vExpert Creating a Packer Container for an Image Factory How to create a simple Docker container for executing HashiCorp Packer builds
vExpert Creating a simple Docker host using Photon OS and VMware Aria Automation This post goes through the creation of a standalone Docker host based on Photon OS. Then it gets turned in to a catalog item for Aria Automation.
vExpert Creating HTML email templates for vRealize Automation Code Stream How to create an HTML formatted email template for use in a vRealize Automation Code Stream pipeline
VMware Cloudbase-Init with vRealize Automation and vSphere - No CD Drive! This article explains how to use Cloudbase-Init with vRealize Automation and vSphere without requiring a CD drive in every Windows VM.
HashiCorp Automating the installation of Cloudbase-Init in Windows templates using Packer A brief post that provides some PowerShell commands to install Cloudbase-Init in a Windows Server image produced by Packer
CentOS Cloud-Init with vRealize Automation and vSphere - No CD Drive! This article explains how to use Cloud-Init with vRealize Automation and vSphere without requiring a CD drive in every VM.
vExpert Integrating VMware Code Stream and Packer Not content to build vSphere templates periodically, this introduction shows how VMware Code Stream and Packer can be combined to trigger builds from Git updates.
Packer Creating vSphere VM templates with Packer (part 7) - Further plans The final (short) post in this series. Now that vSphere templates can be built repeatably, it's time to think about the next steps to take things further.
Packer Creating vSphere VM templates with Packer (part 6) - CentOS Having created a Windows template, in Part 6 of this series it's now time to make one for Linux using my go-to distro, CentOS 8.
Packer Creating vSphere VM templates with Packer (part 5) - Windows templates Armed with some vSphere variables, it's now time to create a Windows template. In post 5 of this series that process is described.
Packer Creating vSphere VM templates with Packer (part 4) - vSphere variables In part 4 of this series it's finally time to introduce some JSON. The variables that I re-use in every template for telling Packer where to provision machines.
Packer Creating vSphere VM templates with Packer (part 3) - Variables, builders and provisioners In part 3 of this series I cover some of the configuration and terminology required to get going with builds and that will be used in the rest of the series.
Packer Creating vSphere VM templates with Packer (part 2) - Preparation Now Packer is introduced, it's time to prepare for using it to create some vSphere templates. This is part 2 of a series.
Packer Creating vSphere VM templates with Packer (part 1) - Introduction Bored of hand-rolling vSphere templates? I was! This is part 1 of a series that documents creating vSphere templates using Packer.