177 lines
6.4 KiB
Markdown
177 lines
6.4 KiB
Markdown
---
|
|
layout: intro
|
|
sidebar_current: intro-getting-started-parallel-builds
|
|
page_title: Parallel Builds - Getting Started
|
|
description: |-
|
|
So far we've shown how Packer can automatically build an image and provision
|
|
it. This on its own is already quite powerful. But Packer can do better than
|
|
that. Packer can create multiple images for multiple platforms in parallel,
|
|
all configured from a single template.
|
|
---
|
|
|
|
# Parallel Builds
|
|
|
|
So far we've shown how Packer can automatically build an image and provision it.
|
|
This on its own is already quite powerful. But Packer can do better than that.
|
|
Packer can create multiple images for multiple platforms *in parallel*, all
|
|
configured from a single template.
|
|
|
|
This is a very useful and important feature of Packer. As an example, Packer is
|
|
able to make an AMI and a VMware virtual machine in parallel provisioned with
|
|
the *same scripts*, resulting in near-identical images. The AMI can be used for
|
|
production, the VMware machine can be used for development. Or, another example,
|
|
if you're using Packer to build [software
|
|
appliances](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_appliance), then you can build
|
|
the appliance for every supported platform all in parallel, all configured from
|
|
a single template.
|
|
|
|
Once you start taking advantage of this feature, the possibilities begin to
|
|
unfold in front of you.
|
|
|
|
Continuing on the example in this getting started guide, we'll build a
|
|
[DigitalOcean](http://www.digitalocean.com) image as well as an AMI. Both will
|
|
be near-identical: bare bones Ubuntu OS with Redis pre-installed. However, since
|
|
we're building for both platforms, you have the option of whether you want to
|
|
use the AMI, or the DigitalOcean snapshot. Or use both.
|
|
|
|
## Setting Up DigitalOcean
|
|
|
|
[DigitalOcean](https://www.digitalocean.com/) is a relatively new, but very
|
|
popular VPS provider that has popped up. They have a quality offering of high
|
|
performance, low cost VPS servers. We'll be building a DigitalOcean snapshot for
|
|
this example.
|
|
|
|
In order to do this, you'll need an account with DigitalOcean. [Sign up for an
|
|
account now](https://www.digitalocean.com/). It is free to sign up. Because the
|
|
"droplets" (servers) are charged hourly, you *will* be charged $0.01 for every
|
|
image you create with Packer. If you're not okay with this, just follow along.
|
|
|
|
!> **Warning!** You *will* be charged $0.01 by DigitalOcean per image
|
|
created with Packer because of the time the "droplet" is running.
|
|
|
|
Once you sign up for an account, grab your API token from the [DigitalOcean API
|
|
access page](https://cloud.digitalocean.com/settings/applications). Save these
|
|
values somewhere; you'll need them in a second.
|
|
|
|
## Modifying the Template
|
|
|
|
We now have to modify the template to add DigitalOcean to it. Modify the
|
|
template we've been using and add the following JSON object to the `builders`
|
|
array.
|
|
|
|
```json
|
|
{
|
|
"type": "digitalocean",
|
|
"api_token": "{{user `do_api_token`}}",
|
|
"image": "ubuntu-14-04-x64",
|
|
"region": "nyc3",
|
|
"size": "512mb",
|
|
"ssh_username": "root"
|
|
}
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
You'll also need to modify the `variables` section of the template to include
|
|
the access keys for DigitalOcean.
|
|
|
|
```json
|
|
"variables": {
|
|
"do_api_token": "",
|
|
// ...
|
|
}
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
The entire template should now look like this:
|
|
|
|
```json
|
|
{
|
|
"variables": {
|
|
"aws_access_key": "",
|
|
"aws_secret_key": "",
|
|
"do_api_token": ""
|
|
},
|
|
"builders": [{
|
|
"type": "amazon-ebs",
|
|
"access_key": "{{user `aws_access_key`}}",
|
|
"secret_key": "{{user `aws_secret_key`}}",
|
|
"region": "us-east-1",
|
|
"source_ami": "ami-fce3c696",
|
|
"instance_type": "t2.micro",
|
|
"ssh_username": "ubuntu",
|
|
"ami_name": "packer-example {{timestamp}}"
|
|
},{
|
|
"type": "digitalocean",
|
|
"api_token": "{{user `do_api_token`}}",
|
|
"image": "ubuntu-14-04-x64",
|
|
"region": "nyc3",
|
|
"size": "512mb",
|
|
"ssh_username": "root"
|
|
}],
|
|
"provisioners": [{
|
|
"type": "shell",
|
|
"inline": [
|
|
"sleep 30",
|
|
"sudo apt-get update",
|
|
"sudo apt-get install -y redis-server"
|
|
]
|
|
}]
|
|
}
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
Additional builders are simply added to the `builders` array in the template.
|
|
This tells Packer to build multiple images. The builder `type` values don't even
|
|
need to be different! In fact, if you wanted to build multiple AMIs, you can do
|
|
that as long as you specify a unique `name` for each build.
|
|
|
|
Validate the template with `packer validate`. This is always a good practice.
|
|
|
|
-> **Note:** If you're looking for more **DigitalOcean configuration
|
|
options**, you can find them on the [DigitalOcean Builder
|
|
page](/docs/builders/digitalocean.html) in the documentation. The documentation
|
|
is more of a reference manual that contains a listing of all the available
|
|
configuration options.
|
|
|
|
## Build
|
|
|
|
Now run `packer build` with your user variables. The output is too verbose to
|
|
include all of it, but a portion of it is reproduced below. Note that the
|
|
ordering and wording of the lines may be slightly different, but the effect is
|
|
the same.
|
|
|
|
```text
|
|
$ packer build \
|
|
-var 'aws_access_key=YOUR ACCESS KEY' \
|
|
-var 'aws_secret_key=YOUR SECRET KEY' \
|
|
-var 'do_api_token=YOUR API TOKEN' \
|
|
example.json
|
|
==> amazon-ebs: amazon-ebs output will be in this color.
|
|
==> digitalocean: digitalocean output will be in this color.
|
|
|
|
==> digitalocean: Creating temporary ssh key for droplet...
|
|
==> amazon-ebs: Creating temporary keypair for this instance...
|
|
==> amazon-ebs: Creating temporary security group for this instance...
|
|
==> digitalocean: Creating droplet...
|
|
==> amazon-ebs: Authorizing SSH access on the temporary security group...
|
|
==> amazon-ebs: Launching a source AWS instance...
|
|
==> digitalocean: Waiting for droplet to become active...
|
|
==> amazon-ebs: Waiting for instance to become ready...
|
|
==> digitalocean: Connecting to the droplet via SSH...
|
|
==> amazon-ebs: Connecting to the instance via SSH...
|
|
...
|
|
==> Builds finished. The artifacts of successful builds are:
|
|
--> amazon-ebs: AMIs were created:
|
|
|
|
us-east-1: ami-376d1d5e
|
|
--> digitalocean: A snapshot was created: packer-1371870364
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
As you can see, Packer builds both the Amazon and DigitalOcean images in
|
|
parallel. It outputs information about each in different colors (although you
|
|
can't see that in the block above), making it is easier to identify the actions
|
|
executed when you execute the command.
|
|
|
|
At the end of the build, Packer outputs both of the artifacts created (an AMI
|
|
and a DigitalOcean snapshot). Both images created are bare bones Ubuntu
|
|
installations with Redis pre-installed.
|
|
|
|
[Continue to Vagrant boxes](./vagrant.html)
|