "ovf" or "ova", this specifies the output
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format of the exported virtual machine. This defaults to "ovf".
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* `guest_additions_mode` (string) - The method by which guest additions
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are made available to the guest for installation. Valid options are
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"upload", "attach", or "disable". The functions of each of these should be
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self-explanatory. The default value is "upload". If "disable" is used,
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guest additions won't be downloaded, either.
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* `guest_additions_path` (string) - The path on the guest virtual machine
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where the VirtualBox guest additions ISO will be uploaded. By default this
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is "VBoxGuestAdditions.iso" which should upload into the login directory
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of the user. This is a [configuration template](/docs/templates/configuration-templates.html)
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where the `Version` variable is replaced with the VirtualBox version.
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* `guest_additions_sha256` (string) - The SHA256 checksum of the guest
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additions ISO that will be uploaded to the guest VM. By default the
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checksums will be downloaded from the VirtualBox website, so this only
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needs to be set if you want to be explicit about the checksum.
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* `guest_additions_url` (string) - The URL to the guest additions ISO
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to upload. This can also be a file URL if the ISO is at a local path.
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By default the VirtualBox builder will go and download the proper
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guest additions ISO from the internet.
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* `guest_os_type` (string) - The guest OS type being installed. By default
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this is "other", but you can get _dramatic_ performance improvements by
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setting this to the proper value. To view all available values for this
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run `VBoxManage list ostypes`. Setting the correct value hints to VirtualBox
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how to optimize the virtual hardware to work best with that operating
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system.
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* `hard_drive_interface` (string) - The type of controller that the primary
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hard drive is attached to, defaults to "ide". When set to "sata", the
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drive is attached to an AHCI SATA controller.
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* `headless` (bool) - Packer defaults to building VirtualBox
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virtual machines by launching a GUI that shows the console of the
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machine being built. When this value is set to true, the machine will
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start without a console.
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* `http_directory` (string) - Path to a directory to serve using an HTTP
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server. The files in this directory will be available over HTTP that will
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be requestable from the virtual machine. This is useful for hosting
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kickstart files and so on. By default this is "", which means no HTTP
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server will be started. The address and port of the HTTP server will be
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available as variables in `boot_command`. This is covered in more detail
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below.
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* `http_port_min` and `http_port_max` (int) - These are the minimum and
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maximum port to use for the HTTP server started to serve the `http_directory`.
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Because Packer often runs in parallel, Packer will choose a randomly available
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port in this range to run the HTTP server. If you want to force the HTTP
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server to be on one port, make this minimum and maximum port the same.
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By default the values are 8000 and 9000, respectively.
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* `iso_urls` (array of strings) - Multiple URLs for the ISO to download.
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Packer will try these in order. If anything goes wrong attempting to download
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or while downloading a single URL, it will move on to the next. All URLs
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must point to the same file (same checksum). By default this is empty
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and `iso_url` is used. Only one of `iso_url` or `iso_urls` can be specified.
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* `output_directory` (string) - This is the path to the directory where the
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resulting virtual machine will be created. This may be relative or absolute.
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If relative, the path is relative to the working directory when `packer`
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is executed. This directory must not exist or be empty prior to running the builder.
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By default this is "output-BUILDNAME" where "BUILDNAME" is the name
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of the build.
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* `shutdown_command` (string) - The command to use to gracefully shut down
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the machine once all the provisioning is done. By default this is an empty
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string, which tells Packer to just forcefully shut down the machine.
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* `shutdown_timeout` (string) - The amount of time to wait after executing
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the `shutdown_command` for the virtual machine to actually shut down.
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If it doesn't shut down in this time, it is an error. By default, the timeout
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is "5m", or five minutes.
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* `ssh_host_port_min` and `ssh_host_port_max` (uint) - The minimum and
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maximum port to use for the SSH port on the host machine which is forwarded
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to the SSH port on the guest machine. Because Packer often runs in parallel,
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Packer will choose a randomly available port in this range to use as the
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host port.
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* `ssh_key_path` (string) - Path to a private key to use for authenticating
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with SSH. By default this is not set (key-based auth won't be used).
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The associated public key is expected to already be configured on the
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VM being prepared by some other process (kickstart, etc.).
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* `ssh_password` (string) - The password for `ssh_username` to use to
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authenticate with SSH. By default this is the empty string.
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* `ssh_port` (int) - The port that SSH will be listening on in the guest
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virtual machine. By default this is 22.
