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---
modeline: |
vim: set ft=pandoc:
description: |
This VMware Packer builder is able to create VMware virtual machines from an
ISO file as a source. It currently supports building virtual machines on hosts
running VMware Fusion for OS X, VMware Workstation for Linux and Windows, and
VMware Player on Linux. It can also build machines directly on VMware vSphere
Hypervisor using SSH as opposed to the vSphere API.
layout: docs
page_title: 'VMware ISO - Builders'
sidebar_current: 'docs-builders-vmware-iso'
---
# VMware Builder (from ISO)
Type: `vmware-iso`
This VMware Packer builder is able to create VMware virtual machines from an ISO
file as a source. It currently supports building virtual machines on hosts
running [VMware Fusion](https://www.vmware.com/products/fusion/overview.html) for
OS X, [VMware
Workstation](https://www.vmware.com/products/workstation/overview.html) for Linux
and Windows, and [VMware Player](https://www.vmware.com/products/player/) on
Linux. It can also build machines directly on [VMware vSphere
Hypervisor](https://www.vmware.com/products/vsphere-hypervisor/) using SSH as
opposed to the vSphere API.
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 VMware builder is a directory containing all
the files necessary to run the virtual machine.
## 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:
``` json
{
"type": "vmware-iso",
"iso_url": "http://old-releases.ubuntu.com/releases/precise/ubuntu-12.04.2-server-amd64.iso",
"iso_checksum": "af5f788aee1b32c4b2634734309cc9e9",
"iso_checksum_type": "md5",
"ssh_username": "packer",
"ssh_password": "packer",
"shutdown_command": "shutdown -P now"
}
```
<%= partial "partials/builders/iso-config" %>
## Configuration Reference
There are many configuration options available for the VMware builder. They are
organized below into two categories: required and optional. Within each
category, the available options are alphabetized and described.
In addition to the options listed here, a
[communicator](/docs/templates/communicator.html) can be configured for this
builder.
### 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 `10s` or 10 seconds.
- `cpus` (number) - The number of cpus to use when building the VM.
- `cores` (number) - The number of cores per socket to use when building the VM.
This corresponds to the `cpuid.coresPerSocket` option in the .vmx file.
- `cdrom_adapter_type` (string) - The adapter type (or bus) that will be used
by the cdrom device. This is chosen by default based on the disk adapter
type. VMware tends to lean towards `ide` for the cdrom device unless
`sata` is chosen for the disk adapter and so Packer attempts to mirror
this logic. This field can be specified as either `ide`, `sata`, or `scsi`.
- `disable_vnc` (boolean) - Whether to create a VNC connection or not.
A `boot_command` cannot be used when this is `true`. Defaults to `false`.
- `disk_adapter_type` (string) - The adapter type of the VMware virtual disk
to create. This option is for advanced usage, modify only if you know what
you're doing. Some of the options you can specify are `ide`, `sata`, `nvme`
or `scsi` (which uses the "lsilogic" scsi interface by default). If you
specify another option, Packer will assume that you're specifying a `scsi`
interface of that specified type. For more information, please consult the
<a href="http://www.vmware.com/pdf/VirtualDiskManager.pdf" target="_blank"
rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">
Virtual Disk Manager User's Guide</a> for desktop VMware clients.
For ESXi, refer to the proper ESXi documentation.
- `disk_additional_size` (array of integers) - The size(s) of any additional
hard disks for the VM in megabytes. If this is not specified then the VM
will only contain a primary hard disk. The builder uses expandable, not
fixed-size virtual hard disks, so the actual file representing the disk will
not use the full size unless it is full.
- `disk_size` (number) - The size of the hard disk for the VM in megabytes.
The builder uses expandable, not fixed-size virtual hard disks, so the
actual file representing the disk will not use the full size unless it
is full. By default this is set to `40000` (about 40 GB).
- `disk_type_id` (string) - The type of VMware virtual disk to create. This
option is for advanced usage.
