COT (the Common OVF Tool) is a tool for editing
Open Virtualization Format
(.ovf, .ova) virtual appliances, with a focus on virtualized network
appliances such as the Cisco CSR 1000V
and Cisco IOS XRv platforms.
COT's capabilities include:
- Add a disk or other file to an OVF/OVA
- Edit OVF hardware information (CPUs, RAM, NICs, configuration profiles, etc.)
- Edit product description information in an OVF/OVA
- Edit OVF environment properties
- Display a descriptive summary of the contents of an OVA or OVF package
- Embed a bootstrap configuration text file into an OVF/OVA.
- COT requires either Python 2.7 or Python 3.
- The
cot add-diskcommand requires vmdktool and qemu-img as helper programs when adding hard disks to an OVF. - The
cot inject-configcommand requires mkisofs to create ISO (CD-ROM) images and fatdisk to create hard disk images. - COT's automated unit tests make use of (but do not require) ovftool to perform additional verification that OVFs and OVAs created by COT align with VMWare's expectations for these file types.
The recommended installation method on Mac OS X is to use MacPorts. Once you have MacPorts set up on your system, use the following commands to install the necessary helpers:
# mkisofs
sudo port install cdrtools
# qemu-img
sudo port install qemu
# vmdktool
sudo port install vmdktool
# fatdisk
sudo port install fatdisk
If running Mountain Lion or earlier, you may need to install the latest Python via MacPorts as well:
# python
sudo port install python27
# python setup-tools module
sudo port install py27-setuptools
Optionally, download ovftool from VMware and install it.
Then proceed as documented in "Installing COT" below.
The specifics may vary depending on your Linux distribution, of course.
# qemu-img
sudo apt-get install qemu
# vmdktool
wget http://people.freebsd.org/~brian/vmdktool/vmdktool-1.3.tar.gz
tar zxf vmdktool-1.3.tar.gz
cd vmdktool-1.3/
make
sudo make install
# python setuptools module
sudo apt-get install python-setuptools
# fatdisk
git clone git://github.com/goblinhack/fatdisk
cd fatdisk
./RUNME
cp ./fatdisk /usr/local/bin/fatdisk
Then proceed as described in "Installing COT" below.
While you can run COT directly from this directory (./bin/cot ...),
you can also use the included setup.py script to install the COT
modules and scripts as part of your system Python environment:
> python ./setup.py check
running check
> python ./setup.py build
running build
running build_py
> python ./setup.py test
running test
(verbose test case output omitted here for brevity)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ran 115 tests in 28.222s
OK
(If any tests fail, likely due to missing binary dependencies described above, the failures will be reported here, giving you a chance to fix them or ignore them before installing COT.)
> sudo python ./setup.py install
Password:
running install
(verbose install output omitted)
Installing cot script to /usr/local/bin
Installed /usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/common_ovf_tool-1.0.0rc5-py2.7.egg
Processing dependencies for common-ovf-tool==1.0.0rc5
Finished processing dependencies for common-ovf-tool==1.0.0rc5
> which cot
/usr/local/bin/cot
(the specific installation path will depend on your OS and system)
> cot -h
usage:
cot --help
cot --version
cot <command> --help
cot [-f] [-v] <command> <options>
Common OVF Tool (COT)
A tool for editing Open Virtualization Format (.ovf, .ova) virtual appliances,
with a focus on virtualized network appliances such as the Cisco CSR 1000V and
Cisco IOS XRv platforms.
...
Displaying a summary of OVA contents:
cot info --brief iosxrv.5.1.1.ova
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
iosxrv.5.1.1.ova
COT detected platform type: IOS XRv
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Product: Cisco IOS XRv
Vendor: Cisco Systems, Inc.
