Building images for Windows

We can use New-WindowsOnlineImage in windows-openstack-imaging-tools tool as an option to create Windows images (whole disk images) corresponding boot modes which will support for Windows NIC Teaming. And allow the utilization of link aggregation when the instance is spawned on hardware servers (Bare metals).

Requirements:

• A Microsoft Windows Server Operating System along with Hyper-V virtualization enabled, PowerShell version >=4 supported, Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit, in short Windows ADK.

• The windows Server compatible drivers.

• Working git environment.

Preparation:

• Download a Windows Server 2012R2/ 2016 installation ISO.

• Install Windows Server 2012R2/ 2016 OS on workstation PC along with following feature:

  • Enable Hyper-V virtualization.

  • Install PowerShell 4.0.

  • Install Git environment & import git proxy (if have).

  • Create new Path in Microsoft Windows Server Operating System which support for submodule update via git submodule update –init command:

    - Variable name: Path
    - Variable value: C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\;C:\Program Files\Git\bin
    

  • Rename virtual switch name in Windows Server 2012R2/ 2016 in Virtual Switch Manager into external.

Implementation:

• Step 1: Create folders: C:\<folder_name_1> where output images will be located, C:\<folder_name_2> where you need to place the necessary hardware drivers.

• Step 2: Copy and extract necessary hardware drivers in C:\<folder_name_2>.

• Step 3: Insert or burn Windows Server 2016 ISO to D:\.

• Step 4: Download windows-openstack-imaging-tools tools.

  git clone https://github.com/cloudbase/windows-openstack-imaging-tools.git
  

• Step 5: Create & running script create-windows-cloud-image.ps1:

  git submodule update --init
  Import-Module WinImageBuilder.psm1
  $windowsImagePath = "C:\<folder_name_1>\<output_file_name>.qcow2"
  $VirtIOISOPath = "C:\<folder_name_1>\virtio.iso"
  $virtIODownloadLink = "https://fedorapeople.org/groups/virt/virtio-win/direct-downloads/archive-virtio/virtio-win-0.1.133-2/virtio-win.iso"
  (New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadFile($virtIODownloadLink, $VirtIOISOPath)
  $wimFilePath = "D:\sources\install.wim"
  $extraDriversPath = "C:\<folder_name_2>\"
  $image = (Get-WimFileImagesInfo -WimFilePath $wimFilePath)[1]
  $switchName = 'external'
  New-WindowsOnlineImage -WimFilePath $wimFilePath
    -ImageName $image.ImageName ` -WindowsImagePath $windowsImagePath -Type 'KVM' -ExtraFeatures @() `
    -SizeBytes 20GB -CpuCores 2 -Memory 2GB -SwitchName $switchName ` -ProductKey $productKey -DiskLayout 'BIOS' `
    -ExtraDriversPath $extraDriversPath ` -InstallUpdates:$false -AdministratorPassword 'Pa$$w0rd' `
    -PurgeUpdates:$true -DisableSwap:$true
  

  After executing this command you will get two output files, first one being “C:<folder_name_1><output_file_name>.qcow2”, which is the resulting windows whole disk image and “C:<folder_name_1>virtio.iso”, which is virtio iso contains all the synthetic drivers for the KVM hypervisor.

  See example_windows_images for more details and examples.

  Note

  We can change SizeBytes, CpuCores and Memory depending on requirements.