github.com/homburg/packer@v0.6.1-0.20140528012651-1dcaf1716848/website/source/docs/builders/parallels-iso.html.markdown

---
layout: "docs"
page_title: "Parallels Builder (from an ISO)"
---

# Parallels Builder (from an ISO)

Type: `parallels-iso`

The Parallels builder is able to create
[Parallels Desktop for Mac](http://www.parallels.com/products/desktop/) virtual
machines and export them in the PVM format, starting from an
ISO image.

The builder builds a virtual machine by creating a new virtual machine
from scratch, booting it, installing an OS, provisioning software within
the OS, then shutting it down. The result of the Parallels builder is a directory
containing all the files necessary to run the virtual machine portably.

## Basic Example

Here is a basic example. This example is not functional. It will start the
OS installer but then fail because we don't provide the preseed file for
Ubuntu to self-install. Still, the example serves to show the basic configuration:

<pre class="prettyprint">
{
  "type": "parallels-iso",
  "guest_os_type": "Ubuntu_64",
  "iso_url": "http://releases.ubuntu.com/12.04/ubuntu-12.04.3-server-amd64.iso",
  "iso_checksum": "2cbe868812a871242cdcdd8f2fd6feb9",
  "iso_checksum_type": "md5",
  "ssh_username": "packer",
  "ssh_password": "packer",
  "ssh_wait_timeout": "30s",
  "shutdown_command": "echo 'packer' | sudo -S shutdown -P now"
}
</pre>

It is important to add a `shutdown_command`. By default Packer halts the
virtual machine and the file system may not be sync'd. Thus, changes made in a
provisioner might not be saved.

## Configuration Reference

There are many configuration options available for the Parallels builder.
They are organized below into two categories: required and optional. Within
each category, the available options are alphabetized and described.

### Required:

* `iso_checksum` (string) - The checksum for the OS ISO file. Because ISO
  files are so large, this is required and Packer will verify it prior
  to booting a virtual machine with the ISO attached. The type of the
  checksum is specified with `iso_checksum_type`, documented below.

* `iso_checksum_type` (string) - The type of the checksum specified in
  `iso_checksum`. Valid values are "none", "md5", "sha1", "sha256", or
  "sha512" currently. While "none" will skip checksumming, this is not
  recommended since ISO files are generally large and corruption does happen
  from time to time.

* `iso_url` (string) - A URL to the ISO containing the installation image.
  This URL can be either an HTTP URL or a file URL (or path to a file).
  If this is an HTTP URL, Packer will download it and cache it between
  runs.

* `ssh_username` (string) - The username to use to SSH into the machine
  once the OS is installed.

### Optional:

* `boot_command` (array of strings) - This is an array of commands to type
  when the virtual machine is first booted. The goal of these commands should
  be to type just enough to initialize the operating system installer. Special
  keys can be typed as well, and are covered in the section below on the boot
  command. If this is not specified, it is assumed the installer will start
  itself.

* `boot_wait` (string) - The time to wait after booting the initial virtual
  machine before typing the `boot_command`. The value of this should be
  a duration. Examples are "5s" and "1m30s" which will cause Packer to wait
  five seconds and one minute 30 seconds, respectively. If this isn't specified,
  the default is 10 seconds.

* `disk_size` (integer) - The size, in megabytes, of the hard disk to create
  for the VM. By default, this is 40000 (about 40 GB).

* `floppy_files` (array of strings) - A list of files to place onto a floppy
  disk that is attached when the VM is booted. This is most useful
  for unattended Windows installs, which look for an `Autounattend.xml` file
  on removable media. By default, no floppy will be attached. All files
  listed in this setting get placed into the root directory of the floppy
  and the floppy is attached as the first floppy device. Currently, no
  support exists for creating sub-directories on the floppy. Wildcard
  characters (*, ?, and []) are allowed. Directory names are also allowed,
  which will add all the files found in the directory to the floppy.

* `guest_os_distribution` (string) - The guest OS distribution being
  installed. By default this is "other", but you can get dramatic
  performance improvements by setting this to the proper value. To
  view all available values for this run `prlctl create x --distribution list`.
  Setting the correct value hints to Parallels how to optimize the virtual
  hardware to work best with that operating system.

