


It is important to note that this is not specific to Packer, as anyone can use this to automate Windows installation. Perhaps the most important aspect of automating a Windows OS installation is the autounattend.xml file. I will use one of Stefan’s Packer templates for Windows 10 to illustrate how Packer works with Windows. In these two repositories you will find great examples of how Windows builds are automated using a combination of tools. The best resource I have found for using Packer with Windows is Stefan Scherer’s Github repository which is a fork of Joe Fitzgerald’s repository. When learning a new technology, I find that looking at examples of how others use it is very helpful. In addition, Packer supports the creation of both Linux and Windows images, allowing for a single method for image creation. The specialty of Packer is the ability to create an artifact to multiple platforms (AWS, Azure, VMware etc.), all from one configuration. In this article, I will focus on how Packer is used for Windows OS image creation.Īs I wrote in a previous article, Packer is a Hashicorp, open-sourced operating system image build tool. If you’re installing Ubuntu or Ubuntu-based distros, we’d recommend selecting at least 4GB of RAM. Then, click “Next.While it supports Windows and Linux, creating an OS image is vastly different between the two. For example, choose Ubuntu for an Ubuntu-based distro like Pop!_OS or Linux Mint.Īllocate the RAM using the slider or enter the value in the text box. If your distro isn’t listed, choose the closest distro, or the one it’s based on. RELATED: The Best Linux Distributions for BeginnersĮnter a name for your Virtual Machine, choose a location you want to save it in, change the type to “Linux”, and set the version to the distro you’re using. If you haven’t already, choose a distro and start downloading the ISO so that it’s ready by the time we reach the step where we load it into the VM. The steps for installing Linux in VirtualBox are pretty much the same on Windows, Linux, and macOS. Ubuntu Linux: Which Distro Should You Choose? Installing Linux in VirtualBox If you’re stuck, learn how to install a DEB file and an RPM file in Linux. Download the relevant package and double-click on it to install VirtualBox. Ubuntu and Debian use DEB files, whereas Fedora, OpenSUSE, RedHat Enterprise Linux, and CentOS use RPM files.
