vmware_guest – Manages virtual machines in vCenter¶
Synopsis¶
- This module can be used to create new virtual machines from templates or other virtual machines, manage power state of virtual machine such as power on, power off, suspend, shutdown, reboot, restart etc., modify various virtual machine components like network, disk, customization etc., rename a virtual machine and remove a virtual machine with associated components.
Requirements¶
The below requirements are needed on the host that executes this module.
- python >= 2.6
- PyVmomi
Parameters¶
Parameter | Choices/Defaults | Comments |
---|---|---|
annotation
-
|
A note or annotation to include in the virtual machine.
|
|
cdrom
-
added in 2.5 |
A CD-ROM configuration for the virtual machine.
Or a list of CD-ROMs configuration for the virtual machine. Added in version 2.9.
Parameters
controller_type , controller_number , unit_number , state are added for a list of CD-ROMs configuration support.Valid attributes are:
-
type (string): The type of CD-ROM, valid options are none , client or iso . With none the CD-ROM will be disconnected but present.-
iso_path (string): The datastore path to the ISO file to use, in the form of [datastore1] path/to/file.iso . Required if type is set iso .-
controller_type (string): Default value is ide . Only ide controller type for CD-ROM is supported for now, will add SATA controller type in the future.-
controller_number (int): For ide controller, valid value is 0 or 1.-
unit_number (int): For CD-ROM device attach to ide controller, valid value is 0 or 1. controller_number and unit_number are mandatory attributes.-
state (string): Valid value is present or absent . Default is present . If set to absent , then the specified CD-ROM will be removed. For ide controller, hot-add or hot-remove CD-ROM is not supported. |
|
cluster
-
|
The cluster name where the virtual machine will run.
This is a required parameter, if
esxi_hostname is not set.esxi_hostname and cluster are mutually exclusive parameters.This parameter is case sensitive.
|
|
convert
-
added in 2.8 |
|
Specify convert disk type while cloning template or virtual machine.
|
customization
-
|
Parameters for OS customization when cloning from the template or the virtual machine, or apply to the existing virtual machine directly.
Not all operating systems are supported for customization with respective vCenter version, please check VMware documentation for respective OS customization.
For supported customization operating system matrix, (see http://partnerweb.vmware.com/programs/guestOS/guest-os-customization-matrix.pdf)
All parameters and VMware object names are case sensitive.
Linux based OSes requires Perl package to be installed for OS customizations.
Common parameters (Linux/Windows):
-
existing_vm (bool): If set to True , do OS customization on the specified virtual machine directly. If set to False or not specified, do OS customization when cloning from the template or the virtual machine. version_added: 2.8-
dns_servers (list): List of DNS servers to configure.-
dns_suffix (list): List of domain suffixes, also known as DNS search path (default: domain parameter).-
domain (string): DNS domain name to use.-
hostname (string): Computer hostname (default: shorted name parameter). Allowed characters are alphanumeric (uppercase and lowercase) and minus, rest of the characters are dropped as per RFC 952.Parameters related to Linux customization:
-
timezone (string): Timezone (See List of supported time zones for different vSphere versions in Linux/Unix systems (2145518) https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/2145518). version_added: 2.9-
hwclockUTC (bool): Specifies whether the hardware clock is in UTC or local time. True when the hardware clock is in UTC, False when the hardware clock is in local time. version_added: 2.9Parameters related to Windows customization:
-
autologon (bool): Auto logon after virtual machine customization (default: False).-
autologoncount (int): Number of autologon after reboot (default: 1).-
domainadmin (string): User used to join in AD domain (mandatory with joindomain ).-
domainadminpassword (string): Password used to join in AD domain (mandatory with joindomain ).-
fullname (string): Server owner name (default: Administrator).-
joindomain (string): AD domain to join (Not compatible with joinworkgroup ).-
joinworkgroup (string): Workgroup to join (Not compatible with joindomain , default: WORKGROUP).-
orgname (string): Organisation name (default: ACME).-
password (string): Local administrator password.-
productid (string): Product ID.-
runonce (list): List of commands to run at first user logon.-
timezone (int): Timezone (See https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms912391.aspx). |
|
customization_spec
-
added in 2.6 |
Unique name identifying the requested customization specification.
