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---
modeline: |
vim: set ft=pandoc:
description: |
This VMware Packer builder is able to create VMware virtual machines from an
existing VMware virtual machine (a VMX file). It currently supports building
virtual machines on hosts running VMware Fusion Professional for OS X, VMware
Workstation for Linux and Windows, and VMware Player on Linux.
layout: docs
page_title: 'VMware VMX - Builders'
sidebar_current: 'docs-builders-vmware-vmx'
---
# VMware Builder (from VMX)
Type: `vmware-vmx`
This VMware Packer builder is able to create VMware virtual machines from an
existing VMware virtual machine (a VMX file). It currently supports building
virtual machines on hosts running [VMware Fusion
Professional](https://www.vmware.com/products/fusion-professional/) 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.
The builder builds a virtual machine by cloning the VMX file using the clone
capabilities introduced in VMware Fusion Professional 6, Workstation 10, and
Player 6. After cloning the VM, it provisions software within the new machine,
shuts it down, and compacts the disks. The resulting folder contains a new
VMware virtual machine.
## Basic Example
Here is an example. This example is fully functional as long as the source path
points to a real VMX file with the proper settings:
``` json
{
"type": "vmware-vmx",
"source_path": "/path/to/a/vm.vmx",
"ssh_username": "root",
"ssh_password": "root",
"shutdown_command": "shutdown -P now"
}
```
## 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.
### Required:
- `source_path` (string) - Path to the source VMX file to clone. If
`remote_type` is enabled then this specifies a path on the `remote_host`.
- `nopenopnopnopnponpo` (array of strings) - This is here so that the
previous item is correctly set.
### 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.
- `disable_vnc` (boolean) - Whether to create a VNC connection or not.
A `boot_command` cannot be used when this is `false`. Defaults to `false`.
- `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: the vmware-vmx builder will use the displayname of
the VM being cloned from if it is not explicitly specified via the vmx_data
section or the displayname property.
- `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.
- `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.
- `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.
- `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`.
- `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.
- `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 unless a
shutdown command takes place inside script so this may safely be omitted. If
one or more scripts require a reboot it is suggested to leave this blank
since reboots may fail and specify the final shutdown command in your
last script.
- `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.
- `linked` (boolean) - By default Packer creates a 'full' clone of
the virtual machine specified in `source_path`. The resultant virtual
machine is fully independant from the parent it was cloned from.
Setting `linked` to `true` instead causes Packer to create the virtual
machine as a 'linked' clone. Linked clones use and require ongoing
access to the disks of the parent virtual machine. The benefit of a
linked clone is that the clones virtual disk is typically very much
smaller than would be the case for a full clone. Additionally, the
cloned virtual machine can also be created much faster. Creating a
linked clone will typically only be of benefit in some advanced build
scenarios. Most users will wish to create a full clone instead.
Defaults to `false`.
- `skip_compaction` (boolean) - VMware-created disks are defragmented and
compacted at the end of the build process using `vmware-vdiskmanager`. 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`.
- `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.
- `keep_registered` (boolean) - Set this to `true` if you would like to keep
the VM registered with the remote ESXi server. This is convenient if you
use packer to provision VMs on ESXi and don't want to use ovftool to
deploy the resulting artifact (VMX or OVA or whatever you used as `format`).
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.
- `format` (string) - Either "ovf", "ova" or "vmx", this specifies the output
format of the exported virtual machine. This defaults to "ovf".
Before using this option, you need to install `ovftool`.
- `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`.
- `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.
- `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 such as memory, CPU, etc.
- `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`.
- `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_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`.
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.
-> 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-vmx",
"boot_key_interval": "10ms"
...
}
]
}
```
- `<f1>` - `<f12>` - Simulates pressing a function key.
- `<up>` `<down>` `<left>` `<right>` - Simulates pressing an arrow key.
- `<spacebar>` - Simulates pressing the spacebar.
- `<insert>` - Simulates pressing the insert key.
- `<home>` `<end>` - Simulates pressing the home and end keys.
- `<pageUp>` `<pageDown>` - Simulates pressing the page up and page down keys.
- `<leftAlt>` `<rightAlt>` - Simulates pressing the alt key.
- `<leftCtrl>` `<rightCtrl>` - Simulates pressing the ctrl key.
- `<leftShift>` `<rightShift>` - Simulates pressing the shift key.
- `<leftAltOn>` `<rightAltOn>` - Simulates pressing and holding the alt key.
- `<leftCtrlOn>` `<rightCtrlOn>` - Simulates pressing and holding the ctrl
key.
- `<leftShiftOn>` `<rightShiftOn>` - Simulates pressing and holding the
shift key.
- `<leftAltOff>` `<rightAltOff>` - Simulates releasing a held alt key.
- `<leftCtrlOff>` `<rightCtrlOff>` - Simulates releasing a held ctrl key.
- `<leftShiftOff>` `<rightShiftOff>` - Simulates releasing a held shift 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:
<%= partial "partials/builders/boot-command" %>
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).
<%= partial "partials/builders/building_on_remote_vsphere_hypervisor" %>
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