.. code-block:: console
- $ snf-image-creator --help
- Usage: snf-image-creator [options] <input_media>
-
- Options:
- --version show program's version number and exit
- -h, --help show this help message and exit
- -o FILE, --outfile=FILE
- dump image to FILE
- -f, --force overwrite output files if they exist
- -s, --silent output only errors
- -u FILENAME, --upload=FILENAME
- upload the image to pithos with name FILENAME
- -r IMAGENAME, --register=IMAGENAME
- register the image with ~okeanos as IMAGENAME
- -a ACCOUNT, --account=ACCOUNT
- use this ACCOUNT when uploading/registering images
- [Default: None]
- -m KEY=VALUE, --metadata=KEY=VALUE
- add custom KEY=VALUE metadata to the image
- -t TOKEN, --token=TOKEN
- use this token when uploading/registering images
- [Default: None]
- --print-sysprep print the available enabled and disabled system
- preparation operations for this input media
- --enable-sysprep=SYSPREP
- run SYSPREP operation on the input media
- --disable-sysprep=SYSPREP
- prevent SYSPREP operation from running on the input
- media
- --no-sysprep don't perform any system preparation operation
- --no-shrink don't shrink the image
- --tmpdir=DIR create large temporary image files under DIR
+ $ snf-image-creator --help
+ Usage: snf-image-creator [options] <input_media>
+
+ Options:
+ --version show program's version number and exit
+ -h, --help show this help message and exit
+ -o FILE, --outfile=FILE
+ dump image to FILE
+ -f, --force overwrite output files if they exist
+ -s, --silent output only errors
+ -u FILENAME, --upload=FILENAME
+ upload the image to the cloud with name FILENAME
+ -r IMAGENAME, --register=IMAGENAME
+ register the image with a cloud as IMAGENAME
+ -m KEY=VALUE, --metadata=KEY=VALUE
+ add custom KEY=VALUE metadata to the image
+ -t TOKEN, --token=TOKEN
+ use this authentication token when
+ uploading/registering images
+ -a URL, --authentication-url=URL
+ use this authentication URL when uploading/registering
+ images
+ -c CLOUD, --cloud=CLOUD
+ use this saved cloud account to authenticate against a
+ cloud when uploading/registering images
+ --print-syspreps print the enabled and disabled system preparation
+ operations for this input media
+ --enable-sysprep=SYSPREP
+ run SYSPREP operation on the input media
+ --disable-sysprep=SYSPREP
+ prevent SYSPREP operation from running on the input
+ media
+ --print-sysprep-params
+ print the needed sysprep parameters for this input
+ media
+ --sysprep-param=SYSPREP_PARAMS
+ Add KEY=VALUE system preparation parameter
+ --no-sysprep don't perform any system preparation operation
+ --no-shrink don't shrink any partition
+ --public register image with the cloud as public
+ --tmpdir=DIR create large temporary image files under DIR
Most input options are self-describing. If you want to save a local copy of
-the image you create, provide a resulting filename using the *-o* option. To
-upload the image to *pithos+*, provide valid credentials using *-a* and *-t*
-and a filename using *-u*. If you also want to register the image with
-*~okeanos*, in addition to *-u* provide a registration name using *-r*.
-
-By default snf-image-creator will perform a number of system preparation
-operations on the snapshot of the media and will shrink the last partition
-found, before extracting the image. Both can be disabled by specifying
+the image you create, provide a filename using the *-o* option. To upload the
+image to the storage service of a cloud, provide valid cloud API access info
+(by either using a token and a URL with *-t* and *-a* respectively, or a cloud
+name with *-c*) and a remote filename using *-u*. If you also want to register
+the image with the compute service of the cloud, in addition to *-u* provide a
+registration name using *-r*. All images are
+registered as *private*. Only the user that registers the image can create
+VM's out of it. If you want the image to be visible by other user too, use the
+*--public* option.
+
+By default, before extracting the image, snf-image-creator will perform a
+number of system preparation operations on the snapshot of the media and will
+shrink the last partition found. Both actions can be disabled by specifying
*--no-sysprep* and *--no-shrink* respectively.
