Lab Automation: Unattended Windows Deployments including AD Forests, Domains and SQL server – Part VI: Creating and configuring the VM

Now that we have all the supporting material lets create a short PowerShell script that creates the VM with:

User specified hardware settings
Correct boot environment
Additional CD ROM for answer files
Mounts the ISOs
Starts the VM
Launches VMware Remote Console (so that we can watch our baby grow! )

PowerShell Script

Function newAutoDeployedVM
{
    Param(
    [Parameter(mandatory=$true)]
    [String]$target,
    [Parameter(mandatory=$true)]
    [Array]$domainDetails,
    [Parameter(mandatory=$true)]
    [String]$environmentType,
    [Parameter(mandatory=$true)]
    [Array]$sharedDetails,
    [Parameter(mandatory=$true)]
    [String]$machinetype,
    [Parameter(mandatory=$true)]
    [String]$CPU,
    [Parameter(mandatory=$true)]
    [String]$memory,
    [Parameter(mandatory=$true)]
    [String]$disk
    )

    #Set Variables to use from inputs
    $Global:primaryEsxiUsername = $sharedDetails.hostCredentials.esxiUsername
    $Global:primaryEsxiPassword = $sharedDetails.hostCredentials.esxiPassword
    $Global:primaryEsxiDatastore = $domainDetails.nfs.DatastoreName
    $Global:primaryEsxiHost = $domainDetails.hosts[0].mgmtIp
    $Global:PrimaryEsxiNetwork = $domainDetails.network.vmPortgroupName
    connectHost $domainDetails.hosts[0] $sharedDetails
    LogMessage "Creating $($domainDetails.templates.$machinetype.machinename) on $primaryEsxiHost"
    
    #Create VM with variables passed for VM Spec
    New-VM -Name $vmName -Datastore $primaryEsxiDatastore -NumCPU $CPU -MemoryGB $memory -DiskGB $disk -NetworkName $PrimaryEsxiNetwork -Floppy -CD -DiskStorageFormat Thin -GuestID windows9Server64Guest

    #Change NIC to VMXNET3
    LogMessage "Setting Network Adapter to VMXNET3"
    Get-VM -name $vmName | Get-NetworkAdapter | Set-NetworkAdapter -Type Vmxnet3 -confirm:$false  | Out-File $logFile -encoding ASCII -append
    
    #Set first CD-ROM to combined binaries ISO on specifed datastore
    $customIsoPath = '['+$primaryEsxiDatastore+"] \ISOs\combined-windows-sql-custom-installer.iso"
    LogMessage "Mounting $customIsoPath to CD 1"
    $cd = Get-VM -name $vmName | Get-CDDrive
    Set-CDDrive -cd $cd -IsoPath $customIsoPath -StartConnected:$true -confirm:$false | Out-File $logFile -encoding ASCII -append
    
    #Add second CD-ROM. Set to relevant answerfiles ISO on specifed datastore
    $configIsoPath = '['+$primaryEsxiDatastore+"] \ISOs\$environment-$($domainDetails.templates.$machinetype.machinename)-answerfiles.iso"
    LogMessage "Mounting $configIsoPath to CD 2"
    $vm = Get-VM $vmName 
    New-CDDrive -vm $vm -ISOPath $configIsoPath -StartConnected:$true | Out-File $logFile -encoding ASCII -append

    #Set correct boot firmware type
    LogMessage "Reconfiguring Boot Firmware Type to EFI"
    $spec = New-Object VMware.Vim.VirtualMachineConfigSpec
    $spec.Firmware = [VMware.Vim.GuestOsDescriptorFirmwareType]::efi
    $vm.ExtensionData.ReconfigVM($spec)

    # Start VM
    LogMessage "Starting $($domainDetails.templates.$machinetype.machinename). Please monitor VM Console for completion"
    $vm | start-vm | Out-File $logFile -encoding ASCII -append #| Out-Null

    #Opening Console of new VM
    LogMessage "Opening Console of $($domainDetails.templates.$machinetype.machinename) if VMRC is installed"
    $ServiceInstance = Get-View -Id ServiceInstance
    $SessionManager = Get-View -Id $ServiceInstance.Content.SessionManager
    $vmrcURI = "vmrc://clone:" + ($SessionManager.AcquireCloneTicket()) + "@" + $global:DefaultVIServer.Name + "/?moid=" + $vm.ExtensionData.MoRef.Value
    Start-Process -FilePath $vmrcURI
    Disconnect-viserver * -confirm:$false
}

Ok. Thats all you need to get your first VM done. I’ll add more posts in the next week or two with the specifics for automating the other types of VMs I promised.