Create a custom Windows AMI with cloudbase-init for AWS

To create a custom Windows AMI with cloudbase-init for AWS:

1. Deploy a Windows VM

2. Connect to the VM using RDP

3. Download the right cloudbase-init installer from https://github.com/cloudbase/cloudbase-init

4. Run the installer

   

   1. Do not select the Use metadata password checkbox, because Amazon does not support password setting through metadata.

   2. Click Next

   3. Do not select the checkboxes to Run Sysprep… or Shutdown when Sysprep terminates

   4. Click Finish

5. In the VM again, edit the cloudbase-init.conf (located by default at “C:\Program Files\Cloudbase Solutions\Cloudbase-Init\conf”) and add:

   “metadata_services=cloudbaseinit.metadata.services.ec2service.EC2Service”
   “plugins=cloudbaseinit.plugins.common.userdata.UserDataPlugin”

   The “UserDataPlugin” runs the Abiquo bootstrap script, sets up VM variables, and sets up the guest initial password for the “Administrator” user.

   1. Do not add the “SetUserPasswordPlugin” and “CreateUserPlugin” plugins in the configuration file because they cannot post the generated password to the metadata provider. They will generate a random password instead of the guest initial password generated by Abiquo.

6. Continue to customize the configuration file as required.

7. Shut down the VM

8. In Abiquo, open the virtual appliance create an instance template from the VM