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Creating Microsoft Sysprep packages on VMware vCloud Director cells (1026313)

Purpose

This article guides you through the process of creating Microsoft Sysprep deployment packages on single and multiple VMware vCloud Director cells.

Resolution

VMware vCloud Director can customize the network settings of the guest operating system of a virtual machine created from a vApp template. When you customize your guest operating system, you can create and deploy multiple unique virtual machines based on the same vApp template without machine name or network conflicts.

Note: During installation, VMware vCloud Director places some files in the Sysprep folder on the VMware vCloud Director server. Do not overwrite these files when you create the Sysprep package.
 
Note: Where <vcloud path> is in the path name, if the vCloud Director version is 1.0, it will be cloud-director.  For vCloud Director 1.5 the path will be vcloud-director.  For example vCloud Director 1.0 will be /opt/vmware/cloud-director.
 
To create Sysprep deployment packages on VMware vCloud Director cells:
  1. Set up the Sysprep binary files for each operating system and copy the Sysprep files to a convenient location on a VMware vCloud Director server host. Each operating system requires its own folder:
    • The file for Windows 2000 is SysprepBinariesDirectory/win2000
    • The file for Windows 2003 (32-bit) is SysprepBinariesDirectory/win2k3
    • The file for Windows 2003 (64-bit) is SysprepBinariesDirectory/win2k3_64
    • The file for Windows XP (32-bit) is SysprepBinariesDirectory/winxp
    • The file for Windows XP (64-bit) is SysprepBinariesDirectory/winxp_64

      Note: SysprepBinariesDirectory represents the location in which you copy the binaries. For example, /root/MySysprepFiles.

  3. Open a Terminal Window logged in as root user and run the command:

    # /opt/vmware/<vcloud path>/deploymentPackageCreator/createSysprepPackage.sh /root/MySysprepFiles

  4. Change ( cd ) to the folder /opt/vmware/<vcloud path>/guestcustomization . You see 2 files:
    • windows_deployment_package_sysprep.cab –contains the Sysprep files
    • vcloud_sysprep.properties – denotes which Sysprep images are installed. Look at this file. A value of 1 next to the Operating System denotes that the Sysprep package is installed for that operating system.

  6. To check that the Sysprep packages and the Sysprep properties file have been created successfully, check the /var/log/messages file. Run the command:

    # grep –i createSysprep /var/log/messages
    Sysprep deployment package successfully created at /opt/vmware/<vcloud path>/guestcustomization/windows_deployment_package_sysprep.cab

  7. If you have multiple vCloud cells, copy the package ( windows_deployment_package_sysprep.cab) and properties file (vcloud_sysprep.properties) to all vCloud Director cells. Run the command:

    scp /opt/vmware/<vcloud path>/guestcustomization/vcloud_sysprep.properties
    /opt/vmware/<vcloud path>/guestcustomization/windows_deployment_package_sysprep.cab root@next_cell_IP:/opt/vmware/<vcloud path>/guestcustomization

  8. Restart each vCloud Director cell that you copy files to. Run the command:

    service vmware-vcd restart

Tags

sysprep-file-location

Update History

12/20/2011 - Specified difference between 1.0 and 1.5.

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