For desktop VMware clients:
Type ID | Description
--- | ---
`0` | Growable virtual disk contained in a single file (monolithic sparse).
`1` | Growable virtual disk split into 2GB files (split sparse).
`2` | Preallocated virtual disk contained in a single file (monolithic flat).
`3` | Preallocated virtual disk split into 2GB files (split flat).
`4` | Preallocated virtual disk compatible with ESX server (VMFS flat).
`5` | Compressed disk optimized for streaming.
The default is `1`.
For ESXi, this defaults to `zeroedthick`. The available options for ESXi
are: `zeroedthick`, `eagerzeroedthick`, `thin`. `rdm:dev`, `rdmp:dev`,
`2gbsparse` are not supported. Due to default disk compaction, when using
`zeroedthick` or `eagerzeroedthick` set `skip_compaction` to `true`.
For more information, please consult the [Virtual Disk Manager User's
Guide](https://www.vmware.com/pdf/VirtualDiskManager.pdf) for desktop
VMware clients. For ESXi, refer to the proper ESXi documentation.
- `display_name` (string) - The name that will appear in your vSphere client,
and will be used for the vmx basename. This will override the "displayname"
value in your vmx file. It will also override the "displayname" if you have
set it in the "vmx_data" Packer option. This option is useful if you are
chaining vmx builds and want to make sure that the display name of each step
in the chain is unique.
- `floppy_dirs` (array of strings) - A list of directories to place onto
the floppy disk recursively. This is similar to the `floppy_files` option
except that the directory structure is preserved. This is useful for when
your floppy disk includes drivers or if you just want to organize it's
contents as a hierarchy. Wildcard characters (\*, ?, and \[\]) are allowed.
- `floppy_files` (array of strings) - A list of files to place onto a floppy
disk that is attached when the VM is booted. 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. All files listed in
this setting get placed into the root directory of the floppy and the floppy
is attached as the first floppy device. Currently, no support exists for
creating sub-directories on the floppy. Wildcard characters (\*, ?,
and \[\]) are allowed. Directory names are also allowed, which will add all
the files found in the directory to the floppy.
- `fusion_app_path` (string) - Path to "VMware Fusion.app". By default this is
`/Applications/VMware Fusion.app` but this setting allows you to
customize this.
- `guest_os_type` (string) - The guest OS type being installed. This will be
set in the VMware VMX. By default this is `other`. By specifying a more
specific OS type, VMware may perform some optimizations or virtual hardware
changes to better support the operating system running in the
virtual machine.
- `headless` (boolean) - Packer defaults to building VMware 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. For
VMware machines, Packer will output VNC connection information in case you
need to connect to the console to debug the build process.
- `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 an empty string, 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` (number) - 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.
- `memory` (number) - The amount of memory to use when building the VM
in megabytes.
- `network` (string) - This is the network type that the virtual machine will
be created with. This can be one of the generic values that map to a device
such as `hostonly`, `nat`, or `bridged`. If the network is not one of these
values, then it is assumed to be a VMware network device. (VMnet0..x)
- `network_adapter_type` (string) - This is the ethernet adapter type the the
virtual machine will be created with. By default the `e1000` network adapter
type will be used by Packer. For more information, please consult the
<a href="https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/1001805" target="_blank"
rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">
Choosing a network adapter for your virtual machine</a> for desktop VMware
clients. For ESXi, refer to the proper ESXi documentation.
- `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.
- `parallel` (string) - This specifies a parallel port to add to the VM. It
has the format of `Type:option1,option2,...`. Type can be one of the
following values: `FILE`, `DEVICE`, `AUTO`, or `NONE`.
* `FILE:path` - Specifies the path to the local file to be used for the
parallel port.
* `DEVICE:path` - Specifies the path to the local device to be used for the
parallel port.
* `AUTO:direction` - Specifies to use auto-detection to determine the
parallel port. Direction can be `BI` to specify
bidirectional communication or `UNI` to specify
unidirectional communication.