This parameter is case sensitive.
If set, then overrides
customization parameter values. |
|
customvalues
-
|
Define a list of custom values to set on virtual machine.
A custom value object takes two fields
key and value .Incorrect key and values will be ignored.
|
|
datacenter
-
|
Default: "ha-datacenter"
|
Destination datacenter for the deploy operation.
This parameter is case sensitive.
|
datastore
-
added in 2.7 |
Specify datastore or datastore cluster to provision virtual machine.
This parameter takes precedence over "disk.datastore" parameter.
This parameter can be used to override datastore or datastore cluster setting of the virtual machine when deployed from the template.
Please see example for more usage.
|
|
disk
-
|
A list of disks to add.
This parameter is case sensitive.
Shrinking disks is not supported.
Removing existing disks of the virtual machine is not supported.
Valid attributes are:
-
size_[tb,gb,mb,kb] (integer): Disk storage size in specified unit.-
type (string): Valid values are:-
thin thin disk-
eagerzeroedthick eagerzeroedthick disk, added in version 2.5Default:
None thick disk, no eagerzero.-
datastore (string): The name of datastore which will be used for the disk. If autoselect_datastore is set to True, then will select the less used datastore whose name contains this "disk.datastore" string.-
filename (string): Existing disk image to be used. Filename must already exist on the datastore.Specify filename string in
[datastore_name] path/to/file.vmdk format. Added in version 2.8.-
autoselect_datastore (bool): select the less used datastore. "disk.datastore" and "disk.autoselect_datastore" will not be used if datastore is specified outside this disk configuration.-
disk_mode (string): Type of disk mode. Added in version 2.6- Available options are :
-
persistent : Changes are immediately and permanently written to the virtual disk. This is default.-
independent_persistent : Same as persistent, but not affected by snapshots.-
independent_nonpersistent : Changes to virtual disk are made to a redo log and discarded at power off, but not affected by snapshots. |
|
esxi_hostname
-
|
The ESXi hostname where the virtual machine will run.
This is a required parameter, if
cluster is not set.esxi_hostname and cluster are mutually exclusive parameters.This parameter is case sensitive.
|
|
folder
-
|
Destination folder, absolute path to find an existing guest or create the new guest.
The folder should include the datacenter. ESX's datacenter is ha-datacenter.
This parameter is case sensitive.
This parameter is required, while deploying new virtual machine. version_added 2.5.
If multiple machines are found with same name, this parameter is used to identify uniqueness of the virtual machine. version_added 2.5
Examples:
folder: /ha-datacenter/vm
folder: ha-datacenter/vm
folder: /datacenter1/vm
folder: datacenter1/vm
folder: /datacenter1/vm/folder1
folder: datacenter1/vm/folder1
folder: /folder1/datacenter1/vm
folder: folder1/datacenter1/vm
folder: /folder1/datacenter1/vm/folder2
|
|
force
boolean
|
|
Ignore warnings and complete the actions.
This parameter is useful while removing virtual machine which is powered on state.
This module reflects the VMware vCenter API and UI workflow, as such, in some cases the `force` flag will be mandatory to perform the action to ensure you are certain the action has to be taken, no matter what the consequence. This is specifically the case for removing a powered on the virtual machine when
state is set to absent . |
guest_id
-
|
Set the guest ID.
This parameter is case sensitive.
Examples:
virtual machine with RHEL7 64 bit, will be 'rhel7_64Guest'
virtual machine with CentOS 64 bit, will be 'centos64Guest'
virtual machine with Ubuntu 64 bit, will be 'ubuntu64Guest'
This field is required when creating a virtual machine, not required when creating from the template.
Valid values are referenced here: https://code.vmware.com/apis/358/doc/vim.vm.GuestOsDescriptor.GuestOsIdentifier.html
|
|
hardware
-
|
Manage virtual machine's hardware attributes.
All parameters case sensitive.
