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1. Gitlab CI:

   • Tool used to keep template code centralized and updated.
   • Enables the creation of CI pipelines.
   • Utilizes Gitlab Runners with a shell executor.

2. Packer:

   • Created by Hashicorp, allows creating VM templates on various infrastructures using HCL syntax.
   • Used for vSphere, vCloud, Proxmox, Hyper-V, and public clouds like AWS and Google.

3. Terraform:

   • Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tool.
   • Used to manage, create, and destroy infrastructures.
   • Validates templates created by Packer.

4. Ansible:

   • Automation tool for interacting with Linux and Windows operating systems.
   • Used to manage package installation, updates, and upgrades needed for template creation.

5. Scripting:

   • Languages used during the pipeline process: Bash, Python, Powershell.

The Gitlab pipeline is structured into various stages and jobs:

• Stages:

  • packer
  • versioning
  • terraform
  • upload_vmware
  • info-db

• Jobs:

  • packer_create: Creation of the template with Packer.
  • clone_VM: Versioning and cloning of the VM.
  • versioning_template_5: Versioning through PowerShell script.
  • terraform_create: Utilization of Terraform for VM creation.
  • change_conf_nics: Modification of NIC configuration with govc.
  • terraform_destroy_valid: Destroy the infrastructure (manual).
  • terraform_destroy_invalid: Destroy the infrastructure in case of an invalid template (manual).
  • upload_content-library: Upload the template to the VMware Content Library.
  • update-info-db: Update the information database.

The pipeline follows a logical structure and employs concepts such as "needs" to define dependencies between jobs, "before_script" to execute scripts before the job starts, "when" to manually execute some jobs, "dependencies" to specify job dependencies, and "artifacts" to export files created during job execution.

The pipeline is divided into three main phases:

1. Template Creation (+ Package Installation):

   • Utilizes Packer with HCL configuration files.
   • Allows running commands, scripts, or even Ansible during the build.

2. Template Validation:

   • Uses Terraform to create a VM from the Packer template.
   • Allows human validation of the infrastructure.

3. Upload to Content Library (Varies Based on Hypervisor):

   • Uploads the template to the specific Content Library (e.g., vCenter).

1. Packer Configuration File (ubuntu2004.pkr.hcl):

   • Defines the Hyper-V plugin and the build.
   • Configures variables, boot commands, and provisioners (shell or Ansible).

2. Terraform Configuration File:

   • Hyper-V provider, definition of VM resources, network settings, and integration with the Packer template.

3. VMware Upload Pipeline (upload_content-library):

   • Uses govc commands to remove, clone, and destroy VMs, and uploads to the Content Library.

The document provides a detailed overview, explaining the logic and structure of each pipeline phase and providing examples of configuration files.