* `guest_os_type` (string) - The guest OS type being installed. By default
  this is "other", but you can get _dramatic_ performance improvements by
  setting this to the proper value. To view all available values for this
  run `prlctl create x --ostype list`. Setting the correct value hints to
  Parallels Desktop how to optimize the virtual hardware to work best with
  that operating system.

* `hard_drive_interface` (string) - The type of controller that the
  hard drives are attached to, defaults to "sata". Valid options are
  "sata", "ide", and "scsi".

* `host_interfaces` (array of strings) - A list of which interfaces on the
  host should be searched for a IP address. The first IP address found on
  one of these will be used as `{{ .HTTPIP }}` in the `boot_command`.
  Defaults to ["en0", "en1", "en2", "en3", "en4", "en5", "en6", "en7", "en8",
  "en9", "ppp0", "ppp1", "ppp2"].

* `http_directory` (string) - Path to a directory to serve using an HTTP
  server. The files in this directory will be available over HTTP that will
  be requestable from the virtual machine. This is useful for hosting
  kickstart files and so on. By default this is "", which means no HTTP
  server will be started. The address and port of the HTTP server will be
  available as variables in `boot_command`. This is covered in more detail
  below.

* `http_port_min` and `http_port_max` (integer) - These are the minimum and
  maximum port to use for the HTTP server started to serve the `http_directory`.
  Because Packer often runs in parallel, Packer will choose a randomly available
  port in this range to run the HTTP server. If you want to force the HTTP
  server to be on one port, make this minimum and maximum port the same.
  By default the values are 8000 and 9000, respectively.

* `iso_urls` (array of strings) - Multiple URLs for the ISO to download.
  Packer will try these in order. If anything goes wrong attempting to download
  or while downloading a single URL, it will move on to the next. All URLs
  must point to the same file (same checksum). By default this is empty
  and `iso_url` is used. Only one of `iso_url` or `iso_urls` can be specified.

* `output_directory` (string) - This is the path to the directory where the
  resulting virtual machine will be created. This may be relative or absolute.
  If relative, the path is relative to the working directory when `packer`
  is executed. This directory must not exist or be empty prior to running the builder.
  By default this is "output-BUILDNAME" where "BUILDNAME" is the name
  of the build.

* `parallels_tools_guest_path` (string) - The path on the guest virtual machine
  where the Parallels tools ISO will be uploaded. By default this is
  "prl-tools.iso" which should upload into the login directory of the user.
  This is a configuration template where the `Version` variable is replaced
  with the prlctl version.

* `parallels_tools_host_path` (string) - The path to the Parallels Tools ISO to
  upload. By default the Parallels builder will use the "other" OS tools ISO from
  the Parallels installation:
  "/Applications/Parallels Desktop.app/Contents/Resources/Tools/prl-tools-other.iso"

* `parallels_tools_mode` (string) - The method by which Parallels tools are
  made available to the guest for installation. Valid options are "upload",
  "attach", or "disable". The functions of each of these should be
  self-explanatory. The default value is "upload".

* `prlctl` (array of array of strings) - Custom `prlctl` commands to execute in
  order to further customize the virtual machine being created. The value of
  this is an array of commands to execute. The commands are executed in the order
  defined in the template. For each command, the command is defined itself as an
  array of strings, where each string represents a single argument on the
  command-line to `prlctl` (but excluding `prlctl` itself). Each arg is treated
  as a [configuration template](/docs/templates/configuration-templates.html),
  where the `Name` variable is replaced with the VM name. More details on how
  to use `prlctl` are below.

* `prlctl_version_file` (string) - The path within the virtual machine to upload
  a file that contains the `prlctl` version that was used to create the machine.
  This information can be useful for provisioning. By default this is
  ".prlctl_version", which will generally upload it into the home directory.

* `shutdown_command` (string) - The command to use to gracefully shut down
  the machine once all the provisioning is done. By default this is an empty
  string, which tells Packer to just forcefully shut down the machine.

* `shutdown_timeout` (string) - The amount of time to wait after executing
  the `shutdown_command` for the virtual machine to actually shut down.
  If it doesn't shut down in this time, it is an error. By default, the timeout
  is "5m", or five minutes.

* `ssh_key_path` (string) - Path to a private key to use for authenticating
  with SSH. By default this is not set (key-based auth won't be used).
  The associated public key is expected to already be configured on the
  VM being prepared by some other process (kickstart, etc.).