Version: 5.1.1
Files and Disks: File Size Capacity Device
---------- ---------- --------------------
iosxrv.vmdk 271.59 MB 3.00 GB harddisk @ IDE 0:0
Hardware Variants:
System types: vmx-08 Cisco:Internal:VMCloud-01
Network card types: virtio E1000
Configuration Profiles: CPUs Memory NICs Serials Disks/Capacity
---- --------- ------ ------- ---------------
1CPU-3GB-2NIC (default) 1 3.00 GB 2 2 1 / 3.00 GB
2CPU-4GB-8NIC 2 4.00 GB 8 2 1 / 3.00 GB
4CPU-6GB-10NIC 4 6.00 GB 10 2 1 / 3.00 GB
4CPU-6GB-16NIC 4 6.00 GB 16 2 1 / 3.00 GB
8CPU-8GB-10NIC 8 8.00 GB 10 2 1 / 3.00 GB
8CPU-8GB-32NIC 8 8.00 GB 32 2 1 / 3.00 GB
Adding a custom hardware configuration profile to an OVA:
cot edit-hardware csr1000v.ova --output csr1000v_custom.ova \
--profile 1CPU-4GB --cpus 1 --memory 4GB
Interactively customizing environment settings in an OVA:
cot edit-properties COT/tests/input.ovf --output output.ovf
Please choose a property to edit:
1) "Login Username" (login-username)
2) "Login Password" (login-password)
3) "Management IPv4 Address/Mask" (mgmt-ipv4-addr)
4) "Management IPv4 Default Gateway" (mgmt-ipv4-gateway)
5) "Router Name" (hostname)
6) "Enable SSH Login" (enable-ssh-server)
7) "Enable HTTP Server" (enable-http-server)
8) "Enable HTTPS Server" (enable-https-server)
9) "Enable Password" (privilege-password)
10) "Domain Name" (domain-name)
Enter property number to edit, or "q" to quit and write changes [q] 3
Key: "mgmt-ipv4-addr"
Label: "Management IPv4 Address/Mask"
Description: "IPv4 address and mask for management interface (such
as "10.1.1.100/24" or "10.1.1.100 255.255.255.0"), or
"dhcp" to configure via DHCP"
Type: "string"
Qualifiers: "MaxLen(33)"
Current Value: ""
New value for this property [] 10.1.1.100/24
Successfully set the value of property "mgmt-ipv4-addr" to "10.1.1.100/24"
Please choose a property to edit:
1) "Login Username" (login-username)
2) "Login Password" (login-password)
3) "Management IPv4 Address/Mask" (mgmt-ipv4-addr)
4) "Management IPv4 Default Gateway" (mgmt-ipv4-gateway)
5) "Router Name" (hostname)
6) "Enable SSH Login" (enable-ssh-server)
7) "Enable HTTP Server" (enable-http-server)
8) "Enable HTTPS Server" (enable-https-server)
9) "Enable Password" (privilege-password)
10) "Domain Name" (domain-name)
Enter property number to edit, or "q" to quit and write changes [q] q
Non-interactively customizing environment properties:
cot edit-properties COT/tests/input.ovf --output output.ovf \
--properties mgmt-ipv4-addr=10.1.1.100/24 \
mgmt-ipv4-gateway=10.1.1.1
You can always get detailed help for COT by running cot --help or
cot <command> --help.
> cot --help
usage:
cot --help
cot --version
cot <command> --help
cot [-f] [-v] <command> <options>
Common OVF Tool (COT)
A tool for editing Open Virtualization Format (.ovf, .ova) virtual appliances,
with a focus on virtualized network appliances such as the Cisco CSR 1000V and
Cisco IOS XRv platforms.
optional arguments:
-h, --help show this help message and exit
-V, --version show program's version number and exit
-f, --force Perform requested actions without prompting for
confirmation
-v, --verbose Increase verbosity of the program (repeatable)
commands:
<command>
add-disk Add a disk image to an OVF package and map it as a disk in
the guest environment
add-file Add a file to an OVF package
edit-hardware Edit virtual machine hardware properties of an OVF
edit-product Edit product info in an OVF
edit-properties
Edit environment properties of an OVF
info Generate a description of an OVF package
inject-config Inject a configuration file into an OVF package
Note: some subcommands rely on external software tools, including:
* vmdktool (http://www.freshports.org/sysutils/vmdktool/)
* qemu-img (http://www.qemu.org/)
* mkisofs (ftp://ftp.berlios.de/pub/cdrecord/)
> cot add-disk --help
usage:
cot add-disk --help
cot [-f] [-v] add-disk DISK_IMAGE PACKAGE [-o OUTPUT]
[-f FILE_ID] [-t {harddisk,cdrom}]
[-c {ide,scsi}] [-s SUBTYPE] [-a ADDRESS]
[-d DESCRIPTION] [-n DISKNAME]
Add or replace a disk image in the specified OVF or OVA. If the specified disk
image, controller/address, file-id, and/or instance match an existing entry in
the OVF, will replace the existing disk with the provided file (prompting for
confirmation if --force was not set); otherwise, will create a new disk entry.
