Packers Packer is a convenient open-source tool to create on-premises image files. It runs on the most major operating systems.
To create an on-premises image by yourself and then upload it on a cloud platform is a complex process. However, by using Packer, you can create identical on-premises images for multiple platforms from a single source configuration. Follow these steps to create an on-premises image for CentOS 6.9 on an Ubuntu 16.04 server and to upload it to Alibaba Cloud. To create on-premises images for other operating systems, you can customize your Packer templates as necessary.
Prerequisites
- You must have the AccessKey ready to fill out the configuration file. .
Note The AccessKey has a high level of account privileges. We recommend that you ~~28637~~#concept_gpm_ccf_xdb and use the RAM account to create an AccessKey to prevent data breach. - Before uploading your on-premises images to Alibaba Cloud, you must ~~31884~~#task_njz_hf4_tdb.
Sample of creating and importing an on-premises image
- Run
egrep "(svm|vmx)" /proc/cpuinfoto check whether your on-premises server or virtual machine supports KVM. If the following output returns, KVM is supported.pat pse36 clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ss ht tm pbe syscall nx pdpe1gb rdtscp lm constant_tsc art arch_perfmon pebs bts rep_good nopl xtopology nonstop_tsc aperfmperf tsc_known_freq pni pclmulqdq dtes64 monitor ds_cpl vmx est tm2 ssse3 sdbg fma cx16 xtpr pdcm pcid sse4_1 sse4_2 x2apic movbe popcnt tsc_deadline_timer aes xsave avx f16c rdrand lahf_lm abm 3dnowprefetch epb intel_pt tpr_shadow vnmi flexpriority ept vpid fsgsbase tsc_adjust bmi1 avx2 smep bmi2 erms invpcid mpx rdseed adx smap clflushopt xsaveopt xsavec xgetbv1 xsaves dtherm ida arat pln pts hwp hwp_notify hwp_act_window hwp_epp flags : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov - Run the following commands to install the KVM:
sudo apt-get install qemu-kvm qemu virt-manager virt-viewer libvirt-bin bridge-utils # Install KVM and related dependencies. sudo virt-manager # Enable virt-manager.If a GUI runs in the VM console window, you have successfully installed the KVM.
- Install Packer.
To install Packer, see ~~60822~~#concept_idd_4cm_xdb Use Packer to Create a Custom Image.
- Run the following commands to define a Packer template.
Note The on-premises image created in the following configuration is for the CentOS 6.9 operating system only. To create images for other operating systems, #concept_l1r_hws_xdb__Customcustomize configuration file centos.json as needed. cd /user/local # Switch the directory. wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/alibaba/packer-provider/master/examples/alicloud/local/centos.json # Download file centos.json that is released by Alibaba Cloud. wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/alibaba/packer-provider/master/examples/alicloud/local/http/centos-6.9/ks.cfg # Download file ks.cfg that is released by Alibaba Cloud. mkdir -p http/centos-6.9 # Create a directory. mv ks.cfg http/centos-6.9/ # Move file ks.cfg to the http/centos-6.9 directory. - Run the following commands to create an on-premises image.
export ALICLOUD_ACCESS_KEY= SpecifyYourAccessKeyIDHere # Import your AccessKeyID, export ALICLOUD_SECRET_KEY= SpecifyYourAccessKeySecretHere # Import your AccessKeySecret. packer build centos.json # Create an on-premises image.The running result of the sample is as follows.
qemu output will be in this color. ==> qemu: Downloading or copying ISO qemu: Downloading or copying: http://mirrors.aliyun.com/centos/6.9/isos/x86_64/CentOS-6.9-x86_64-minimal.iso ==> qemu: Running post-processor: alicloud-import qemu (alicloud-import): Deleting import source https://oss-cn-beijing.aliyuncs.com/packer/centos_x86_64 Build 'qemu 'finished. => Builds finished. The artifacts of successful builds are: --> qemu: Alicloud images were created: cn-beijing: XXXXXXXX - Wait for a few minutes, log on to the ECS console and check your custom image in the image list that is in the corresponding region. In this sample, the region is China North 2 (cn-beijing).
Next steps
You can use the created image to create an ECS instance. For more information, see ~~25465~~#task_w5v_sgv_xdb.
Customize a Packer template
The image file created in the preceding #concept_l1r_hws_xdb__Sample is for the CentOS 6.9 operating system only. To create images for other operating systems, you must customize the Packer template.
For example, the following JSON file is customized based on the template to create an image for the CentOS 6.9.
