Packer Builder for VMware vSphere

This builder uses native vSphere API, and creates virtual machines remotely.

• VMware Player is not required
• Builds are incremental, VMs are not created from scratch but cloned from base templates - similar to amazon-ebs builder
• Official vCenter API is used, no ESXi host modification is required

Usage

• Download the plugin from Releases page
• Install the plugin, or simply put it into the same directory with configuration files

Minimal Example

{
  "builders": [
    {
      "type": "vsphere",

      "url":      "https://vcenter.domain.com/sdk",
      "username": "root",
      "password": "secret",

      "template": "ubuntu",
      "vm_name":  "vm-1",
      "host":     "esxi-1.domain.com",

      "ssh_username": "root",
      "ssh_password": "secret"
    }
  ],
  "provisioners": [
    {
      "type": "shell",
      "inline": [ "echo hello" ]
    }
  ]
}

Parameters

Required

• url
• username
• password
• template
• vm_name
• host
• ssh_username
• ssh_password

Optional

Destination:

• dc_name (source datacenter)
• resource_pool
• datastore
• linked_clone

Hardware customization:

• cpus
• ram
• shutdown_command

Post-processing:

• create_snapshot
• convert_to_template

Complete Example

{
    "builders": [
        {
            "type": "vsphere",

            "url": "https://your.lab.addr/",
            "username": "username",
            "password": "secret",

            "ssh_username": "ssh_username",
            "ssh_password": "ssh_secret",

            "template": "template_name",
            "vm_name": "clone_name",
            "host": "172.16.0.1",
            "linked_clone": true,
            "create_snapshot": true,
            "convert_to_template": true,

            "RAM": "1024",
            "cpus": "2",
            "shutdown_command": "echo 'ssh_secret' | sudo -S shutdown -P now"
        } 
    ],
    "provisioners": [
        {
              "type": "shell",
              "inline": ["echo foo"]
        }
    ]
}

where vm_name, RAM, cpus and shutdown_command are parameters of the new VM. Parameters ssh_*, dc_name (datacenter name) and template (the name of the base VM) are for the base VM, on which you are creating the new one (note that VMWare Tools should be already installed on this template machine). vm_name and host (describe the name of the new VM and the name of the host where we want to create it) are required parameters; you can also specify resource_pool (if you don't, the builder will try to detect the default one) and datastore. url, username and password are your vSphere parameters.