positional arguments:
DISK_IMAGE Disk image file to add to the package
PACKAGE OVF descriptor or OVA file to edit
general options:
-h, --help Show this help message and exit
-o OUTPUT, --output OUTPUT
Name/path of new OVF/OVA package to create instead of
updating the existing OVF
disk-related options:
-f FILE_ID, --file-id FILE_ID
Disk image file ID string within the OVF package
(default: same as disk image filename)
-t {harddisk,cdrom}, --type {harddisk,cdrom}
Disk type (default: files ending in
.vmdk/.raw/.qcow2/.img will use harddisk and files
ending in .iso will use cdrom)
controller-related options:
-c {ide,scsi}, --controller {ide,scsi}
Disk controller type (default: determined by disk type
and platform)
-a ADDRESS, --address ADDRESS
Address of the disk, such as "1:0". Requires that
--controller be explicitly set. (default: use first
unused address on the controller)
-s SUBTYPE, --subtype SUBTYPE
Disk controller subtype such as "virtio" or
"lsilogic".
descriptive options:
-d DESCRIPTION, --description DESCRIPTION
Description of this disk (optional)
-n DISKNAME, --name DISKNAME
Name of this disk (default: "Hard disk #" or "CD-ROM
#" as appropriate)
> cot add-file --help
usage:
cot add-file --help
cot [-f] [-v] add-file FILE PACKAGE [-o OUTPUT] [-f FILE_ID]
Add or replace a file in the given OVF. If the specified file and/or file-id
match existing package contents, will replace it (prompting for confirmation
if --force was not set); otherwise, will create a new file entry.
positional arguments:
FILE File to add to the package
PACKAGE Package, OVF descriptor or OVA file to edit
optional arguments:
-h, --help show this help message and exit
-o OUTPUT, --output OUTPUT
Name/path of new VM package to create instead of
updating the existing package
-f FILE_ID, --file-id FILE_ID
File ID string within the package (default: same as
filename)
> cot edit-hardware --help
usage:
cot edit-hardware --help
cot [-f] [-v] edit-hardware PACKAGE [-o OUTPUT] -v TYPE [TYPE2 ...]
cot [-f] [-v] edit-hardware PACKAGE [-o OUTPUT] [-p PROFILE [PROFILE2 ...]]
[-c CPUS] [-m MEMORY]
[-n NICS] [--nic-type {e1000,virtio,vmxnet3}]
[-N NETWORK [NETWORK2 ...]] [-M MAC1 [MAC2 ...]]
[-s SERIAL_PORTS] [-S URI1 [URI2 ...]]
[--scsi-subtype SCSI_SUBTYPE]
[--ide-subtype IDE_SUBTYPE]
Edit hardware properties of the specified OVF or OVA
positional arguments:
PACKAGE OVF descriptor or OVA file to edit
general options:
-h, --help Show this help message and exit
-o OUTPUT, --output OUTPUT
Name/path of new OVF/OVA package to create instead of
updating the existing OVF
-v TYPE [TYPE2 ...], --virtual-system-type TYPE [TYPE2 ...]
Change virtual system type(s) supported by this
OVF/OVA package.
-p PROFILE [PROFILE2 ...], --profiles PROFILE [PROFILE2 ...]
Make hardware changes only under the specified
configuration profile(s). (default: changes apply to
all profiles)
computational hardware options:
-c CPUS, --cpus CPUS Set the number of CPUs.
-m MEMORY, --memory MEMORY
Set the amount of RAM. (Examples: "4096MB", "4GB")
network interface options:
-n NICS, --nics NICS Set the number of NICs.
--nic-type {e1000,virtio,vmxnet3}
Set the hardware type for all NICs. (default: do not
change existing NICs, and new NICs added will match
the existing type.)
-N NETWORK [NETWORK2 ...], --nic-networks NETWORK [NETWORK2 ...]
Specify a series of one or more network names to map
NICs to. If N network names are specified, the first
(N-1) NICs will be mapped to the first (N-1) networks
and all remaining NICs will be mapped to the Nth
network.
-M MAC1 [MAC2 ...], --mac-addresses-list MAC1 [MAC2 ...]