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* `ssh_wait_timeout` (string) - The duration to wait for SSH to become
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available. By default this is "20m", or 20 minutes. Note that this should
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be quite long since the timer begins as soon as the virtual machine is booted.
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* `vboxmanage` (array of array of strings) - Custom `VBoxManage` commands to
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execute in order to further customize the virtual machine being created.
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The value of this is an array of commands to execute. The commands are executed
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in the order defined in the template. For each command, the command is
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defined itself as an array of strings, where each string represents a single
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argument on the command-line to `VBoxManage` (but excluding `VBoxManage`
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itself). Each arg is treated as a [configuration template](/docs/templates/configuration-templates.html),
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where the `Name` variable is replaced with the VM name. More details on how
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to use `VBoxManage` are below.
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* `virtualbox_version_file` (string) - The path within the virtual machine
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to upload a file that contains the VirtualBox version that was used to
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create the machine. This information can be useful for provisioning.
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By default this is ".vbox_version", which will generally upload it into
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the home directory.
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* `vm_name` (string) - This is the name of the OVF file for the new virtual
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machine, without the file extension. By default this is "packer-BUILDNAME",
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where "BUILDNAME" is the name of the build.
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## Boot Command
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The `boot_command` configuration is very important: it specifies the keys
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to type when the virtual machine is first booted in order to start the
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OS installer. This command is typed after `boot_wait`, which gives the
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virtual machine some time to actually load the ISO.
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As documented above, the `boot_command` is an array of strings. The
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strings are all typed in sequence. It is an array only to improve readability
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within the template.
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The boot command is "typed" character for character over a VNC connection
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to the machine, simulating a human actually typing the keyboard. There are
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a set of special keys available. If these are in your boot command, they
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will be replaced by the proper key:
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* `<enter>` and `<return>` - Simulates an actual "enter" or "return" keypress.
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* `<esc>` - Simulates pressing the escape key.
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* `<tab>` - Simulates pressing the tab key.
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* `<wait>` `<wait5>` `<wait10>` - Adds a 1, 5 or 10 second pause before sending any additional keys. This
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is useful if you have to generally wait for the UI to update before typing more.
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In addition to the special keys, each command to type is treated as a
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[configuration template](/docs/templates/configuration-templates.html).
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The available variables are:
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* `HTTPIP` and `HTTPPort` - The IP and port, respectively of an HTTP server
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that is started serving the directory specified by the `http_directory`
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configuration parameter. If `http_directory` isn't specified, these will
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be blank!
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Example boot command. This is actually a working boot command used to start
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an Ubuntu 12.04 installer:
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<pre class="prettyprint">
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[
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"<esc><esc><enter><wait>",
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"/install/vmlinuz noapic ",
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"preseed/url=http://{{ .HTTPIP }}:{{ .HTTPPort }}/preseed.cfg ",
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"debian-installer=en_US auto locale=en_US kbd-chooser/method=us ",
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"hostname={{ .Name }} ",
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"fb=false debconf/frontend=noninteractive ",
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"keyboard-configuration/modelcode=SKIP keyboard-configuration/layout=USA ",
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"keyboard-configuration/variant=USA console-setup/ask_detect=false ",
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"initrd=/install/initrd.gz -- <enter>"
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]
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</pre>
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## Guest Additions
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Packer will automatically download the proper guest additions for the
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version of VirtualBox that is running and upload those guest additions into
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the virtual machine so that provisioners can easily install them.
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Packer downloads the guest additions from the official VirtualBox website,
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and verifies the file with the official checksums released by VirtualBox.
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After the virtual machine is up and the operating system is installed,
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Packer uploads the guest additions into the virtual machine. The path where
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they are uploaded is controllable by `guest_additions_path`, and defaults
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to "VBoxGuestAdditions.iso". Without an absolute path, it is uploaded to the
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home directory of the SSH user.
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## VBoxManage Commands
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In order to perform extra customization of the virtual machine, a template
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can define extra calls to `VBoxManage` to perform. [VBoxManage](http://www.virtualbox.org/manual/ch08.html)
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is the command-line interface to VirtualBox where you can completely control
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VirtualBox. It can be used to do things such as set RAM, CPUs, etc.
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Extra VBoxManage commands are defined in the template in the `vboxmanage` section.
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An example is shown below that sets the memory and number of CPUs within the
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virtual machine:
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<pre class="prettyprint">
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{
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"vboxmanage": [
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["modifyvm", "{{.Name}}", "--memory", "1024"],
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["modifyvm", "{{.Name}}", "--cpus", "2"]
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]
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}
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</pre>
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The value of `vboxmanage` is an array of commands to execute. These commands
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are executed in the order defined. So in the above example, the memory will be
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set followed by the CPUs.
