Adding Sysprep Capability to VM Creation Using (Windows) Template
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Is there a function/feature in XO (I use 'from Sources) to create a new Windows VM from a Windows Template that allows you to create a new SID during the VM creation process similar to what VMware does? In VMW you can run a "customization specification" policy when creating a new VM from Template with various settings -> local admin password, IP assignment, domain name, VM name, run sysprep or create a new SID, windows licensing info. The idea of course is to not have a similar SID for the newly created cloned VM. It would be nice to auto-add it to AD as well like you can with VMware.
If there is no such feature, are there plans to have something like this in a future XO release? Thanks.
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@coolsport00 Hello, I don't know the VMware feature you're talking about.
I would use Packer https://github.com/vatesfr/packer-plugin-xenserver and Cloud Base init https://cloudbase-init.readthedocs.io/en/latest/intro.html to build a Windows VM template. The sysprep would be run at the end of the packer for example using the provisioner powershell or in the
shutdown_commandNB: do not forget to deploy guest tools inside the template.
@dinhngtu might have also suggestions
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@nathanael-h Hey...thanks for the response Nathanael. Yeah...the "customization specification" policies is an old VMware feature that's been around pretty much as long as VMware has. To be clear, it's a vCenter feature not an ESXi Host feature.
It's kind of a 'policy wizard' where you configure all those things I mentioned above. Then, when you create a VM from a Template, you have the option to 'modify the OS' (which means to apply a customization specificatin policy) upon deployment. It's very convenient!Hmm...maybe someone else can chime in on suggestions. I'd rather not go through the headache of what you suggest if I don't have to...mostly cuz I'm not a developer and don't do github...mostly at all. *shrugs
I'm testing out XCP-NG and XO to see if it's something we can migrate to for our prod VM environment. As of now, it's a "no" mainly because you all don't integrate with Veeam Backup. But, I'm hearing this may be coming... *fingers crossed
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VEEAM is actually building a first preview, but the unknown is on sales if they decided to make it a product.
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@olivierlambert NICE! Great to hear Olivier. I follow your Forums post...but there really hasn't been much traction on Veeam's end of late. Altho..they have been a bit busy with their Sales KO and a VeeamON Conference of late
Looking fwd to see what they come up with. I'd be the 1st to give it a test run. Heck, as part of their Veeam100 crew, maybe they'd even be willing to share their BETA with me?
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I strongly suggest that you use your good relationship with them to push the topic. More people are coming to them to ask for support of XCP-ng, great the chances to be sold as a product
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@olivierlambert I'll ask for an update in the Forums post and see what they say...
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@olivierlambert Olivier - I have good information outside your Forums post that it's looking like Veeam supporting XCP is actually going to happen. Are you hearing anything on your end?
That said, aside from lack of Veeam support, there are other features you don't have I require before I can even consider migrating to XCP (GPU support for one; but others as well). Though I don't think what I'm needing would be difficult to implement on your end with the Dev talent you have, I think the issue on your end is rather more of the lack of priority of what I assume is a long list of feature sets of what I need compared to what you all are currently working on to get implemented.
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There is some interesting news even if nothing is decided yet inside VEEAM. We do our best to convince them
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@coolsport00 Hello, I think you can find some relevant infos about GPU support, here in the forum, and also in the doc https://docs.xcp-ng.org/compute/#-gpu-passthrough
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@nathanael-h Thanks Nathanael...I'll check it out. Appreciate it!
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@nathanael-h said in Adding Sysprep Capability to VM Creation Using (Windows) Template:
Ok...so I don't think this'll work for my needs. How I use GPUs - I have Dell PE R740 Hosts, which I pass NVIDA Tesla cards through ESXi. After installing software in ESXi, I can see the cards in my Graphics Hardware section on my ESXi Hosts so I can then assign graphics to VMs. I then configure VMs to use vGPUs of the Tesla cards on the Hosts. The VMs host AutoCAD & other Autodesk software so this is needed. These VMs I host in a VDI setup using Microsoft RDS. But, it looks like what you all do now won't work...unless I'm missing something?
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@coolsport00 Some forum users posted about this I think, like here
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@nathanael-h Alright...will take a look