Specify a list of MAC addresses for the NICs. If N
MACs are specified, the first (N-1) NICs will receive
the first (N-1) MACs, and all remaining NICs will
receive the Nth MAC
serial port options:
-s SERIAL_PORTS, --serial-ports SERIAL_PORTS
Set the number of serial ports.
-S URI1 [URI2 ...], --serial-connectivity URI1 [URI2 ...]
Specify a series of connectivity strings (URIs such as
"telnet://localhost:9101") to map serial ports to. If
fewer URIs than serial ports are specified, the
remaining ports will be unmapped.
disk and disk controller options:
--scsi-subtype SCSI_SUBTYPE
Set resource subtype (such as "lsilogic" or "virtio")
for all SCSI controllers. If an empty string is
provided, any existing subtype will be removed.
--ide-subtype IDE_SUBTYPE
Set resource subtype (such as "virtio") for all IDE
controllers. If an empty string is provided, any
existing subtype will be removed.
> cot edit-product --help
usage:
cot edit-product --help
cot [-f] [-v] edit-product PACKAGE [-o OUTPUT]
[-v SHORT_VERSION] [-V FULL_VERSION]
Edit product information attributes of the given OVF or OVA
positional arguments:
PACKAGE OVF descriptor or OVA file to edit
optional arguments:
-h, --help show this help message and exit
-o OUTPUT, --output OUTPUT
Name/path of new OVF/OVA package to create instead of
updating the existing OVF
-v SHORT_VERSION, --version SHORT_VERSION
Software short version string, such as "15.3(4)S" or
"5.2.0.01I"
-V FULL_VERSION, --full-version FULL_VERSION
Software long version string, such as "Cisco IOS-XE
Software, Version 15.3(4)S"
> cot edit-properties --help
usage:
cot edit-properties --help
cot [-f] [-v] edit-properties PACKAGE -p KEY1=VALUE1 [KEY2=VALUE2 ...]
[-o OUTPUT]
cot [-f] [-v] edit-properties PACKAGE -c CONFIG_FILE [-o OUTPUT]
cot [-f] [-v] edit-properties PACKAGE [-o OUTPUT]
Configure environment properties of the given OVF or OVA. The user may specify
key-value pairs as command-line arguments or may provide a config-file to read
from. If neither are specified, the program will run interactively.
positional arguments:
PACKAGE OVF descriptor or OVA file to edit
general options:
-h, --help Show this help message and exit
-o OUTPUT, --output OUTPUT
Name/path of new OVF/OVA package to create instead of
updating the existing OVF
property setting options:
-c CONFIG_FILE, --config-file CONFIG_FILE
Read configuration CLI from this text file and
generate generic properties for each line of CLI
-p KEY1=VALUE1 [KEY2=VALUE2 ...], --properties KEY1=VALUE1 [KEY2=VALUE2 ...]
Set the given property key-value pairs
> cot info -h
usage:
cot info --help
cot info [-b | -v] PACKAGE [PACKAGE ...]
Show a summary of the contents of the given OVF(s) and/or OVA(s).
positional arguments:
PACKAGE [PACKAGE ...]
OVF descriptor(s) and/or OVA file(s) to describe
optional arguments:
-h, --help show this help message and exit
-b, --brief Brief output (shorter)
-v, --verbose Verbose output (longer)
> cot inject-config -h
usage:
cot inject-config --help
cot [-f] [-v] inject-config PACKAGE -c CONFIG_FILE [-o OUTPUT]
cot [-f] [-v] inject-config PACKAGE -s SECONDARY_CONFIG_FILE [-o OUTPUT]
cot [-f] [-v] inject-config PACKAGE -c CONFIG_FILE
-s SECONDARY_CONFIG_FILE [-o OUTPUT]
Add one or more "bootstrap" configuration file(s) to the given OVF or OVA.
positional arguments:
PACKAGE Package, OVF descriptor or OVA file to edit
optional arguments:
-h, --help show this help message and exit
-o OUTPUT, --output OUTPUT
Name/path of new VM package to create instead of
updating the existing package
-c CONFIG_FILE, --config-file CONFIG_FILE
Primary configuration text file to embed
-s SECONDARY_CONFIG_FILE, --secondary-config-file SECONDARY_CONFIG_FILE
Secondary configuration text file to embed (currently
only supported in IOS XRv for admin config)
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