Valid attributes are:
-
hotadd_cpu (boolean): Allow virtual CPUs to be added while the virtual machine is running.-
hotremove_cpu (boolean): Allow virtual CPUs to be removed while the virtual machine is running. version_added: 2.5-
hotadd_memory (boolean): Allow memory to be added while the virtual machine is running.-
memory_mb (integer): Amount of memory in MB.-
nested_virt (bool): Enable nested virtualization. version_added: 2.5-
num_cpus (integer): Number of CPUs.-
num_cpu_cores_per_socket (integer): Number of Cores Per Socket.num_cpus must be a multiple of num_cpu_cores_per_socket . For example to create a VM with 2 sockets of 4 cores, specify num_cpus : 8 and num_cpu_cores_per_socket : 4-
scsi (string): Valid values are buslogic , lsilogic , lsilogicsas and paravirtual (default).-
memory_reservation_lock (boolean): If set true, memory resource reservation for the virtual machine will always be equal to the virtual machine's memory size. version_added: 2.5-
max_connections (integer): Maximum number of active remote display connections for the virtual machines. version_added: 2.5.-
mem_limit (integer): The memory utilization of a virtual machine will not exceed this limit. Unit is MB. version_added: 2.5-
mem_reservation (integer): The amount of memory resource that is guaranteed available to the virtual machine. Unit is MB. memory_reservation is alias to this. version_added: 2.5-
cpu_limit (integer): The CPU utilization of a virtual machine will not exceed this limit. Unit is MHz. version_added: 2.5-
cpu_reservation (integer): The amount of CPU resource that is guaranteed available to the virtual machine. Unit is MHz. version_added: 2.5-
version (integer): The Virtual machine hardware versions. Default is 10 (ESXi 5.5 and onwards). Please check VMware documentation for correct virtual machine hardware version. Incorrect hardware version may lead to failure in deployment. If hardware version is already equal to the given version then no action is taken. version_added: 2.6-
boot_firmware (string): Choose which firmware should be used to boot the virtual machine. Allowed values are "bios" and "efi". version_added: 2.7-
virt_based_security (bool): Enable Virtualization Based Security feature for Windows 10. (Support from Virtual machine hardware version 14, Guest OS Windows 10 64 bit, Windows Server 2016) |
|
hostname
string
|
The hostname or IP address of the vSphere vCenter or ESXi server.
If the value is not specified in the task, the value of environment variable
VMWARE_HOST will be used instead.Environment variable support added in Ansible 2.6.
|
|
is_template
boolean
|
|
Flag the instance as a template.
This will mark the given virtual machine as template.
|
linked_clone
boolean
added in 2.4 |
|
Whether to create a linked clone from the snapshot specified.
If specified, then
snapshot_src is required parameter. |
name
-
/ required
|
Name of the virtual machine to work with.
Virtual machine names in vCenter are not necessarily unique, which may be problematic, see
name_match .If multiple virtual machines with same name exists, then
folder is required parameter to identify uniqueness of the virtual machine.This parameter is required, if
state is set to poweredon , poweredoff , present , restarted , suspended and virtual machine does not exists.This parameter is case sensitive.
|
|
name_match
-
|
|
If multiple virtual machines matching the name, use the first or last found.
|
networks
-
|
A list of networks (in the order of the NICs).
Removing NICs is not allowed, while reconfiguring the virtual machine.
All parameters and VMware object names are case sensitive.
One of the below parameters is required per entry:
-
name (string): Name of the portgroup or distributed virtual portgroup for this interface. When specifying distributed virtual portgroup make sure given esxi_hostname or cluster is associated with it.-
vlan (integer): VLAN number for this interface.Optional parameters per entry (used for virtual hardware):
-
device_type (string): Virtual network device (one of e1000 , e1000e , pcnet32 , vmxnet2 , vmxnet3 (default), sriov ).-
mac (string): Customize MAC address.-
dvswitch_name (string): Name of the distributed vSwitch. This value is required if multiple distributed portgroups exists with the same name. version_added 2.7-
start_connected (bool): Indicates that virtual network adapter starts with associated virtual machine powers on. version_added: 2.5Optional parameters per entry (used for OS customization):
-
type (string): Type of IP assignment (either dhcp or static ). dhcp is default.-
ip (string): Static IP address (implies type: static ).-
netmask (string): Static netmask required for ip .-
gateway (string): Static gateway.-
dns_servers (string): DNS servers for this network interface (Windows).-
domain (string): Domain name for this network interface (Windows).-
wake_on_lan (bool): Indicates if wake-on-LAN is enabled on this virtual network adapter. version_added: 2.5-
allow_guest_control (bool): Enables guest control over whether the connectable device is connected. version_added: 2.5 |
|
password
string
|
The password of the vSphere vCenter or ESXi server.