* `ssh_password` (string) - The password for `ssh_username` to use to
  authenticate with SSH. By default this is the empty string.

* `ssh_port` (integer) - The port that SSH will be listening on in the guest
  virtual machine. By default this is 22.

* `ssh_wait_timeout` (string) - The duration to wait for SSH to become
  available. By default this is "20m", or 20 minutes. Note that this should
  be quite long since the timer begins as soon as the virtual machine is booted.

* `vm_name` (string) - This is the name of the PVM directory for the new
  virtual machine, without the file extension. By default this is
  "packer-BUILDNAME", where "BUILDNAME" is the name of the build.

## Boot Command

The `boot_command` configuration is very important: it specifies the keys
to type when the virtual machine is first booted in order to start the
OS installer. This command is typed after `boot_wait`, which gives the
virtual machine some time to actually load the ISO.

As documented above, the `boot_command` is an array of strings. The
strings are all typed in sequence. It is an array only to improve readability
within the template.

The boot command is "typed" character for character using the `prltype` (part
of prl-utils, see [Parallels Builder](/docs/builders/parallels.html))
command connected to the machine, simulating a human actually typing the
keyboard. There are a set of special keys available. If these are in your
boot command, they will be replaced by the proper key:

* `<enter>` and `<return>` - Simulates an actual "enter" or "return" keypress.

* `<esc>` - Simulates pressing the escape key.

* `<tab>` - Simulates pressing the tab key.

* `<wait>` `<wait5>` `<wait10>` - Adds a 1, 5 or 10 second pause before sending
  any additional keys. This is useful if you have to generally wait for the UI
  to update before typing more.

In addition to the special keys, each command to type is treated as a
[configuration template](/docs/templates/configuration-templates.html).
The available variables are:

* `HTTPIP` and `HTTPPort` - The IP and port, respectively of an HTTP server
  that is started serving the directory specified by the `http_directory`
  configuration parameter. If `http_directory` isn't specified, these will
  be blank!

Example boot command. This is actually a working boot command used to start
an Ubuntu 12.04 installer:

<pre class="prettyprint">
[
  "&lt;esc&gt;&lt;esc&gt;&lt;enter&gt;&lt;wait&gt;",
  "/install/vmlinuz noapic ",
  "preseed/url=http://{{ .HTTPIP }}:{{ .HTTPPort }}/preseed.cfg ",
  "debian-installer=en_US auto locale=en_US kbd-chooser/method=us ",
  "hostname={{ .Name }} ",
  "fb=false debconf/frontend=noninteractive ",
  "keyboard-configuration/modelcode=SKIP keyboard-configuration/layout=USA ",
  "keyboard-configuration/variant=USA console-setup/ask_detect=false ",
  "initrd=/install/initrd.gz -- &lt;enter&gt;"
]
</pre>

## Parallels Tools
After the virtual machine is up and the operating system is installed, Packer
uploads the Parallels Tools into the virtual machine. The path where they are
uploaded is controllable by `parallels_tools_path`, and defaults to
"prl-tools.iso". Without an absolute path, it is uploaded to the home directory
of the SSH user. Parallels Tools ISO's can be found in:
"/Applications/Parallels Desktop.app/Contents/Resources/Tools/"

## prlctl Commands
In order to perform extra customization of the virtual machine, a template can
define extra calls to `prlctl` to perform.
[prlctl](http://download.parallels.com/desktop/v4/wl/docs/en/Parallels_Command_Line_Reference_Guide/)
is the command-line interface to Parallels. It can be used to do things such as
set RAM, CPUs, etc.

Extra `prlctl` commands are defined in the template in the `prlctl` section.
An example is shown below that sets the memory and number of CPUs within the
virtual machine:

<pre class="prettyprint">
{
  "prlctl": [
    ["set", "{{.Name}}", "--memsize", "1024"],
    ["set", "{{.Name}}", "--cpus", "2"]
  ]
}
</pre>

The value of `prlctl` is an array of commands to execute. These commands are
executed in the order defined. So in the above example, the memory will be set
followed by the CPUs.

Each command itself is an array of strings, where each string is an argument to
`prlctl`. Each argument is treated as a
[configuration template](/docs/templates/configuration-templates.html). The only
available variable is `Name` which is replaced with the unique name of the VM,
which is required for many `prlctl` calls.