I'm looking for suggestions to automate the creation of virtual machines using VMware Workstation for my lab environment. I need to set up two Windows 11 VMs: one designated as a "debugger" and the other as a "debuggee." During their setup, these VMs will require reboots and the execution of elevated commands like `bcdedit /debug on` and `bcdedit /dbgsettings net hostip: port:50505 key:a.b.c.d`. Additionally, my toolset includes Visual Studio (2022), Spectre-mitigated MSVC libraries, Windows SDK + WDK, WinDbg (Preview), and Sysinternals Process utilities. So, I'm curious about the best approach; I think using a tool like Packer might be ideal. What do you all think?
3 Answers
Have you considered VMware over ESXi just for simplicity? I choose VMware Workstation because I find it easy to connect my USB drives directly to the VM, which I can't figure out how to do with Hyper-V or VirtualBox. If I didn’t need that USB support, I’d probably stick with Hyper-V since it's easier to get up and running since it’s built into Windows.
While VMware is great for personal use, automating in ESXi does have its advantages. If you're ever looking to scale out, that may be something to consider down the road! But for now, it sounds like you’re on the right path with Packer and Workstation.
Good point! I might look into ESXi for future environments, but right now, my focus is on getting these VMs up and running quickly.
Using Packer to automate your VM setup sounds like a fantastic idea! It streamlines the process, especially when you need specific configurations like the debugging setups you mentioned. It’s definitely worth checking out their documentation for Windows installs!
You're not alone; I also prefer VMware for that USB connection feature! But just to clarify, Hyper-V can connect USB drives too, it just takes a few extra steps.