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Each command itself is an array of strings, where each string is an argument
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to `VBoxManage`. Each argument is treated as a
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[configuration template](/docs/templates/configuration-templates.html).
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The only available variable is `Name` which is replaced with the unique
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name of the VM, which is required for many VBoxManage calls.
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@ -0,0 +1,193 @@
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---
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layout: "docs"
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page_title: "VirtualBox Builder (from an OVF/OVA)"
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---
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# VirtualBox Builder (from an OVF/OVA)
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Type: `virtualbox-ovf`
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This VirtualBox builder is able to create [VirtualBox](https://www.virtualbox.org/)
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virtual machines and export them in the OVF format, starting from an
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existing OVF/OVA (exported virtual machine image).
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The builder builds a virtual machine by importing an existing OVF or OVA
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file. It then boots this image, runs provisioners on this new VM, and
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exports that VM to create the image. The imported machine is deleted prior
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to finishing the build.
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## Basic Example
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Here is a basic example. This example is functional if you have an OVF matching
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the settings here.
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<pre class="prettyprint">
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{
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"type": "virtualbox-ovf",
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"source_path": "source.ovf",
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"ssh_username": "packer",
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"ssh_password": "packer",
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"ssh_wait_timeout": "30s",
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"shutdown_command": "echo 'packer' | sudo -S shutdown -P now"
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}
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</pre>
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It is important to add a `shutdown_command`. By default Packer halts the
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virtual machine and the file system may not be sync'd. Thus, changes made in a
|
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provisioner might not be saved.
|
||||
|
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## Configuration Reference
|
||||
|
||||
There are many configuration options available for the VirtualBox builder.
|
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They are organized below into two categories: required and optional. Within
|
||||
each category, the available options are alphabetized and described.
|
||||
|
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Required:
|
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|
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* `source_path` (string) - The path to an OVF or OVA file that acts as
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the source of this build.
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* `ssh_username` (string) - The username to use to SSH into the machine
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once the OS is installed.
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Optional:
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* `floppy_files` (array of strings) - A list of files to put onto a floppy
|
||||
disk that is attached when the VM is booted for the first time. This is
|
||||
most useful for unattended Windows installs, which look for an
|
||||
`Autounattend.xml` file on removable media. By default no floppy will
|
||||
be attached. The files listed in this configuration will all be put
|
||||
into the root directory of the floppy disk; sub-directories are not supported.
|
||||
|
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* `format` (string) - Either "ovf" or "ova", this specifies the output
|
||||
format of the exported virtual machine. This defaults to "ovf".
|
||||
|
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* `guest_additions_mode` (string) - The method by which guest additions
|
||||
are made available to the guest for installation. Valid options are
|
||||
"upload", "attach", or "disable". The functions of each of these should be
|
||||
self-explanatory. The default value is "upload". If "disable" is used,
|
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guest additions won't be downloaded, either.
|
||||
|
||||
* `guest_additions_path` (string) - The path on the guest virtual machine
|
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where the VirtualBox guest additions ISO will be uploaded. By default this
|
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is "VBoxGuestAdditions.iso" which should upload into the login directory
|
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of the user. This is a [configuration template](/docs/templates/configuration-templates.html)
|
||||
where the `Version` variable is replaced with the VirtualBox version.
|
||||
|
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* `guest_additions_sha256` (string) - The SHA256 checksum of the guest
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additions ISO that will be uploaded to the guest VM. By default the
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checksums will be downloaded from the VirtualBox website, so this only
|
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needs to be set if you want to be explicit about the checksum.
|
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* `guest_additions_url` (string) - The URL to the guest additions ISO
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to upload. This can also be a file URL if the ISO is at a local path.
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By default the VirtualBox builder will go and download the proper
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guest additions ISO from the internet.