* `NONE` - Specifies to not use a parallel port. (default)
- `remote_cache_datastore` (string) - The path to the datastore where
supporting files will be stored during the build on the remote machine. By
default this is the same as the `remote_datastore` option. This only has an
effect if `remote_type` is enabled.
- `remote_cache_directory` (string) - The path where the ISO and/or floppy
files will be stored during the build on the remote machine. The path is
relative to the `remote_cache_datastore` on the remote machine. By default
this is `packer_cache`. This only has an effect if `remote_type`
is enabled.
- `remote_datastore` (string) - The path to the datastore where the resulting
VM will be stored when it is built on the remote machine. By default this
is `datastore1`. This only has an effect if `remote_type` is enabled.
- `remote_host` (string) - The host of the remote machine used for access.
This is only required if `remote_type` is enabled.
- `remote_password` (string) - The SSH password for the user used to access
the remote machine. By default this is empty. This only has an effect if
`remote_type` is enabled.
- `remote_private_key_file` (string) - The path to the PEM encoded private key
file for the user used to access the remote machine. By default this is empty.
This only has an effect if `remote_type` is enabled.
- `remote_type` (string) - The type of remote machine that will be used to
build this VM rather than a local desktop product. The only value accepted
for this currently is `esx5`. If this is not set, a desktop product will
be used. By default, this is not set.
- `remote_username` (string) - The username for the SSH user that will access
the remote machine. This is required if `remote_type` is enabled.
- `serial` (string) - This specifies a serial port to add to the VM.
It has a format of `Type:option1,option2,...`. The field `Type` can be one
of the following values: `FILE`, `DEVICE`, `PIPE`, `AUTO`, or `NONE`.
* `FILE:path(,yield)` - Specifies the path to the local file to be used as the
serial port.
* `yield` (bool) - This is an optional boolean that specifies whether
the vm should yield the cpu when polling the port.
By default, the builder will assume this as `FALSE`.
* `DEVICE:path(,yield)` - Specifies the path to the local device to be used
as the serial port. If `path` is empty, then
default to the first serial port.
* `yield` (bool) - This is an optional boolean that specifies whether
the vm should yield the cpu when polling the port.
By default, the builder will assume this as `FALSE`.
* `PIPE:path,endpoint,host(,yield)` - Specifies to use the named-pipe "path"
as a serial port. This has a few
options that determine how the VM
should use the named-pipe.
* `endpoint` (string) - Chooses the type of the VM-end, which can be
either a `client` or `server`.
* `host` (string) - Chooses the type of the host-end, which can be either
an `app` (application) or `vm` (another virtual-machine).
* `yield` (bool) - This is an optional boolean that specifies whether
the vm should yield the cpu when polling the port.
By default, the builder will assume this as `FALSE`.
* `AUTO:(yield)` - Specifies to use auto-detection to determine the serial
port to use. This has one option to determine how the VM
should support the serial port.
* `yield` (bool) - This is an optional boolean that specifies whether
the vm should yield the cpu when polling the port.
By default, the builder will assume this as `FALSE`.
* `NONE` - Specifies to not use a serial port. (default)
- `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.
- `skip_compaction` (boolean) - VMware-created disks are defragmented and
compacted at the end of the build process using `vmware-vdiskmanager` or
`vmkfstools` in ESXi. In certain rare cases, this might actually end up
making the resulting disks slightly larger. If you find this to be the case,
you can disable compaction using this configuration value. Defaults to
`false`. Default to `true` for ESXi when `disk_type_id` is not explicitly
defined and `false` otherwise.
- `skip_export` (boolean) - Defaults to `false`. When enabled, Packer will
not export the VM. Useful if the build output is not the resultant
image, but created inside the VM.
Currently, exporting the build VM is only supported when building on
ESXi e.g. when `remote_type` is set to `esx5`. See the [Building on a
Remote vSphere
Hypervisor](/docs/builders/vmware-iso.html#building-on-a-remote-vsphere-hypervisor)
section below for more info.
