How to detecting status of the template deployment process?

[Joe_Watts]

I am using powershell and the VI-Toolkit to to deploy a XPSP3 template. I need to be able to detect programaticly when Sysprep and the VMware customizations that follow have completed, so that I can launch additional installations via the powershell script.

I am running VMware ESX Server 3i, 3.5.0, 153875, and I am using the VI Toolkit 1.5.

I started out polling the VM to see if the VM was powered on, this works great. Then I started trying to look into the VM using the Invoke-VMScript command to try and see what is going on, this hasn't worked so great, mostly because I'm not sure what I should be looking for. I also spent a significant amount of time trolling through the VI-Toolkit cmdlets, to see if there were any tools for detecting the staus, I am thinking that I overlooked somthing.

Any help with this would be appreciated.

[LucD]

Welcome to the club

There is no way, afaik, you can directly find the status of the sysprep process in the guest.

The only way that I was able to use is the following:

*) as part of your sysprep process place an eye-catcher (file or registry entry) on the guest

*) use Invoke-VMScript to check for the presence of this eye-catcher on the guest

But the method has flaws, the placement of the eye-catcher is not at the end of the sysprep (iow just before the final reboot).

So you could still try to access the guest too soon.

In the end I inserted a sleep cmdlet in the deployment script, but the duration of that sleep is based on what the average guests require.

It's not a fool-proof method but it works for now.

On my list of possible alternatives I also have monitoring snmp traps coming from the guest on a management server.

But that project is still in a very early stage.

[Joe_Watts]

I have attempted what you have outlined as well, and was hoping for more.:)

When implementing the process you outlined, I have run into issues with the RunOnce command. I have only attempted to congifured the RunOnce from withinCustomization Specification. I have found that it doesn't work, and if haven't delved into it sysprep enough, at this point, to come up with a work around.

Suggestions?

[LucD · Accepted solution]

I use the CloneVM_Task method from the SDK for deploying guests from templates.

Did you have a look at Rob's script in .

That script also uses the CloneVM_Task method and has an option for running post-install scripts.

[Joe_Watts]

Not yet, but now I am going too.

Thanks!!!!

Joe