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* `headless` (bool) - Packer defaults to building VirtualBox
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virtual machines by launching a GUI that shows the console of the
|
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machine being built. When this value is set to true, the machine will
|
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start without a console.
|
||||
|
||||
* `output_directory` (string) - This is the path to the directory where the
|
||||
resulting virtual machine will be created. This may be relative or absolute.
|
||||
If relative, the path is relative to the working directory when `packer`
|
||||
is executed. This directory must not exist or be empty prior to running the builder.
|
||||
By default this is "output-BUILDNAME" where "BUILDNAME" is the name
|
||||
of the build.
|
||||
|
||||
* `shutdown_command` (string) - The command to use to gracefully shut down
|
||||
the machine once all the provisioning is done. By default this is an empty
|
||||
string, which tells Packer to just forcefully shut down the machine.
|
||||
|
||||
* `shutdown_timeout` (string) - The amount of time to wait after executing
|
||||
the `shutdown_command` for the virtual machine to actually shut down.
|
||||
If it doesn't shut down in this time, it is an error. By default, the timeout
|
||||
is "5m", or five minutes.
|
||||
|
||||
* `ssh_host_port_min` and `ssh_host_port_max` (uint) - The minimum and
|
||||
maximum port to use for the SSH port on the host machine which is forwarded
|
||||
to the SSH port on the guest machine. Because Packer often runs in parallel,
|
||||
Packer will choose a randomly available port in this range to use as the
|
||||
host port.
|
||||
|
||||
* `ssh_key_path` (string) - Path to a private key to use for authenticating
|
||||
with SSH. By default this is not set (key-based auth won't be used).
|
||||
The associated public key is expected to already be configured on the
|
||||
VM being prepared by some other process (kickstart, etc.).
|
||||
|
||||
* `ssh_password` (string) - The password for `ssh_username` to use to
|
||||
authenticate with SSH. By default this is the empty string.
|
||||
|
||||
* `ssh_port` (int) - The port that SSH will be listening on in the guest
|
||||
virtual machine. By default this is 22.
|
||||
|
||||
* `ssh_wait_timeout` (string) - The duration to wait for SSH to become
|
||||
available. By default this is "20m", or 20 minutes. Note that this should
|
||||
be quite long since the timer begins as soon as the virtual machine is booted.
|
||||
|
||||
* `vboxmanage` (array of array of strings) - Custom `VBoxManage` commands to
|
||||
execute in order to further customize the virtual machine being created.
|
||||
The value of this is an array of commands to execute. The commands are executed
|
||||
in the order defined in the template. For each command, the command is
|
||||
defined itself as an array of strings, where each string represents a single
|
||||
argument on the command-line to `VBoxManage` (but excluding `VBoxManage`
|
||||
itself). Each arg is treated as a [configuration template](/docs/templates/configuration-templates.html),
|
||||
where the `Name` variable is replaced with the VM name. More details on how
|
||||
to use `VBoxManage` are below.
|
||||
|
||||
* `virtualbox_version_file` (string) - The path within the virtual machine
|
||||
to upload a file that contains the VirtualBox version that was used to
|
||||
create the machine. This information can be useful for provisioning.
|
||||
By default this is ".vbox_version", which will generally upload it into
|
||||
the home directory.
|
||||
|
||||
* `vm_name` (string) - This is the name of the virtual machine when it is
|
||||
imported as well as the name of the OVF file when the virtual machine is
|
||||
exported. By default this is "packer-BUILDNAME", where "BUILDNAME" is
|
||||
the name of the build.
|
||||
|
||||
## Guest Additions
|
||||
|
||||
Packer will automatically download the proper guest additions for the
|
||||
version of VirtualBox that is running and upload those guest additions into
|
||||
the virtual machine so that provisioners can easily install them.
|
||||
|
||||
Packer downloads the guest additions from the official VirtualBox website,
|
||||
and verifies the file with the official checksums released by VirtualBox.
|
||||
|
||||
After the virtual machine is up and the operating system is installed,
|
||||
Packer uploads the guest additions into the virtual machine. The path where
|
||||
they are uploaded is controllable by `guest_additions_path`, and defaults
|
||||
to "VBoxGuestAdditions.iso". Without an absolute path, it is uploaded to the
|
||||
home directory of the SSH user.
|
||||
|
||||
## VBoxManage Commands
|
||||
|
||||
In order to perform extra customization of the virtual machine, a template
|
||||
can define extra calls to `VBoxManage` to perform. [VBoxManage](http://www.virtualbox.org/manual/ch08.html)
|
||||
is the command-line interface to VirtualBox where you can completely control
|
||||
VirtualBox. It can be used to do things such as set RAM, CPUs, etc.
|
||||
|
||||
Extra VBoxManage commands are defined in the template in the `vboxmanage` section.
