Packer & Terraform: Revolutionizing vSphere VM Management

[@joeshonk9715]

Why are discussing creating Templates when this tool stack can provision and install the OS from scratch every time? Templates defeat the whole Infrastructure as Code concept.

[@HashiCorp]

Implementation strategies for image management are often based on an organization's needs and maturity level. A common approach involves creating a standardized 'golden image' as a baseline, which is then customized based on specific use cases. This approach, often called a 'golden image pipeline,' can streamline deployment processes and improve consistency. However, a just-in-time image build process may be more suitable for organizations with highly dynamic requirements, allowing for greater flexibility and customization. Some more info about golden image pipelines can be found here: www.hashicorp.com/blog/multicloud-golden-image-pipeline-terraform-cloud-hcp-packer

[@ChuckP123]

Because cloning a template versus installing fresh removes a good 15 minutes from the process at least.

[@joeshonk9715]

@@ChuckP123 It's automated. Set it and forget it. Who cares if it takes an extra 10-15 minutes. Templates are a toss and get stale over time. Automated installation give you a fresh OS install on the platform you're running on. Maybe it's VMware today, but tomorrow it's Nutanix AHV.

[@yalu2]

@@ChuckP123 not even... it depends how you clone. Thick provisioning (overwriting disk blocks) will take more time than just writing the data needed for an OS install. A basic usable Debian image takes 6 minutes on our infrastructure.