If the value is not specified in the task, the value of environment variable
VMWARE_PASSWORD will be used instead.Environment variable support added in Ansible 2.6.
aliases: pass, pwd |
|
port
integer
added in 2.5 |
Default: 443
|
The port number of the vSphere vCenter or ESXi server.
If the value is not specified in the task, the value of environment variable
VMWARE_PORT will be used instead.Environment variable support added in Ansible 2.6.
|
proxy_host
string
added in 2.9 |
Address of a proxy that will receive all HTTPS requests and relay them.
The format is a hostname or a IP.
If the value is not specified in the task, the value of environment variable
VMWARE_PROXY_HOST will be used instead.This feature depends on a version of pyvmomi greater than v6.7.1.2018.12
|
|
proxy_port
integer
added in 2.9 |
Port of the HTTP proxy that will receive all HTTPS requests and relay them.
If the value is not specified in the task, the value of environment variable
VMWARE_PROXY_PORT will be used instead. |
|
resource_pool
-
|
Use the given resource pool for virtual machine operation.
This parameter is case sensitive.
Resource pool should be child of the selected host parent.
|
|
snapshot_src
-
added in 2.4 |
Name of the existing snapshot to use to create a clone of a virtual machine.
This parameter is case sensitive.
While creating linked clone using
linked_clone parameter, this parameter is required. |
|
state
-
|
|
Specify the state the virtual machine should be in.
If
state is set to present and virtual machine exists, ensure the virtual machine configurations conforms to task arguments.If
state is set to absent and virtual machine exists, then the specified virtual machine is removed with its associated components.If
state is set to one of the following poweredon , poweredoff , present , restarted , suspended and virtual machine does not exists, then virtual machine is deployed with given parameters.If
state is set to poweredon and virtual machine exists with powerstate other than powered on, then the specified virtual machine is powered on.If
state is set to poweredoff and virtual machine exists with powerstate other than powered off, then the specified virtual machine is powered off.If
state is set to restarted and virtual machine exists, then the virtual machine is restarted.If
state is set to suspended and virtual machine exists, then the virtual machine is set to suspended mode.If
state is set to shutdownguest and virtual machine exists, then the virtual machine is shutdown.If
state is set to rebootguest and virtual machine exists, then the virtual machine is rebooted. |
state_change_timeout
-
added in 2.6 |
Default: 0
|
If the
state is set to shutdownguest , by default the module will return immediately after sending the shutdown signal.If this argument is set to a positive integer, the module will instead wait for the virtual machine to reach the poweredoff state.
The value sets a timeout in seconds for the module to wait for the state change.
|
template
-
|
Template or existing virtual machine used to create new virtual machine.
If this value is not set, virtual machine is created without using a template.
If the virtual machine already exists, this parameter will be ignored.
This parameter is case sensitive.
You can also specify template or VM UUID for identifying source. version_added 2.8. Use
hw_product_uuid from vmware_guest_facts as UUID value.From version 2.8 onwards, absolute path to virtual machine or template can be used.
aliases: template_src |
|
use_instance_uuid
boolean
added in 2.8 |
|
Whether to use the VMware instance UUID rather than the BIOS UUID.
|
username
string
|
The username of the vSphere vCenter or ESXi server.
If the value is not specified in the task, the value of environment variable
VMWARE_USER will be used instead.Environment variable support added in Ansible 2.6.
aliases: admin, user |
|
uuid
-
|
UUID of the virtual machine to manage if known, this is VMware's unique identifier.