|
||||
An example is shown below that sets the memory and number of CPUs within the
|
||||
virtual machine:
|
||||
|
||||
<pre class="prettyprint">
|
||||
{
|
||||
"vboxmanage": [
|
||||
["modifyvm", "{{.Name}}", "--memory", "1024"],
|
||||
["modifyvm", "{{.Name}}", "--cpus", "2"]
|
||||
]
|
||||
}
|
||||
</pre>
|
||||
|
||||
The value of `vboxmanage` is an array of commands to execute. These commands
|
||||
are executed in the order defined. So in the above example, the memory will be
|
||||
set followed by the CPUs.
|
||||
|
||||
Each command itself is an array of strings, where each string is an argument
|
||||
to `VBoxManage`. Each argument is treated as a
|
||||
[configuration template](/docs/templates/configuration-templates.html).
|
||||
The only available variable is `Name` which is replaced with the unique
|
||||
name of the VM, which is required for many VBoxManage calls.
|
||||
|
|
@ -1,303 +1,25 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
layout: "docs"
|
||||
page_title: "Amazon AMI Builder"
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
# VirtualBox Builder
|
||||
|
||||
Type: `virtualbox`
|
||||
The VirtualBox builder is able to create [VirtualBox](http://www.virtualbox.org)
|
||||
virtual machines and export them in the OVA or OVF format.
|
||||
|
||||
The VirtualBox builder is able to create [VirtualBox](https://www.virtualbox.org/)
|
||||
virtual machines and export them in the OVF format.
|
||||
Packer actually comes with multiple builders able to create VirtualBox
|
||||
machines, depending on the strategy you want to use to build the image.
|
||||
Packer supports the following VirtualBox builders:
|
||||
|
||||
The builder builds a virtual machine by creating a new virtual machine
|
||||
from scratch, booting it, installing an OS, provisioning software within
|
||||
the OS, then shutting it down. The result of the VirtualBox builder is a directory
|
||||
containing all the files necessary to run the virtual machine portably.
|
||||
* [virtualbox-iso](/docs/builders/virtualbox-iso.html) - Starts from
|
||||
an ISO file, creates a brand new VirtualBox VM, installs an OS,
|
||||
provisions software within the OS, then exports that machine to create
|
||||
an image. This is best for people who want to start from scratch.
|
||||
|
||||
## Basic Example
|
||||
|
||||
Here is a basic example. This example is not functional. It will start the
|
||||
OS installer but then fail because we don't provide the preseed file for
|
||||
Ubuntu to self-install. Still, the example serves to show the basic configuration:
|
||||
|
||||
<pre class="prettyprint">
|
||||
{
|
||||
"type": "virtualbox",
|
||||
"guest_os_type": "Ubuntu_64",
|
||||
"iso_url": "http://releases.ubuntu.com/12.04/ubuntu-12.04.3-server-amd64.iso",
|
||||
"iso_checksum": "2cbe868812a871242cdcdd8f2fd6feb9",
|
||||
"iso_checksum_type": "md5",
|
||||
"ssh_username": "packer",
|
||||
"ssh_password": "packer",
|
||||
"ssh_wait_timeout": "30s",
|
||||
"shutdown_command": "echo 'packer' | sudo -S shutdown -P now"
|
||||
}
|
||||
</pre>
|
||||
|
||||
It is important to add a `shutdown_command`. By default Packer halts the
|
||||
virtual machine and the file system may not be sync'd. Thus, changes made in a
|
||||
provisioner might not be saved.
|
||||
|
||||
## Configuration Reference
|
||||
|
||||
There are many configuration options available for the VirtualBox builder.
|
||||
They are organized below into two categories: required and optional. Within
|
||||
each category, the available options are alphabetized and described.
|
||||
|
||||
Required:
|
||||
|
||||
* `iso_checksum` (string) - The checksum for the OS ISO file. Because ISO
|
||||
files are so large, this is required and Packer will verify it prior
|
||||
to booting a virtual machine with the ISO attached. The type of the
|
||||
checksum is specified with `iso_checksum_type`, documented below.
|
||||
|
||||
* `iso_checksum_type` (string) - The type of the checksum specified in
|
||||
`iso_checksum`. Valid values are "md5", "sha1", "sha256", or "sha512" currently.
|
||||
|
||||
* `iso_url` (string) - A URL to the ISO containing the installation image.
|
||||
This URL can be either an HTTP URL or a file URL (or path to a file).
|
||||
If this is an HTTP URL, Packer will download it and cache it between
|
||||
runs.
|
||||
|
||||
* `ssh_username` (string) - The username to use to SSH into the machine
|
||||
once the OS is installed.
