Xenserver provider vagrant boxes (packer templates)

The following repo containing packer templates and default provisioning scripts required to build base vagrant boxes and use them in your XEN server environment.

If you just want to try boxes out, not build them - go ahead and explore published xenserver boxes here.

Xen virtualization stack

If you are not yet familiar with XEN virtualization - go ahead and study it here

Packer tool

This repository using packer tool as base-box assembly tool. Particularly, it is relying on official xenserver packer builder which is originally posted here.

• Install Golang and export nessesary variables:
  • Download golang release from here
  • Untar archive and prepare envirounment. Example will be using golang release v1.9.5.

  RELEASE="go1.9.5.linux-amd64";
  cd /tmp && curl -L -O "https://dl.google.com/go/${RELEASE}.tar.gz";
  tar -zxvf "${RELEASE}.tar.gz";
  mv -v go $HOME/go-1.9.5;
  rm -f "/tmp/${RELEASE}.tar.gz";

  • Export golang env variables

  export GOROOT=$HOME/go-1.9.5;
  export GOPATH=$HOME/go-workspace;
  export PATH=$PATH:$GOROOT/bin:$GOPATH/bin;

  • Add packer source to GOPATH

  go get github.com/hashicorp/packer;

  • Compile packer

  cd $GOPATH/src/github.com/hashicorp/packer;
  go build -o bin/packer .;

  • Add gox tool to GOPATH

  go get github.com/mitchellh/gox;

  • Add go-vnc tool to GOPATH

  go get github.com/mitchellh/go-vnc;

XenServer packer.io builder

As I mentioned before, this repository using official xen packer builder built by xenserver team. I will supply detailed instructions of how to compile builder.

Compile Xen packer plugin

Once you have installed Packer, you must compile this plugin and install the resulting binary.

cd $GOPATH;
PROV="src/github.com/xenserver";
mkdir -p $PROV && cd $PROV;
git clone https://github.com/xenserver/packer-builder-xenserver.git;
cd packer-builder-xenserver;
./build.sh;

At this point you should be able to operate with proper version of packer builder.

Building xenserver base box

The following snippet should give you an idea how to make your base-box of ubuntu v16.04 image.

# change to workspace
cd <this repo path>/ubuntu;

# export necessary variables into shell context
export HOST=my.xenhost.com;
export USERNAME=root;
export PASSWORD=password;

# tell packer to make a base box
$GOPATH/bin/packer build \
      -only=xenserver-iso\
      -var 'mirror=http://releases.ubuntu.com' \
      ubuntu-16.04-amd64.json;

The process could take some time, make sure your build server can maintain duplex connection to selected xenserver.

ISO mirror alternatives

Cent OS

$GOPATH/bin/packer build \
      -only=xenserver-iso\
      -var 'mirror=http://mirrors.kernel.org/centos' \
      centos-7.4-x86_64-minimal.json;

Ubuntu

$GOPATH/bin/packer build \
      -only=xenserver-iso\
      -var 'mirror=http://releases.ubuntu.com' \
      ubuntu-16.04-amd64.json;

Packaging your base boxes

This stage is written with assumption that packer biuld has been completed successfuly.

• Upload produced xva file to file storge service/server

BOX_VERSION="0.1.0";
REPO="http://your-repo.com/repository/vagrant-boxes/xenserver";
BOX="ubuntu-16.04";

# Your remote binary repo destination URL/
URL="${REPO}/${BOX}/${VER}/export.xva";

# This is the product of packer build process.
LOCAL_XVA_BASE_BOX_FILE="${BOX}-${VER}.xva";

# Upload local box to your remote binary repo.
curl --upload $LOCAL_XVA_BASE_BOX_FILE $URL;

• Make new vagrant base box content files an then tar them into .box archive.

# Create vagrant provider metadata file.
echo "{\"provider\": \"xenserver\"}" > metadata.json;

# Create default vagrant file
cat > Vagrantfile <<EOF
Vagrant.configure(2) do |config|
  config.vm.provider :xenserver do |xs|
    xs.xva_url = "$URL"
  end
end
EOF

# Make a vagrant box archive
tar -cvf "${BOX}-${VER}.box" metadata.json Vagrantfile

• Upload vagrant box to your remote repository

# Upload vagrant box definition to your remote binary repository
curl --upload "${BOX}-${VER}.box" "${REPO}/${BOX}/${VER}/you-vagrant-base-vm.box";

• Create vagrant base box release or use mine
• Create new Vagrantfile

cat > Vagrantfile <<EOF
# -*- mode: ruby -*-
# vi: set ft=ruby :

VAGRANTFILE_API_VERSION = "2"

Vagrant.configure(VAGRANTFILE_API_VERSION) do |config|
  config.vm.box = 'rlishtaba/ubuntu-16.04.4-server'
  config.vm.box_version = '0.4.0'

  config.vm.provider :xenserver do |xs|
    xs.xs_host = 'your.xenserver.com'
    xs.xs_username = 'root'
    xs.xs_password = 'password'
    xs.pv = true
    xs.memory = 2048
    xs.use_himn = false
  end

  config.vm.network 'public_network', bridge: 'xenbr0'
end
EOF

• Execute vagrant up.

List of vagrant box versions available @ Vagrant cloud

• ubuntu-16.04.4-server
• centos-7.4-minimal

Contacts

• Roman Lishtaba