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.