|
||||
|
||||
Optional:
|
||||
|
||||
* `boot_command` (array of strings) - This is an array of commands to type
|
||||
when the virtual machine is first booted. The goal of these commands should
|
||||
be to type just enough to initialize the operating system installer. Special
|
||||
keys can be typed as well, and are covered in the section below on the boot
|
||||
command. If this is not specified, it is assumed the installer will start
|
||||
itself.
|
||||
|
||||
* `boot_wait` (string) - The time to wait after booting the initial virtual
|
||||
machine before typing the `boot_command`. The value of this should be
|
||||
a duration. Examples are "5s" and "1m30s" which will cause Packer to wait
|
||||
five seconds and one minute 30 seconds, respectively. If this isn't specified,
|
||||
the default is 10 seconds.
|
||||
|
||||
* `disk_size` (int) - The size, in megabytes, of the hard disk to create
|
||||
for the VM. By default, this is 40000 (40 GB).
|
||||
|
||||
* `floppy_files` (array of strings) - A list of files to put onto a floppy
|
||||
disk that is attached when the VM is booted for the first time. This is
|
||||
most useful for unattended Windows installs, which look for an
|
||||
`Autounattend.xml` file on removable media. By default no floppy will
|
||||
be attached. The files listed in this configuration will all be put
|
||||
into the root directory of the floppy disk; sub-directories are not supported.
|
||||
|
||||
* `format` (string) - Either "ovf" or "ova", this specifies the output
|
||||
format of the exported virtual machine. This defaults to "ovf".
|
||||
|
||||
* `guest_additions_mode` (string) - The method by which guest additions
|
||||
are made available to the guest for installation. Valid options are
|
||||
"upload", "attach", or "disable". The functions of each of these should be
|
||||
self-explanatory. The default value is "upload". If "disable" is used,
|
||||
guest additions won't be downloaded, either.
|
||||
|
||||
* `guest_additions_path` (string) - The path on the guest virtual machine
|
||||
where the VirtualBox guest additions ISO will be uploaded. By default this
|
||||
is "VBoxGuestAdditions.iso" which should upload into the login directory
|
||||
of the user. This is a [configuration template](/docs/templates/configuration-templates.html)
|
||||
where the `Version` variable is replaced with the VirtualBox version.
|
||||
|
||||
* `guest_additions_sha256` (string) - The SHA256 checksum of the guest
|
||||
additions ISO that will be uploaded to the guest VM. By default the
|
||||
checksums will be downloaded from the VirtualBox website, so this only
|
||||
needs to be set if you want to be explicit about the checksum.
|
||||
|
||||
* `guest_additions_url` (string) - The URL to the guest additions ISO
|
||||
to upload. This can also be a file URL if the ISO is at a local path.
|
||||
By default the VirtualBox builder will go and download the proper
|
||||
guest additions ISO from the internet.
|
||||
|
||||
* `guest_os_type` (string) - The guest OS type being installed. By default
|
||||
this is "other", but you can get _dramatic_ performance improvements by
|
||||
setting this to the proper value. To view all available values for this
|
||||
run `VBoxManage list ostypes`. Setting the correct value hints to VirtualBox
|
||||
how to optimize the virtual hardware to work best with that operating
|
||||
system.
|
||||
|
||||
* `hard_drive_interface` (string) - The type of controller that the primary
|
||||
hard drive is attached to, defaults to "ide". When set to "sata", the
|
||||
drive is attached to an AHCI SATA controller.
|
||||
|
||||
* `headless` (bool) - Packer defaults to building VirtualBox
|
||||
virtual machines by launching a GUI that shows the console of the
|
||||
machine being built. When this value is set to true, the machine will
|
||||
start without a console.
|
||||
|
||||
* `http_directory` (string) - Path to a directory to serve using an HTTP
|
||||
server. The files in this directory will be available over HTTP that will
|
||||
be requestable from the virtual machine. This is useful for hosting
|
||||
kickstart files and so on. By default this is "", which means no HTTP
|
||||
server will be started. The address and port of the HTTP server will be
|
||||
available as variables in `boot_command`. This is covered in more detail
|
||||
below.
|
||||
|
||||
* `http_port_min` and `http_port_max` (int) - These are the minimum and
|
||||
maximum port to use for the HTTP server started to serve the `http_directory`.
|
||||
Because Packer often runs in parallel, Packer will choose a randomly available
|
||||
port in this range to run the HTTP server. If you want to force the HTTP
|
||||
server to be on one port, make this minimum and maximum port the same.
|
||||
By default the values are 8000 and 9000, respectively.