If *--print-sysprep* is defined, the program will exit after printing a
list of enabled and disabled system preparation operation applicable to this
-media source. The user can enable or disable specific *syspreps* when creating
-an image, using *-{enable,disable}-sysprep* options. You may specify those
-options multiple times to enable or disable multiple *syspreps*.
+input media. The user can enable or disable specific *syspreps*, using
+*-{enable,disable}-sysprep* options. The user may specify those options
+multiple times.
Running *snf-image-creator* with *--print-sysprep* on a raw file that hosts a
debian system, we print the following output:
.. code-block:: console
- $ snf-image-creator --print-sysprep debian_desktop.img
-
- snf-image-creator 0.1
+ $ snf-image-creator --print-sysprep ubuntu.raw
+ snf-image-creator 0.3
=====================
- Examining source media `debian_desktop.img'... looks like an image file
- Snapshotting media source... done
+ Examining source media `ubuntu_hd.raw' ... looks like an image file
+ Snapshotting media source ... done
Enabling recovery proc
- Launching helper VM... done
- Inspecting Operating System... found a(n) debian system
- Mounting the media read-only... done
-
+ Launching helper VM (may take a while) ... done
+ Inspecting Operating System ... ubuntu
+ Mounting the media read-only ... done
+ Collecting image metadata ... done
+ Umounting the media ... done
+
Enabled system preparation operations:
cleanup-cache:
- Remove all regular files under /var/cache
-
+ Remove all regular files under /var/cache
+
cleanup-log:
- Empty all files under /var/log
-
+ Empty all files under /var/log
+
cleanup-passwords:
- Remove all passwords and lock all user accounts
-
+ Remove all passwords and lock all user accounts
+
cleanup-tmp:
- Remove all files under /tmp and /var/tmp
-
+ Remove all files under /tmp and /var/tmp
+
cleanup-userdata:
- Delete sensitive userdata
-
+ Delete sensitive userdata
+
fix-acpid:
- Replace acpid powerdown action scripts to immediately shutdown the
- system without checking if a GUI is running.
-
+ Replace acpid powerdown action scripts to immediately shutdown the
+ system without checking if a GUI is running.
+
remove-persistent-net-rules:
- Remove udev rules that will keep network interface names persistent
- after hardware changes and reboots. Those rules will be created again
- the next time the image runs.
-
+ Remove udev rules that will keep network interface names persistent
+ after hardware changes and reboots. Those rules will be created again
+ the next time the image runs.
+
remove-swap-entry:
- Remove swap entry from /etc/fstab. If swap is the last partition
- then the partition will be removed when shrinking is performed. If the
- swap partition is not the last partition in the disk or if you are not
- going to shrink the image you should probably disable this.
-
+ Remove swap entry from /etc/fstab. If swap is the last partition
+ then the partition will be removed when shrinking is performed. If the
+ swap partition is not the last partition in the disk or if you are not
+ going to shrink the image you should probably disable this.
+
use-persistent-block-device-names:
- Scan fstab & grub configuration files and replace all non-persistent
- device references with UUIDs.
-
+ Scan fstab & grub configuration files and replace all non-persistent
+ device references with UUIDs.
+
Disabled system preparation operations:
cleanup-mail:
- Remove all files under /var/mail and /var/spool/mail
-
+ Remove all files under /var/mail and /var/spool/mail
+
remove-user-accounts:
- Remove all user accounts with id greater than 1000
-
-
- cleaning up...
+ Remove all user accounts with id greater than 1000
+
+
+ cleaning up ...
If you want the image to have all normal user accounts and all mail files
removed, you should use *--enable-sysprep* option like this:
When *snf-mkimage* runs in *wizard* mode, the user is just asked to provide the
following basic information:
+ * Cloud: The cloud account to use to upload and register the resulting image
* Name: A short name for the image (ex. "Slackware")
* Description: An one-line description for the image
(ex. "Slackware Linux 14.0 with KDE")
- * Account: An *~okeanos* account email
- * Token: A token corresponding to the account defined previously
+ * Registration Type: Private or Public
-After confirming, the image will be extracted, uploaded to *pithos+* and
-registered to *~okeanos*. The user will also be given the choice to keep a
-local copy of it.
