VMware vCenter templates available as glance images

Registered by Kiran Kumar Vaddi

Title: VMware vCenter templates available as glance images

In the current OpenStack architecture, to deploy an instance from an image, the images have to be available in glance. Images are added using the glance image-create command. This command uploads the images into the glance server.
VMware vCenter already has the deployable images in the form of “Templates”. This blueprint proposes to make
1. Glance to be aware the vCenter templates.
2. Avoid upload of VMware templates into the image server.
The advantages are
1. VMware vCenter Driver can be used to deploy the images to the ESX hosts. The driver will use the VI SDK API to deploy the template. Leverage vCenter template deployment optimizations.
2. Avoids the copy of the vCenter images into the glance image server.
The same design can be extended to other hypervisors as well.

Blueprint information

Status:
Started
Approver:
Brian Waldon
Priority:
Low
Drafter:
Kiran Kumar Vaddi
Direction:
Needs approval
Assignee:
None
Definition:
New
Series goal:
None
Implementation:
Started
Milestone target:
None
Started by
Kiran Kumar Vaddi

Related branches

Sprints

Whiteboard

Let's talk more about this to help me understand and see what we can accomplish in Havana. Can you come find me in #openstack-glance on IRC freenode?

-markwash

Sure. we can discuss on IRC.

Im sharing the details so that we can have an effective discussion.

The idea is to not have to upload the template image (config and disk files) to glance. instead, we will add to glance an empty file/ovf and store some additional meta data. This metadata indicates the availability of this template for a particular vCenter. The nova driver managing the vCenter will publish the vCenter Ip in its capabilities. A filter change is also necessary to consume this capability so that compute nodes for that vCenter are made available to the scheduler.

-kirankv

Let's check back in on the status of this blueprint sometime. -markwash

markwash abandoned 2014-02-14

I'd like to followup this blueprint. markwash, could you please assign this to me? Thanks --flwang

A new idea is to input URI of vmtx as the location of VM template image, and use vsphere plugin to handle this image properly in Glance side. Nova driver or image handler also need support this type of image, but that is not the requisite of this blueprint. --- Qin Zhao

@Qin Zhao correct, as we discussed, I have prepared a design at https://etherpad.openstack.org/p/glance-hypervisor-templates-support , any comments are welcome. --zhiyan

@zhiyan, Qui Zhao -- I think it would be good if we could be in touch about the template case. We have been discussing that a lot even before Icehouse with several customers.
Thanks --arnaud

Glance meeting last week made a conclusion that VM template use case will be supported after 'artifacts' is implemented. Please refer to the meeting log --> http://eavesdrop.openstack.org/meetings/glance/2014/glance.2014-03-13-14.01.log.html
--- Qin Zhao

(?)

Work Items

Dependency tree

* Blueprints in grey have been implemented.