Skip to main content

Virtual machine template

Prepare VM template​

This template will be used for all new VM's to be linked and cloned from.

  • Download Ubuntu server LTS for arm via Ubuntu website
  • Once downloaded open Parallels control centre and select new from the menu
    • Choose: Install Windows, Linux, or macOS from an image file and continue
    • Select a file: choose this option and select the iso from your downloads folder and then continue
    • Change the name from Ubuntu Linux to dev-template, tick the box: Customise settings before installation and create
    • The configuration options will display
      • Name: dev-template
      • Sharing: disable all sharing
      • Hardware. CPU & Memory: 2 Processors with 2048MB memory
      • Hardware. Shared Printers: Do not share mac printers
      • Hardware. Network: Change to Wi-Fi
      • Hardware. Sound and Camera: Disable all
      • Hardware. Boot order: only enable Hard Disk
    • Continue install
      • Allocate all space to VM
      • Enable SSH server
      • Create username
        • username: dev
    • Install completed
  • From parallels dashboard
    • Start dev-template VM and console window will launch
    • Right click and select configure
      • Option: Startup and Shutdown
        • Change to custom: On Window Close change to Keep running in background
    • Console
      • Choose a password and repeat it
      • Login using username: dev and new password
      • Start interactive shell as root: sudo -i
      • Update packages: apt update
      • Upgrade packages: apt upgrade
      • Install additional packages: apt install net-tools traceroute ntp locate
      • Check ethernet name and IP address: ifconfig
      • Run the following command to edit the Netplan config: 
        vi /etc/netplan/50-cloud-init.yaml
      • Then change the contents in the file to your IP and gateway, making a note of the ethernet adapter - in my virtual environment it is: enp0s5 
        network:
          version: 2
          ethernets:
            enp0s5:
              addresses:
                - '192.168.30.209/24'
              routes:
                - to: 'default'
                  via: '192.168.30.254'
      • Apply the changes: netplan apply
    • Close console (the VM will continue to run in the background)

Template preparation​

Continue from ssh session.

  • Connect to VM IP address in a new terminal session: ssh dev@192.168.30.209
  • Login with username: dev and password
  • Switch to root user: sudo -i
  • Check routing table: ip route
  • Check ping to google: ping 8.8.8.8
  • Check time and date: timedatectl
  • Check swap usage: swapon
  • Disable swap temporarily (reboot clears it): swapoff -a
  • Disable swap perm 
    vi /etc/fstab
  • Comment out swap 
    # /swap.img	none	swap	sw	0	0
  • Prepare DNS - my router provides DNS 
    mkdir /etc/systemd/resolved.conf.d
    vi /etc/systemd/resolved.conf.d/dns_servers.conf
    [Resolve]
    DNS=192.168.30.254
    Domains=~.
  • Enable and restart services 
    systemctl enable systemd-resolved
    sudo systemctl restart systemd-resolved
  • Confirm local name resolution: ping lab.reids.net.au
  • Confirm external name resolution: ping www.google.com.au
  • Configure NTP (note NTP is now part of NTPSEC) 
    vi /etc/ntpsec/ntp.conf
  • Add local NTP server and comment out the defaults - my router provides NTP 
    pool 192.168.30.254 iburst
    # pool 0.ubuntu.pool.ntp.org iburst
    # pool 1.ubuntu.pool.ntp.org iburst
    # pool 2.ubuntu.pool.ntp.org iburst
    # pool 3.ubuntu.pool.ntp.org iburst
    # server ntp.ubuntu.com
  • Restart NTP services for changes to take effect: service ntp restart
  • Check that NTP services are being picked up: ntpq -p
  • Check time and date: timedatectl
  • Set timezone: timedatectl set-timezone Australia/Perth
  • Update database for locate package: updatedb
  • Add additional user: adduser andy
  • Add new user to sudo list: usermod -aG sudo andy
  • Disable IPv6 
    vi /etc/default/grub
  • Change the default 
    GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="console=tty0 ipv6.disable=1 quiet splash"
  • Update grub for changes to take effect: update-grub
  • Disable cloud init: touch /etc/cloud/cloud-init.disabled
  • Install NFS: apt install nfs-common -y
  • Reboot VM to ensure all changes have taken effect: reboot
  • Log back into the VM and shutdown template VM so that it can be linked and cloned from (DO NOT power up again): shutdown -P now
    • Once a linked clone is created, it’s frozen to the parent’s disk as it was at clone time. Future changes to the parent (template) — package installs, updates, config edits, etc. — will NOT propagate to existing clones but could break their dependency chain

From Parallels desktop control panel

  • Right click on dev-template and select Linked-clone and repeat for each linked clone, naming them:
    • dev-ansible
    • dev-lb-v1
    • dev-m-v1
    • dev-w-v1
  • DON'T start them yet
    • Only one will be powered on at a time until its IP address has been changed and rebooted
    • Each will start with the template IP address: 192.168.30.209
  • Start dev-ansible by right clicking on it

    • Console will display

      • Change the IP address to 192.168.30.208
      sudo vi /etc/netplan/50-cloud-init.yaml
      network:
        version: 2
        ethernets:
          enp0s5:
            addresses:
              - '192.168.30.208/24'
      • Apply the changes: sudo netplan apply
      • Check new IP: ifconfig
      • Change hostname: sudo hostnamectl set-hostname dev-ansible
      • Reboot: sudo reboot
  • Start dev-lb-v1 by right clicking on it

    • Console will display

      • Change the IP address to 192.168.30.201
      sudo vi /etc/netplan/50-cloud-init.yaml
      network:
        version: 2
        ethernets:
          enp0s5:
            addresses:
              - '192.168.30.201/24'
      • Apply the changes: sudo netplan apply
      • Check new IP: ifconfig
      • Change hostname: sudo hostnamectl set-hostname dev-lb-v1
      • Reboot: sudo reboot
  • Configure dev-m-v1 by right clicking on it

    • Increase the number of processors to 4 and memory to 4096MB

    • Power on VM

    • Console will display

      • Change the IP address to 192.168.30.203
      sudo vi /etc/netplan/50-cloud-init.yaml
      network:
        version: 2
        ethernets:
          enp0s5:
            addresses:
              - '192.168.30.203/24'
      • Apply the changes: sudo netplan apply
      • Check new IP: ifconfig
      • Change hostname: sudo hostnamectl set-hostname dev-m-v1
      • Reboot: sudo reboot

  • Configure dev-w-v1

    • Increase the memory to 4096MB
    • Power on VM
    • Console will display
    • Change the IP address to 192.168.30.206
    sudo vi /etc/netplan/50-cloud-init.yaml
    network:
      version: 2
      ethernets:
    	enp0s5:
    	  addresses:
    	  - "192.168.30.206/24"
    • Apply the changes: sudo netplan apply
    • Check new IP: ifconfig
    • Change hostname: sudo hostnamectl set-hostname dev-w-v1
    • Reboot: sudo reboot