|
||||
|
||||
* `iso_urls` (array of strings) - Multiple URLs for the ISO to download.
|
||||
Packer will try these in order. If anything goes wrong attempting to download
|
||||
or while downloading a single URL, it will move on to the next. All URLs
|
||||
must point to the same file (same checksum). By default this is empty
|
||||
and `iso_url` is used. Only one of `iso_url` or `iso_urls` can be specified.
|
||||
|
||||
* `output_directory` (string) - This is the path to the directory where the
|
||||
resulting virtual machine will be created. This may be relative or absolute.
|
||||
If relative, the path is relative to the working directory when `packer`
|
||||
is executed. This directory must not exist or be empty prior to running the builder.
|
||||
By default this is "output-BUILDNAME" where "BUILDNAME" is the name
|
||||
of the build.
|
||||
|
||||
* `shutdown_command` (string) - The command to use to gracefully shut down
|
||||
the machine once all the provisioning is done. By default this is an empty
|
||||
string, which tells Packer to just forcefully shut down the machine.
|
||||
|
||||
* `shutdown_timeout` (string) - The amount of time to wait after executing
|
||||
the `shutdown_command` for the virtual machine to actually shut down.
|
||||
If it doesn't shut down in this time, it is an error. By default, the timeout
|
||||
is "5m", or five minutes.
|
||||
|
||||
* `ssh_host_port_min` and `ssh_host_port_max` (uint) - The minimum and
|
||||
maximum port to use for the SSH port on the host machine which is forwarded
|
||||
to the SSH port on the guest machine. Because Packer often runs in parallel,
|
||||
Packer will choose a randomly available port in this range to use as the
|
||||
host port.
|
||||
|
||||
* `ssh_key_path` (string) - Path to a private key to use for authenticating
|
||||
with SSH. By default this is not set (key-based auth won't be used).
|
||||
The associated public key is expected to already be configured on the
|
||||
VM being prepared by some other process (kickstart, etc.).
|
||||
|
||||
* `ssh_password` (string) - The password for `ssh_username` to use to
|
||||
authenticate with SSH. By default this is the empty string.
|
||||
|
||||
* `ssh_port` (int) - The port that SSH will be listening on in the guest
|
||||
virtual machine. By default this is 22.
|
||||
|
||||
* `ssh_wait_timeout` (string) - The duration to wait for SSH to become
|
||||
available. By default this is "20m", or 20 minutes. Note that this should
|
||||
be quite long since the timer begins as soon as the virtual machine is booted.
|
||||
|
||||
* `vboxmanage` (array of array of strings) - Custom `VBoxManage` commands to
|
||||
execute in order to further customize the virtual machine being created.
|
||||
The value of this is an array of commands to execute. The commands are executed
|
||||
in the order defined in the template. For each command, the command is
|
||||
defined itself as an array of strings, where each string represents a single
|
||||
argument on the command-line to `VBoxManage` (but excluding `VBoxManage`
|
||||
itself). Each arg is treated as a [configuration template](/docs/templates/configuration-templates.html),
|
||||
where the `Name` variable is replaced with the VM name. More details on how
|
||||
to use `VBoxManage` are below.
|
||||
|
||||
* `virtualbox_version_file` (string) - The path within the virtual machine
|
||||
to upload a file that contains the VirtualBox version that was used to
|
||||
create the machine. This information can be useful for provisioning.
|
||||
By default this is ".vbox_version", which will generally upload it into
|
||||
the home directory.
|
||||
|
||||
* `vm_name` (string) - This is the name of the OVF file for the new virtual
|
||||
machine, without the file extension. By default this is "packer-BUILDNAME",
|
||||
where "BUILDNAME" is the name of the build.
|
||||
|
||||
## Boot Command
|
||||
|
||||
The `boot_command` configuration is very important: it specifies the keys
|
||||
to type when the virtual machine is first booted in order to start the
|
||||
OS installer. This command is typed after `boot_wait`, which gives the
|
||||
virtual machine some time to actually load the ISO.
|
||||
|
||||
As documented above, the `boot_command` is an array of strings. The
|
||||
strings are all typed in sequence. It is an array only to improve readability
|
||||
within the template.
|
||||
|
||||
The boot command is "typed" character for character over a VNC connection
|
||||
to the machine, simulating a human actually typing the keyboard. There are
|
||||
a set of special keys available. If these are in your boot command, they
|
||||
will be replaced by the proper key:
|
||||
|
||||
* `<enter>` and `<return>` - Simulates an actual "enter" or "return" keypress.