This is required if
name is not supplied.If virtual machine does not exists, then this parameter is ignored.
Please note that a supplied UUID will be ignored on virtual machine creation, as VMware creates the UUID internally.
|
|
validate_certs
boolean
|
|
Allows connection when SSL certificates are not valid. Set to
false when certificates are not trusted.If the value is not specified in the task, the value of environment variable
VMWARE_VALIDATE_CERTS will be used instead.Environment variable support added in Ansible 2.6.
If set to
yes , please make sure Python >= 2.7.9 is installed on the given machine. |
vapp_properties
-
added in 2.6 |
A list of vApp properties
For full list of attributes and types refer to: https://github.com/vmware/pyvmomi/blob/master/docs/vim/vApp/PropertyInfo.rst
Basic attributes are:
-
id (string): Property id - required.-
value (string): Property value.-
type (string): Value type, string type by default.-
operation : remove : This attribute is required only when removing properties. |
|
wait_for_customization
boolean
added in 2.8 |
|
Wait until vCenter detects all guest customizations as successfully completed.
When enabled, the VM will automatically be powered on.
|
wait_for_ip_address
boolean
|
|
Wait until vCenter detects an IP address for the virtual machine.
This requires vmware-tools (vmtoolsd) to properly work after creation.
vmware-tools needs to be installed on the given virtual machine in order to work with this parameter.
|
Notes¶
Note
- Please make sure that the user used for vmware_guest has the correct level of privileges.
- For example, following is the list of minimum privileges required by users to create virtual machines.
- DataStore > Allocate Space
- Virtual Machine > Configuration > Add New Disk
- Virtual Machine > Configuration > Add or Remove Device
- Virtual Machine > Inventory > Create New
- Network > Assign Network
- Resource > Assign Virtual Machine to Resource Pool
- Module may require additional privileges as well, which may be required for gathering facts - e.g. ESXi configurations.
- Tested on vSphere 5.5, 6.0, 6.5 and 6.7
- Use SCSI disks instead of IDE when you want to expand online disks by specifying a SCSI controller
- For additional information please visit Ansible VMware community wiki - https://github.com/ansible/community/wiki/VMware.
Examples¶
- name: Create a virtual machine on given ESXi hostname
vmware_guest:
hostname: "{{ vcenter_hostname }}"
username: "{{ vcenter_username }}"
password: "{{ vcenter_password }}"
validate_certs: no
folder: /DC1/vm/
name: test_vm_0001
state: poweredon
guest_id: centos64Guest
# This is hostname of particular ESXi server on which user wants VM to be deployed
esxi_hostname: "{{ esxi_hostname }}"
disk:
- size_gb: 10
type: thin
datastore: datastore1
hardware:
memory_mb: 512
num_cpus: 4
scsi: paravirtual
networks:
- name: VM Network
mac: aa:bb:dd:aa:00:14
ip: 10.10.10.100
netmask: 255.255.255.0
device_type: vmxnet3
wait_for_ip_address: yes
delegate_to: localhost
register: deploy_vm
- name: Create a virtual machine from a template
vmware_guest:
hostname: "{{ vcenter_hostname }}"
username: "{{ vcenter_username }}"
password: "{{ vcenter_password }}"
validate_certs: no
folder: /testvms
name: testvm_2
state: poweredon
template: template_el7
disk:
- size_gb: 10
type: thin
datastore: g73_datastore
hardware:
memory_mb: 512
num_cpus: 6
num_cpu_cores_per_socket: 3
scsi: paravirtual
memory_reservation_lock: True
mem_limit: 8096
mem_reservation: 4096
cpu_limit: 8096
cpu_reservation: 4096
max_connections: 5
hotadd_cpu: True
hotremove_cpu: True
hotadd_memory: False
version: 12 # Hardware version of virtual machine
boot_firmware: "efi"
cdrom:
type: iso
iso_path: "[datastore1] livecd.iso"