+After confirming, the image will be extracted, uploaded to the storage service
+and registered with the compute service of the selected cloud. The user will
+also be given the choice to keep a local copy of it.
For most users the functionality this mode provides should be sufficient.
-----------
Expert mode allows the user to have better control on the image creation
-process. In the picture below the main menu can be seen:
+process. The main menu can be seen in the picture below:
.. image:: /snapshots/main_menu.png
In the *Register* sub-menu the user can provide:
- * The credentials to login to *~okeanos*
- * A *pithos+* filename for the uploaded *diskdump* image
- * A name for the image to be registered to *~okeanos* with
+ * Which cloud account to use
+ * A filename for the uploaded *diskdump* image
+ * A name for the image to use when registering it with the storage service of
+ the cloud, as well as the registration type (*private* or *public*)
By choosing the *Extract* menu entry, the user can dump the image to the local
file system. Finally, if the user selects *Reset*, the system will ignore
media or by using the *Bundle Host* button in the media selection dialog of
snf-mkimage. During this operation, the files of the disk are copied into a
temporary image file, which means that the file system that will host the
-temporary image needs to have a lot of free space (see `the tmpdir option`_
+temporary image needs to have a lot of free space (see `large temporary files`_
for more information).
Creating a new image
.. code-block:: console
- $ wget http://ubuntureleases.tsl.gr/12.04.1/ubuntu-12.04.1-server-amd64.iso
+ $ wget http://ubuntureleases.tsl.gr/12.04.2/ubuntu-12.04.2-server-amd64.iso
Verify that it has been downloaded correctly:
.. code-block:: console
- $ echo 'a8c667e871f48f3a662f3fbf1c3ddb17 ubuntu-12.04.1-server-amd64.iso' > check.md5
+ $ echo 'a8c667e871f48f3a662f3fbf1c3ddb17 ubuntu-12.04.2-server-amd64.iso' > check.md5
$ md5sum -c check.md5
Create a 2G sparse file to host the new system:
.. code-block:: console
- $ truncate -s 2G ubuntu_hd.raw
+ $ truncate -s 2G ubuntu.raw
And install the Ubuntu system on this file:
.. code-block:: console
- $ sudo kvm -boot d -drive file=ubuntu_hd.raw,format=raw,cache=none,if=virtio \
- -m 1G -cdrom ubuntu-12.04.1-server-amd64.iso
+ $ sudo kvm -boot d -drive file=ubuntu.raw,format=raw,cache=none,if=virtio \
+ -m 1G -cdrom ubuntu-12.04.2-server-amd64.iso
.. warning::
During the installation, you will be asked about the partition scheme. Don't
use LVM partitions. They are not supported by snf-image-creator.
-You will be able to boot your installed OS and make any changes you want to it
+You will be able to boot your installed OS and make any changes you want
(e.g. install openssh-server) using the following command::
- $ sudo kvm -m 1G -boot c -drive file=ubuntu_hd.raw,format=raw,cache=none,if=virtio
+ $ sudo kvm -m 1G -boot c -drive file=ubuntu.raw,format=raw,cache=none,if=virtio
After you're done, you may use *snf-mkimage* as root to create and upload the
image:
.. code-block:: console
$ sudo -s
- $ snf-mkimage ubuntu_hd.raw
+ $ snf-mkimage ubuntu.raw
In the first screen you will be asked to choose if you want to run the program
in *Wizard* or *Expert* mode. Choose *Wizard*.
-.. image:: /snapshots/01_wizard.png
+.. image:: /snapshots/wizard.png
-Then you will be asked to provide a name, a description, an *~okeanos* account
-and the token corresponding to this account. After that you will be asked to
+Then you will be asked to select a cloud and provide a name, a description and
+a registration type (*private* or *public*). Finally, you'll be asked to
confirm the provided data.
-.. image:: /snapshots/06_confirm.png
+.. image:: /snapshots/confirm.png
-Choosing *YES* will create and upload the image to your *~okeanos* account.
+Choosing *YES* will create and upload the image to your cloud account.