|
||||
|
||||
* `<esc>` - Simulates pressing the escape key.
|
||||
|
||||
* `<tab>` - Simulates pressing the tab key.
|
||||
|
||||
* `<wait>` `<wait5>` `<wait10>` - Adds a 1, 5 or 10 second pause before sending any additional keys. This
|
||||
is useful if you have to generally wait for the UI to update before typing more.
|
||||
|
||||
In addition to the special keys, each command to type is treated as a
|
||||
[configuration template](/docs/templates/configuration-templates.html).
|
||||
The available variables are:
|
||||
|
||||
* `HTTPIP` and `HTTPPort` - The IP and port, respectively of an HTTP server
|
||||
that is started serving the directory specified by the `http_directory`
|
||||
configuration parameter. If `http_directory` isn't specified, these will
|
||||
be blank!
|
||||
|
||||
Example boot command. This is actually a working boot command used to start
|
||||
an Ubuntu 12.04 installer:
|
||||
|
||||
<pre class="prettyprint">
|
||||
[
|
||||
"<esc><esc><enter><wait>",
|
||||
"/install/vmlinuz noapic ",
|
||||
"preseed/url=http://{{ .HTTPIP }}:{{ .HTTPPort }}/preseed.cfg ",
|
||||
"debian-installer=en_US auto locale=en_US kbd-chooser/method=us ",
|
||||
"hostname={{ .Name }} ",
|
||||
"fb=false debconf/frontend=noninteractive ",
|
||||
"keyboard-configuration/modelcode=SKIP keyboard-configuration/layout=USA ",
|
||||
"keyboard-configuration/variant=USA console-setup/ask_detect=false ",
|
||||
"initrd=/install/initrd.gz -- <enter>"
|
||||
]
|
||||
</pre>
|
||||
|
||||
## Guest Additions
|
||||
|
||||
Packer will automatically download the proper guest additions for the
|
||||
version of VirtualBox that is running and upload those guest additions into
|
||||
the virtual machine so that provisioners can easily install them.
|
||||
|
||||
Packer downloads the guest additions from the official VirtualBox website,
|
||||
and verifies the file with the official checksums released by VirtualBox.
|
||||
|
||||
After the virtual machine is up and the operating system is installed,
|
||||
Packer uploads the guest additions into the virtual machine. The path where
|
||||
they are uploaded is controllable by `guest_additions_path`, and defaults
|
||||
to "VBoxGuestAdditions.iso". Without an absolute path, it is uploaded to the
|
||||
home directory of the SSH user.
|
||||
|
||||
## VBoxManage Commands
|
||||
|
||||
In order to perform extra customization of the virtual machine, a template
|
||||
can define extra calls to `VBoxManage` to perform. [VBoxManage](http://www.virtualbox.org/manual/ch08.html)
|
||||
is the command-line interface to VirtualBox where you can completely control
|
||||
VirtualBox. It can be used to do things such as set RAM, CPUs, etc.
|
||||
|
||||
Extra VBoxManage commands are defined in the template in the `vboxmanage` section.
|
||||
An example is shown below that sets the memory and number of CPUs within the
|
||||
virtual machine:
|
||||
|
||||
<pre class="prettyprint">
|
||||
{
|
||||
"vboxmanage": [
|
||||
["modifyvm", "{{.Name}}", "--memory", "1024"],
|
||||
["modifyvm", "{{.Name}}", "--cpus", "2"]
|
||||
]
|
||||
}
|
||||
</pre>
|
||||
|
||||
The value of `vboxmanage` is an array of commands to execute. These commands
|
||||
are executed in the order defined. So in the above example, the memory will be
|
||||
set followed by the CPUs.
|
||||
|
||||
Each command itself is an array of strings, where each string is an argument
|
||||
to `VBoxManage`. Each argument is treated as a
|
||||
[configuration template](/docs/templates/configuration-templates.html).
|
||||
The only available variable is `Name` which is replaced with the unique
|
||||
name of the VM, which is required for many VBoxManage calls.
|
||||
* [virtualbox-ovf](/docs/builders/virtualbox-ovf.html) - This builder
|
||||
imports an existing OVF/OVA file, runs provisioners on top of that VM,
|
||||
and exports that machine to create an image. This is best if you have
|
||||
an existing VirtualBox VM export you want to use as the source. As an
|
||||
additional benefit, you can feed the artifact of this builder back into
|
||||
itself to iterate on a machine.
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
Loading…
Reference in New Issue