{"variables": {
"box_basename": "centos-6.9",
"build_timestamp": "{{isotime \"20060102150405\"}}",
"cpus": "1",
"disk_size": "4096",
"git_revision": "__unknown_git_revision__",
"headless": "",
"http_proxy": "{{env `http_proxy`}}",
"https_proxy": "{{env `https_proxy`}}",
"iso_checksum_type": "md5",
"iso_checksum": "af4a1640c0c6f348c6c41f1ea9e192a2",
"iso_name": "CentOS-6.9-x86_64-minimal.iso",
"ks_path": "centos-6.9/ks.cfg",
"memory": "512",
"metadata": "floppy/dummy_metadata.json",
"mirror": "http://mirrors.aliyun.com/centos",
"mirror_directory": "6.9/isos/x86_64",
"name": "centos-6.9",
"no_proxy": "{{env `no_proxy`}}",
"template": "centos-6.9-x86_64",
"version": "2.1. TIMESTAMP"
"builders":[
"boot_command": [
" text ks=http://{{ . HTTPIP }}:{{ . HTTPPort }}/{{user `ks_path`}}"
"boot_wait": "10s",
"disk_size": "{{user `disk_size`}}",
"headless": "{{ user `headless` }}",
"http_directory": "http",
"iso_checksum": "{{user `iso_checksum`}}",
"iso_checksum_type": "{{user `iso_checksum_type`}}",
"iso_url": "{{user `mirror`}}/{{user `mirror_directory`}}/{{user `iso_name`}}",
"output_directory": "packer-{{user `template`}}-qemu",
"shutdown_command": "echo 'vagrant'|sudo -S /sbin/halt -h -p",
"ssh_password": "vagrant",
"ssh_port": 22,
"ssh_username": "root",
"ssh_wait_timeout": "10000s",
"type": "qemu",
"vm_name": "{{ user `template` }}.raw",
"net_device": "virtio-net",
"disk_interface": "virtio",
"format": "raw"
"provisioners": [{
"type": "shell",
"inline": [
"sleep 30",
"yum install cloud-util cloud-init -y"
"post-processors":[
"type":"alicloud-import",
"oss_bucket_name": "packer",
"image_name": "packer_import",
"image_os_type": "linux",
"image_platform": "CentOS",
"image_architecture": "x86_64",
"image_system_size": "40",
"RegionId": "cn-beijing"
Parameters in a Packer builder
#concept_l1r_hws_xdb__Sample QEMU builder is used in the preceding sample to create a virtual machine image. Required parameters for the builder are as follows.
| Parameter | Type | Description |
| iso_checksum | String | The checksum for the OS ISO file. Packer verifies this parameter before starting a virtual machine with the ISO attached. Make sure you specify at least one of the iso_checksum or iso_checksum_url parameter. If you have the iso_checksum parameter specified, the iso_checksum_url parameter is ignored automatically. |
| iso_checksum_type | String | The type of the checksum specified in iso_checksum. Optional values:
|
| iso_checksum_url | String | This is a URL pointing to a GNU or BSD style checksum file that contains the ISO file checksum of an operating system. It may come in either the GNU or BSD pattern. Make sure you specify at least one of the iso_checksum or the iso_checksum_url parameter. If you have the iso_checksum parameter specified, the iso_checksum_url parameter is ignored automatically. |
| iso_url | String | This is a URL pointing to the ISO file and containing the installation image. This URL may be an HTTP URL or a file path:
|
| headless | boolean | By default, Packer starts the virtual machine GUI to build a QEMU virtual machine. If you set headless to True, a virtual machine without any console is started. |
For more information about other optional parameters, see Packer QEMU Builder.
Parameters in a Packer provisioner
#concept_l1r_hws_xdb__Sample The provisioner in the preceding sample contains a Post-Processor module that enables automated upload of on-premises images to Alibaba Cloud. Required parameters for the provisioner are as follows:
| Parameter | Type | Description |
| access_key | String | Your AccessKeyID. The AccessKey has a high privilege. We recommend that you first ~~28637~~#concept_gpm_ccf_xdb and use the RAM account to create an AccessKey to prevent data breach. |
| secret_key | String | Your AccessKeySecret. The AccessKey has a high privilege. We recommend that you first ~~28637~~#concept_gpm_ccf_xdb and use the RAM account to create an AccessKey to prevent data breach. |
| region | String | Select the region where you want to upload your on-premises image. In the sample, the region is cn-beijing. For more information, see Regions and zones. |
| image_name | String | The name of your on-premises image. The value:
|
| oss_bucket_name | String | Your OSS bucket name. If you specify a bucket name that does not exist, Packer creates a bucket automatically with the specified oss_bucket_name when uploading the image. |
| image_os_type | String | Image type. Optional values:
|
| image_platform | String | Distribution of the image. For example, CentOS. |
| image_architecture | String | The instruction set architecture of the image. Optional values:
|
| format | String | Image format. Optional values:
|
For more information about other optional parameters, see Packer Alicloud Post-Processor.
Next steps
You can use the created image to create an ECS instance. For more information, see ~~25465~~#task_w5v_sgv_xdb.
References
- For more information about how to use Packer, see Packer documentation.
- For more information about release information, visit the Packer repository on GitHub packer.
- For more information about Alibaba Cloud open source tools, visit Alibaba repository on GitHub opstools.
- For more information about Alibaba Cloud and Packer project, visit the Alibaba & Packer repositories on GitHub packer-provider.
- For more information about configuration file ks.cfg, see Anaconda Kickstart .