CHANGELOG.md

0.3.1 - 2012/03/26

• Minor string change

0.3.0 - 2012/03/26

Added template commands

    knife esx template import --esx-password password \
                            --esx-host esx-test-host \
                            /path/to/template.vmdk
                            
    knife esx template list --esx-password password \
                            --esx-host esx-test-host 

    knife esx template delete --esx-password password \
                              --esx-host esx-test-host \
                              template.vmdk

Added --use-template argument to vm create command

    knife esx vm create --esx-password password \
                        --esx-host esx-test-host \
                        --use-template template.vmdk \
                        my-new-vm

Create a new VM using templates

1.Import the template first with "knife esx template import"

    knife esx template import --esx-host esx-test-host \
                              --esx-password password \
                              /path/to/template.vmdk

2.Deploy using knife esx vm create

    knife esx vm create --esx-host esx-test-host \
                        --esx-password password \
                        --vm-name my-foo-vm \
                        --use-template template.vmdk

Using templates with async batch deploys

1.Import the template first with "knife esx template import"

    knife esx template import --esx-host esx-test-host \
                              --esx-password password \
                              /path/to/template.vmdk

2.Deploy using knife esx vm create --async --batch Sample batch config for "knife esx vm create":

    ---
    :tc01:
      'use-template': template.vmdk
      'extra-args': --no-host-key-verify 
      'vm-memory': 128
      'esx-host': esx-test-host
      'esx-password': password
      'ssh-user': ubuntu
      'ssh-password': ubuntu
      'datastore': datastore1
    :tc02:
      'use-template': template.vmdk
      'extra-args': --no-host-key-verify 
      'vm-memory': 128
      'esx-host': esx-test-host
      'esx-password': password
      'ssh-user': ubuntu
      'ssh-password': ubuntu
      'datastore': datastore1

0.2.1 - 2012/02/28

• Fixed namespaces

0.2 - 2012/02/28

• Added --batch and --async options

Inspired by spiceweasel from Matt Ray (https://github.com/mattray/spiceweasel), I've added a batch mode where a YAML file describes the VMs you want to bootstrap and where (you can deploy to multiple hypervisors).

knife esx vm create --batch batch.yml 

Sample batch.yml file:

---
:test1:
  'extra-args': --no-host-key-verify
  'vm-memory': 128
  'esx-host': esx-server-1 
  'esx-password': secret 
  'ssh-user': ubuntu
  'ssh-password': ubuntu
  'vm-disk': /home/rubiojr/mnt/mirror/virtual_appliances/ubuntu1110-x64-vmware-tools.vmdk
  'datastore': datastore2
:test2:
  'extra-args': --no-host-key-verify 
  'vm-memory': 128
  'esx-host': esx-server-1 
  'esx-password': secret
  'ssh-user': ubuntu
  'ssh-password': ubuntu
  'vm-disk': /home/rubiojr/mnt/mirror/virtual_appliances/ubuntu1110-x64-vmware-tools.vmdk
  'datastore': datastore2
:test3:
  'extra-args': --no-host-key-verify 
  'vm-memory': 256
  'esx-host': esx-server-1 
  'esx-password': secret
  'ssh-user': ubuntu
  'ssh-password': ubuntu
  'vm-disk': /home/rubiojr/mnt/mirror/virtual_appliances/ubuntu1110-x64-vmware-tools.vmdk
  'datastore': datastore2

This will try to create three VMs (testvm1, testvm2 and testvm3) sequentially. VM definitions inside the batch file accept all the parameters that can be used with knife-esx.

If you want to bootstrap the VMs asynchronously, use the --async flag.

knife esx vm create --batch batch.yml --async

When using batch mode, standard output and error is redirected to /tmp/knife_esx_vm_create_VMNAME.log, so if we use the deploy script from above, three log files will be created:

/tmp/knife_esx_vm_create_test1.log
/tmp/knife_esx_vm_create_test2.log
/tmp/knife_esx_vm_create_test3.log

• Added --skip-bootstrap flag

If the flag is used the VM will be created but the bootstrap template/script won't be executed (it also means that Chef won't be installed).

• Fixed bug preventing knife-esx to create a VM when the hypervisor has an empty root password.

KNOWN ISSUES

• To use --batch without --skip-bootstrap, the ssh user (--ssh-user) needs to be able to sudo without asking for a password (i.e. adding something like 'ubuntu ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: ALL' to /etc/sudoers in the appliance template) otherwise the bootstraping process won't work if more than one VM is being deployed.

0.1.5 - 2012/02/25

• Patch from @pperezrubio adding multiple networks and fixed MAC address support

  knife esx vm create --vm-disk ubuntu-oneiric.vmdk
  --vm-name testvm --datastore datastore1
  --esx-host 192.168.88.1 --ssh-user ubuntu
  --ssh-password ubuntu
  --vm-network "VLAN-Integration,VLAN-Test"

This will create a VM with two NICs, attaching them to the VLAN-Integration and VLAN-Test networks respectively.

Fixed MAC addresses can also be assigned to each NIC using the --mac-address parameter:

knife esx vm create --vm-disk ubuntu-oneiric.vmdk \
                    --vm-name testvm --datastore datastore1 \
                    --esx-host 192.168.88.1 --ssh-user ubuntu \
                    --ssh-password ubuntu \
                    --vm-network "VLAN-Integration,VLAN-Test" \
                    --mac-address "00:01:02:03:04:05,00:01:02:03:04:06"

MAC address 00:01:02:03:04:05 will be assigned to VLAN-Integration NIC and 00:01:02:03:04:06 to the VLAN-Test NIC.

If a MAC address is omitted it will be dynamically generated:

knife esx vm create --vm-disk ubuntu-oneiric.vmdk
--vm-name testvm --datastore datastore1
--esx-host 192.168.88.1 --ssh-user ubuntu
--ssh-password ubuntu
--vm-network "VLAN-Integration,VLAN-Test"
--mac-address ",00:01:02:03:04:06"

Note that I did not specify the first MAC address, so VLAN-Integration NIC will get a random MAC.