---
layout: guides
sidebar_current: guides-packer-on-cicd-build-virtualbox
page_title: Build a VirtualBox Image with Packer in TeamCity
---

# Build a VirtualBox Image with Packer in TeamCity

This guide walks through the process of building a VirtualBox image using
Packer on a new TeamCity Agent. Before getting started you should have access
to a TeamCity Server.

The Packer VirtualBox builder requires access to VirtualBox, which needs to run
on a bare-metal machine, as virtualization is generally not supported on cloud
instances. This is also true for the [VMWare](/docs/builders/vmware.html) and
the [QEMU](/docs/builders/qemu.html) Packer builders.

We will use Chef's [Bento boxes](https://github.com/chef/bento) to provision an
Ubuntu image on VirtualBox. We will use a fork of this repository as the
project we will build.

## 1. Provision a Bare-metal Machine

The Packer VirtualBox builder requires running on bare-metal (hardware). If you
do not have access to a bare-metal machine, we recommend using
[Packet.net](https://www.packet.net/) to obtain a new machine. If you are
a first time user of Packet.net, the Packet.net team has provided HashiCorp the
coupon code `hash25` which you can use for $25 off to test out this guide. You
can use a `baremetal_0` server type for testing, but for regular use, the
`baremetal_1` instance may be a better option.

There is also a [Packet
Provider](https://www.terraform.io/docs/providers/packet/index.html) in
Terraform you can use to provision the project and instance.

```hcl
provider "packet" { }

resource "packet_project" "teamcity_agents" {
  name = "TeamCity"
}

resource "packet_device" "agent" {
  hostname         = "teamcity-agent"
  plan             = "baremetal_0"
  facility         = "ams1"
  operating_system = "ubuntu_16_04"
  billing_cycle    = "hourly"
  project_id       = "${packet_project.teamcity_project.id}"
}
```

## 2. Install VirtualBox and TeamCity dependencies

VirtualBox must be installed on the new instance, and TeamCity requires the JDK
prior to installation. This guide uses Ubuntu as the Linux distribution, so you
may need to adjust these commands for your distribution of choice.

**Install Teamcity Dependencies**

```shell
apt-get upgrade
apt-get install -y zip linux-headers-generic linux-headers-4.13.0-16-generic build-essential openjdk-8-jdk
```

**Install VirtualBox**

```
curl -OL "http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/5.2.2/virtualbox-5.2_5.2.2-119230~Ubuntu~xenial_amd64.deb"
dpkg -i virtualbox-5.2_5.2.2-119230~Ubuntu~xenial_amd64.deb
```

You can also use the [`remote-exec`
provisioner](https://www.terraform.io/docs/provisioners/remote-exec.html) in
your Terraform configuration to automatically run these commands when
provisioning the new instance.

## 3. Install Packer

The TeamCity Agent machine will also need Packer Installed. You can find the
latest download link from the [Packer
Download](https://www.packer.io/downloads.html) page.

```shell
curl -OL "https://releases.hashicorp.com/packer/1.1.2/packer_1.1.2_linux_amd64.zip"
unzip ./packer_1.1.2_linux_amd64.zip
```

Packer is installed at the `/root/packer` path which is used in subsequent
steps. If it is installed elsewhere, take note of the path.

## 4. Install TeamCity Agent

This guide assume you already have a running instance of TeamCity Server. The
new TeamCity Agent can be installed by [downloading a zip file and installing
manually](https://confluence.jetbrains.com/display/TCD10//Setting+up+and+Running+Additional+Build+Agents#SettingupandRunningAdditionalBuildAgents-InstallingAdditionalBuildAgents),
or using [Agent
Push](https://confluence.jetbrains.com/display/TCD10//Setting+up+and+Running+Additional+Build+Agents#SettingupandRunningAdditionalBuildAgents-InstallingviaAgentPush).
Once it is installed it should appear in TeamCity as a new Agent.

Create a new Agent Pool for agents responsible for VirtualBox Packer builds and
assign the new Agent to it.

## 5. Create a New Build in TeamCity

In TeamCity Server, create a new build, and configure the Version Control
Settings to download the Packer build configuration from the VCS repository.

Add one **Build Step: Command Line** to the build.

![TeamCity screenshot: New Build](/assets/images/guides/teamcity_new_build.png)

In the **Script content** field add the following:

```shell
#!/usr/bin/env bash
/root/packer build -only=virtualbox-iso -var "headless=true" ubuntu/ubuntu-16.04-amd64.json
```

This will use the `build` command in Packer to build the image defined in
`ubuntu/ubuntu-16.04-amd64.json`. It assumes that the VCS repository you're
using is a fork of [Chef/Bento](https://github.com/chef/bento). Packer defaults
to building VirtualBox machines by launching a GUI that shows the console.
Since this will run in CI/CD, use the [`headless`
variable](/docs/builders/virtualbox-iso.html#headless) to instruct Packer to
start the machine without the console. Packer can build multiple image types,
so the [`-only=virtualbox-iso`
option](/docs/commands/build.html#only-foo-bar-baz) instructs Packer to only
build the builds with the name `virtualbox-iso`.

## 6. Run a build in TeamCity

The entire configuration is ready for a new build. Start a new run in TeamCity
by pressing “Run”.

The new run should be triggered and the virtual box image will be built.

![TeamCity screenshot: Build log](/assets/images/guides/teamcity_build_log.png)

Once complete, the build status should be updated to complete and successful.

![TeamCity screenshot: Build log complete](/assets/images/guides/teamcity_build_log_complete.png)