I’ve been running VMware’s Tanzu Kubernetes Grid in HobbitCloud for quite a while. It’s an easy way for me to consume Kubernetes, which I use for demonstrating containerised workload connectivity between clouds. I also deploy container workloads direct from vRealize Automation to TKGm clusters. Continue reading
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Managing Windows hosts using Ansible Tower/AWX and SSH
I’ve recently been working with Ansible as a configuration management solution. Workloads deployed from vRealize Automation to the private cloud are handed off to Ansible Tower, whereas existing infrastructure is managed in the downstream product – AWX. This is mainly Continue reading
Enabling HashiCorp Vault Lookups in Ansible AWX – Part 2
Earlier in the year, I wrote about how to create a Python virtual environment on Ansible AWX to run the HashiCorp lookup module.
The last task is to create the credentials to support the Vault lookup, followed by configuring the necessary variables in the inventory.
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Using Continuous Deployment to Provision VDI Desktops
Back in May, I wrote about using GitLab to automate my server builds using HashiCorp Packer. Whilst it is trivially easy to update it to accommodate desktop builds for our VDI users, I now needed a solution to automate the entire workflow – building the image and updating my VMware Horizon desktop pool. In this post, I will document how to do just that, Continue reading
Using GitLab CI/CD Pipelines to Automate your HashiCorp Packer Builds
A long time ago I decided I was done with manual builds, and that my desktop images had to be automated. I had a lot of success with that solution and wrote about it here.
Recently I made the decision to automate my server builds too, also using HashiCorp Packer. Whilst I used VMware Code Stream to Continue reading
Automating VDI Template Creation with VMware Code Stream and HashiCorp Packer – Part 3: Automating the Solution
In part 2 we automated the installation of our VMware Horizon agents, including AppVolumes and Dynamic Environment Manager. We also patched our template and applied optimization settings using the VMware OSOT fling. In this final part, we automate the entire solution from end-to-end using VMware CI/CD tool, Code Stream. In the end, with one-click, we will generate our template ready for use. Continue reading
Automating VDI Template Creation with VMware Code Stream and HashiCorp Packer – Part 2: Installing the VDI Agents
In part 1 of this series, we built a Windows 10 desktop using HashiCorp Packer. Now we will script the installation of the VDI agents needed for our VMware Horizon environment. After this, we will patch the box with the latest updates, before applying the VMware OS Optimization Tool to produce a lean and clean image. In the last part, we will automate the solution using VMware Code Stream.
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Automating VDI Template Creation with VMware Code Stream and HashiCorp Packer – Part 1: Building Windows
In previous consultancies I’ve worked, it was common practice to frequently patch corporate VDI templates. Whilst continuous patching is a good thing, it is quite often laborious. Any attempt to automate this is seen as difficult and organizations often give up and continue with manual processes. Here I will show how it can be done using Code Stream and HashiCorp Packer. Continue reading
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