-Some caveats on image creation
-==============================
+Limitations
+===========
+
+Supported operating systems
+---------------------------
+
+*snf-image-creator* can only fully function on input media hosting *Linux*,
+*FreeBSD* (tested on version 9.1) and *Windows* (Server 2008 R2 and Server
+2012) systems. The program will detect the needed metadata and you may use it
+to upload and register other *Unix* images, but you cannot use it to shrink
+them or perform system preparation operations.
+
+Logical Volumes
+---------------
+
+The program cannot work on LVM partitions [#f1]_. The input media may only
+contain primary or logical partitions.
Para-virtualized drivers
------------------------
-*~Okeanos* uses the *VirtIO* framework. The disk I/O controller and the
-Ethernet cards on the VM instances are para-virtualized and need special
-*VirtIO* drivers. Those drivers are included in the Linux Kernel mainline since
-version 2.6.25 and are shipped with all the popular Linux distributions. The
-problem is that if the driver for the para-virtualized disk I/O controller is
-built as module, it needs to be preloaded using an initial ramdisk, otherwise
-the VM will not be able to boot.
+Most synnefo deployments uses the *VirtIO* framework. The disk I/O controller
+and the Ethernet cards on the VM instances are para-virtualized and need
+special *VirtIO* drivers. Those drivers are included in the Linux Kernel
+mainline since version 2.6.25 and are shipped with all the popular Linux
+distributions. The problem is that if the driver for the para-virtualized disk
+I/O controller is built as module, it needs to be preloaded using an initial
+ramdisk, otherwise the VM won't be able to boot.
-Many popular linux distributions, like Ubuntu and Debian, will automatically
+Many popular Linux distributions, like Ubuntu and Debian, will automatically
create a generic initial ramdisk file that contains many different modules,
including the VirtIO drivers. Others that target more experienced users, like
-Slackware, won't do that [#f1]_. *snf-image-creator* cannot resolve this kind
+Slackware, won't do that [#f2]_. *snf-image-creator* cannot resolve this kind
of problems and it's left to the user to do so. Please refer to your
distribution's documentation for more information on this. You can always check
if a system can boot with para-virtualized disk controller by launching it with
-kvm using the *if=virtio* option (take a look at the kvm command in the
+kvm using the *if=virtio* option (see the kvm command in the
`Creating a new image`_ section).
+For Windows and FreeBSD systems, the needed drivers need to be manually
+downloaded and installed on the media before the image creation process takes
+place. For *FreeBSD* the virtio drivers can be found
+`here <http://people.freebsd.org/~kuriyama/virtio/>`_. For Windows the drivers
+are hosted by the
+`Fedora Project <http://alt.fedoraproject.org/pub/alt/virtio-win/latest/images/>`_.
+
+Some caveats on image creation
+==============================
+
Image partition schemes and shrinking
-------------------------------------
partition placed as the last partition on the disk and have your largest
partition (*/* or */home*) just before that.
-The tmpdir option
------------------
+Large temporary files
+---------------------
*snf-image-creator* may create large temporary files when running:
* During image shrinking, the input media snapshot file may reach the size of
the original media.
- * When bundling the host system, the size of temporary image file may reach
- the size of all disk files.
+ * When bundling the host system, the temporary image file may became as large
+ as the rest of the disk files altogether.
-The */tmp* directory is not a good place for hosting large files. In many systems
+*/tmp* directory is not a good place for hosting large files. In many systems
the contents of */tmp* are stored in volatile memory and the size they may occupy
is limited. By default, *snf-image-creator* will use a heuristic approach to
determine where to store large temporary files. It will examine the free space
under */var/tmp*, the user's home directory and */mnt* and will pick the one
-with the most free space. The user may overwrite this behaviour and indicate a
-directory using the *tmpdir* option. This option is present in both
-*snf-image-creator* and *snf-mkimage*.
+with the most available space. The user may overwrite this behaviour and
+indicate a different directory using the *tmpdir* option. This option is
+supported by both *snf-image-creator* and *snf-mkimage*.
.. rubric:: Footnotes
-.. [#f1] http://mirrors.slackware.com/slackware/slackware-14.0/README.initrd
+.. [#f1] http://sourceware.org/lvm2/
+.. [#f2] http://mirrors.slackware.com/slackware/slackware-14.0/README.initrd
projects / snf-image-creator / blobdiff