- `keep_registered` (boolean) - Set this to `true` if you would like to keep
the VM registered with the remote ESXi server. If you do not need to export
the vm, then also set `skip_export: true` in order to avoid an unnecessary
step of using ovftool to export the vm. Defaults to `false`.
- `ovftool_options` (array of strings) - Extra options to pass to ovftool
during export. Each item in the array is a new argument. The options
`--noSSLVerify`, `--skipManifestCheck`, and `--targetType` are reserved,
and should not be passed to this argument.
Currently, exporting the build VM (with ovftool) is only supported when
building on ESXi e.g. when `remote_type` is set to `esx5`. See the
[Building on a Remote vSphere
Hypervisor](/docs/builders/vmware-iso.html#building-on-a-remote-vsphere-hypervisor)
section below for more info.
- `skip_validate_credentials` (boolean) - When Packer is preparing to run a
remote esxi build, and export is not disable, by default it runs a no-op
ovftool command to make sure that the remote_username and remote_password
given are valid. If you set this flag to `true`, Packer will skip this
validation. Default: `false`.
- `sound` (boolean) - Specify whether to enable VMware's virtual soundcard
device when building the VM. Defaults to `false`.
- `tools_upload_flavor` (string) - The flavor of the VMware Tools ISO to
upload into the VM. Valid values are `darwin`, `linux`, and `windows`. By
default, this is empty, which means VMware tools won't be uploaded.
- `tools_upload_path` (string) - The path in the VM to upload the
VMware tools. This only takes effect if `tools_upload_flavor` is non-empty.
This is a [configuration
template](/docs/templates/engine.html) that has a single
valid variable: `Flavor`, which will be the value of `tools_upload_flavor`.
By default the upload path is set to `{{.Flavor}}.iso`. This setting is not
used when `remote_type` is `esx5`.
- `usb` (boolean) - Enable VMware's USB bus when building the guest VM.
Defaults to `false`. To enable usage of the XHCI bus for USB 3 (5 Gbit/s),
one can use the `vmx_data` option to enable it by specifying `true` for
the `usb_xhci.present` property.
- `version` (string) - The [vmx hardware
version](http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1003746)
for the new virtual machine. Only the default value has been tested, any
other value is experimental. Default value is `9`.
- `vm_name` (string) - This is the name of the VMX file for the new virtual
machine, without the file extension. By default this is `packer-BUILDNAME`,
where "BUILDNAME" is the name of the build.
- `vmdk_name` (string) - The filename of the virtual disk that'll be created,
without the extension. This defaults to `packer`.
- `vmx_data` (object of key/value strings) - Arbitrary key/values to enter
into the virtual machine VMX file. This is for advanced users who want to
set properties that aren't yet supported by the builder.
- `vmx_data_post` (object of key/value strings) - Identical to `vmx_data`,
except that it is run after the virtual machine is shutdown, and before the
virtual machine is exported.
- `vmx_remove_ethernet_interfaces` (boolean) - Remove all ethernet interfaces
from the VMX file after building. This is for advanced users who understand
the ramifications, but is useful for building Vagrant boxes since Vagrant
will create ethernet interfaces when provisioning a box. Defaults to
`false`.
- `vmx_template_path` (string) - Path to a [configuration
template](/docs/templates/engine.html) that defines the
contents of the virtual machine VMX file for VMware. This is for **advanced
users only** as this can render the virtual machine non-functional. See
below for more information. For basic VMX modifications, try
`vmx_data` first.
- `vnc_bind_address` (string / IP address) - The IP address that should be
binded to for VNC. By default packer will use `127.0.0.1` for this. If you
wish to bind to all interfaces use `0.0.0.0`.
- `vnc_disable_password` (boolean) - Don't auto-generate a VNC password that
is used to secure the VNC communication with the VM. This must be set to
`true` if building on ESXi 6.5 and 6.7 with VNC enabled. Defaults to
`false`.