networks:
- name: VM Network
mac: aa:bb:dd:aa:00:14
wait_for_ip_address: yes
delegate_to: localhost
register: deploy
- name: Clone a virtual machine from Windows template and customize
vmware_guest:
hostname: "{{ vcenter_hostname }}"
username: "{{ vcenter_username }}"
password: "{{ vcenter_password }}"
validate_certs: no
datacenter: datacenter1
cluster: cluster
name: testvm-2
template: template_windows
networks:
- name: VM Network
ip: 192.168.1.100
netmask: 255.255.255.0
gateway: 192.168.1.1
mac: aa:bb:dd:aa:00:14
domain: my_domain
dns_servers:
- 192.168.1.1
- 192.168.1.2
- vlan: 1234
type: dhcp
customization:
autologon: yes
dns_servers:
- 192.168.1.1
- 192.168.1.2
domain: my_domain
password: new_vm_password
runonce:
- powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted -File C:\Windows\Temp\ConfigureRemotingForAnsible.ps1 -ForceNewSSLCert -EnableCredSSP
delegate_to: localhost
- name: Clone a virtual machine from Linux template and customize
vmware_guest:
hostname: "{{ vcenter_hostname }}"
username: "{{ vcenter_username }}"
password: "{{ vcenter_password }}"
validate_certs: no
datacenter: "{{ datacenter }}"
state: present
folder: /DC1/vm
template: "{{ template }}"
name: "{{ vm_name }}"
cluster: DC1_C1
networks:
- name: VM Network
ip: 192.168.10.11
netmask: 255.255.255.0
wait_for_ip_address: True
customization:
domain: "{{ guest_domain }}"
dns_servers:
- 8.9.9.9
- 7.8.8.9
dns_suffix:
- example.com
- example2.com
delegate_to: localhost
- name: Rename a virtual machine (requires the virtual machine's uuid)
vmware_guest:
hostname: "{{ vcenter_hostname }}"
username: "{{ vcenter_username }}"
password: "{{ vcenter_password }}"
validate_certs: no
uuid: "{{ vm_uuid }}"
name: new_name
state: present
delegate_to: localhost
- name: Remove a virtual machine by uuid
vmware_guest:
hostname: "{{ vcenter_hostname }}"
username: "{{ vcenter_username }}"
password: "{{ vcenter_password }}"
validate_certs: no
uuid: "{{ vm_uuid }}"
state: absent
delegate_to: localhost
- name: Manipulate vApp properties
vmware_guest:
hostname: "{{ vcenter_hostname }}"
username: "{{ vcenter_username }}"
password: "{{ vcenter_password }}"
validate_certs: no
name: vm_name
state: present
vapp_properties:
- id: remoteIP
category: Backup
label: Backup server IP
type: str
value: 10.10.10.1
- id: old_property
operation: remove
delegate_to: localhost
- name: Set powerstate of a virtual machine to poweroff by using UUID
vmware_guest:
hostname: "{{ vcenter_hostname }}"
username: "{{ vcenter_username }}"
password: "{{ vcenter_password }}"
validate_certs: no
uuid: "{{ vm_uuid }}"
state: poweredoff
delegate_to: localhost
- name: Deploy a virtual machine in a datastore different from the datastore of the template
vmware_guest:
hostname: "{{ vcenter_hostname }}"
username: "{{ vcenter_username }}"
password: "{{ vcenter_password }}"
name: "{{ vm_name }}"
state: present
template: "{{ template_name }}"
# Here datastore can be different which holds template
datastore: "{{ virtual_machine_datastore }}"
hardware:
memory_mb: 512
num_cpus: 2
scsi: paravirtual
delegate_to: localhost
Return Values¶
Common return values are documented here, the following are the fields unique to this module:
Key | Returned | Description |
---|---|---|
instance
dictionary
|
always |
metadata about the new virtual machine
Sample:
None
|
Status¶
- This module is not guaranteed to have a backwards compatible interface. [preview]
- This module is maintained by the Ansible Community. [community]
Authors¶
- Loic Blot (@nerzhul) <loic.blot@unix-experience.fr>
- Philippe Dellaert (@pdellaert) <philippe@dellaert.org>
- Abhijeet Kasurde (@Akasurde) <akasurde@redhat.com>
Hint
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