- VMware vSphere 5.1 Cookbook
- Abhilash GB
- 389字
- 2021-08-13 16:56:33
Introduction
As the name suggests, the ESXi Image Builder is used to build ESXi bootable images. It is particularly useful when there is a need to custom-build an ESXi Image. For example, it can be used to custom-build ESXi Images with an updated device driver, for use in your vSphere Environment. VMware Auto Deploy leverages this ability of the ESXi Image Builder, to deploy stateless ESXi hosts.
The Image Builder requires the following data to proceed:
- An ESXi Offline Bundle
- Driver/Software Offline Bundles from the vendor-partners
- VMware PowerCLI
Once you have all the required data, you can use ESXi Image Builder cmdlets to create an Image Profile using the ESXi offline depot.
The following task-flow is generally used to form an Image Profile:
- Add the ESXi and the Driver/Software Offline Bundles to the software depot.
- Clone a base profile and custom add/remove the VIBs.
- Save or export the Image Profile to an ISO file, which can then be used to install/AutoDeploy new ESXi hosts.
The ESXi Image builder doesn't need a separate installation. The vSphere PowerCLI has the Image Builder snap-in built into it. You should be ready to go once you have VMware vSphere PowerCLI 5.1 installed.
Offline Bundle
An Offline Bundle is an archive that is available for download from VMware or from the OEM's website for use with ESXi Image Builder. The bundle can either be the entire ESXi Image or it can be a driver bundle. It is a collection of VIBs. This is the first thing that the Image Builder will need to perform any of its tasks. It is also referred to as a Software Depot.
VIB (vSphere Installation Bundle)
A VIB or a vSphere Installation Bundle is a packaged archive that contains a file archive, an XML configuration file and a signature file. Most of the hardware OEMs package their device driver bundles as VIBs.
Image Profiles
An Image Profile is a predefined or custom-defined set of VIBs that can be addressed as a package. All the VMware ESXi Offline Bundles will have more than one VMware-defined Image Profiles. The Image Profiles are used to deploy, upgrade, and patch Auto Deployed ESXi servers. Read Chapter 3, vSphere Auto Deploy, to learn how to Auto Deploy ESXi servers.
Note
All the recipes discussed in this chapter will be performed using vSphere PowerCLI 5.1