- `vnc_port_min` and `vnc_port_max` (number) - The minimum and maximum port
to use for VNC access to the virtual machine. The builder uses VNC to type
the initial `boot_command`. Because Packer generally runs in parallel,
Packer uses a randomly chosen port in this range that appears available. By
default this is `5900` to `6000`. The minimum and maximum ports are
inclusive.
## 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.
-&gt; Keystrokes are typed as separate key up/down events over VNC with a
default 100ms delay. The delay alleviates issues with latency and CPU
contention. You can tune this delay on a per-builder basis by specifying
"boot_key_interval" in your Packer template, for example:
```
{
"builders": [
{
"type": "vmware-iso",
"boot_key_interval": "10ms"
...
}
]
}
```
<%= partial "partials/builders/boot-command" %>
-&gt; **Note**: for the `HTTPIP` to be resolved correctly, your VM's network
configuration has to include a `hostonly` or `nat` type network interface.
If you are using this feature, it is recommended to leave the default network
configuration while you are building the VM, and use the `vmx_data_post` hook
to modify the network configuration after the VM is done building.
Example boot command. This is actually a working boot command used to start an
Ubuntu 12.04 installer:
``` text
[
"<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>"
]
```
For more examples of various boot commands, see the sample projects from our
[community templates page](/community-tools.html#templates).
## VMX Template
The heart of a VMware machine is the "vmx" file. This contains all the virtual
hardware metadata necessary for the VM to function. Packer by default uses a
[safe, flexible VMX
file](https://github.com/hashicorp/packer/blob/20541a7eda085aa5cf35bfed5069592ca49d106e/builder/vmware/step_create_vmx.go#L84).
But for advanced users, this template can be customized. This allows Packer to
build virtual machines of effectively any guest operating system type.
~&gt; **This is an advanced feature.** Modifying the VMX template can easily
cause your virtual machine to not boot properly. Please only modify the template
if you know what you're doing.
Within the template, a handful of variables are available so that your template
can continue working with the rest of the Packer machinery. Using these
variables isn't required, however.
- `Name` - The name of the virtual machine.
- `GuestOS` - The VMware-valid guest OS type.
- `DiskName` - The filename (without the suffix) of the main virtual disk.
- `ISOPath` - The path to the ISO to use for the OS installation.
- `Version` - The Hardware version VMWare will execute this vm under. Also
known as the `virtualhw.version`.
<%= partial "partials/builders/building_on_remote_vsphere_hypervisor" %>
### VNC port discovery
Packer needs to decide on a port to use for VNC when building remotely. To find
an open port, we try to connect to ports in the range of `vnc_port_min` to
`vnc_port_max`. If we notice something is listening on a port in the range, we
try to connect to the next one, and so on until we find a port that has nothing
listening on it. If you have many clients building on the ESXi host, there
might be competition for the VNC ports. You can adjust how long packer waits
for a connection timeout by setting `PACKER_ESXI_VNC_PROBE_TIMEOUT`. This
defaults to 15 seconds. Set this shorter if vnc connections are refused, and
set it longer if Packer can't find an open port. This is intended as an
advanced configuration option. Please make sure your firewall settings are
correct before adjusting.
### Using a Floppy for Linux kickstart file or preseed
Depending on your network configuration, it may be difficult to use packer's
built-in HTTP server with ESXi. Instead, you can provide a kickstart or preseed
file by attaching a floppy disk. An example below, based on RHEL:
``` json
{
"builders": [
{
"type":"vmware-iso",
"floppy_files": [
"folder/ks.cfg"
],
"boot_command": "<tab> text ks=floppy <enter><wait>"
}
]
}
```
It's also worth noting that `ks=floppy` has been deprecated. Later versions of
the Anaconda installer (used in RHEL/CentOS 7 and Fedora) may require
a different syntax to source a kickstart file from a mounted floppy image.
``` json
{
"builders": [
{
"type":"vmware-iso",
"floppy_files": [
"folder/ks.cfg"
],
"boot_command": "<tab> inst.text inst.ks=hd:fd0:/ks.cfg <enter><wait>"
}
]
}
```
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