windows-builder

Name: windows-builder
Author: hashicorp

750stars110forks

How to install windows-builder?

hashicorp/agent-skills/windows-builder

$npx -y skills add hashicorp/agent-skills --skill windows-builder

Installs into the current project.

Summary

Build Windows images with Packer using WinRM communicator and PowerShell provisioners. Use when creating Windows AMIs, Azure images, or VMware templates.

Files · 1

View on GitHub

SKILL.md

1	# Windows Builder
2
3	Platform-agnostic patterns for building Windows images with Packer.
4
5	Reference: [Windows Builders](https://developer.hashicorp.com/packer/guides/windows)
6
7	> Note: Windows builds incur significant costs and time. Expect 45-120 minutes per build due to Windows Updates. Failed builds may leave resources running - always verify cleanup.
8
9	## WinRM Communicator Setup
10
11	Windows requires WinRM for Packer communication.
12
13	### AWS Example
14
15	```hcl
16	source "amazon-ebs" "windows" {
17	region = "us-west-2"
18	instance_type = "t3.medium"
19
20	source_ami_filter {
21	filters = {
22	name = "Windows_Server-2022-English-Full-Base-*"
23	}
24	most_recent = true
25	owners = ["amazon"]
26	}
27
28	ami_name = "windows-server-2022-${local.timestamp}"
29
30	communicator = "winrm"
31	winrm_username = "Administrator"
32	winrm_use_ssl = true
33	winrm_insecure = true
34	winrm_timeout = "15m"
35
36	user_data_file = "scripts/setup-winrm.ps1"
37	}
38	```
39
40	### WinRM Setup Script (scripts/setup-winrm.ps1)
41
42	```powershell
43	<powershell>
44	# Configure WinRM
45	winrm quickconfig -q
46	winrm set winrm/config '@{MaxTimeoutms="1800000"}'
47	winrm set winrm/config/service '@{AllowUnencrypted="true"}'
48	winrm set winrm/config/service/auth '@{Basic="true"}'
49
50	# Configure firewall
51	netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="WinRM 5985" protocol=TCP dir=in localport=5985 action=allow
52	netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="WinRM 5986" protocol=TCP dir=in localport=5986 action=allow
53
54	# Restart WinRM
55	net stop winrm
56	net start winrm
57	</powershell>
58	```
59
60	### Azure Example
61
62	```hcl
63	source "azure-arm" "windows" {
64	client_id = var.client_id
65	client_secret = var.client_secret
66	subscription_id = var.subscription_id
67	tenant_id = var.tenant_id
68
69	managed_image_resource_group_name = "images-rg"
70	managed_image_name = "windows-${local.timestamp}"
71
72	os_type = "Windows"
73	image_publisher = "MicrosoftWindowsServer"
74	image_offer = "WindowsServer"
75	image_sku = "2022-datacenter-g2"
76
77	location = "East US"
78	vm_size = "Standard_D2s_v3"
79
80	# Azure auto-configures WinRM
81	communicator = "winrm"
82	winrm_use_ssl = true
83	winrm_insecure = true
84	winrm_timeout = "15m"
85	winrm_username = "packer"
86	}
87	```
88
89	## PowerShell Provisioners
90
91	### Install Software
92
93	```hcl
94	build {
95	sources = ["source.amazon-ebs.windows"]
96
97	# Install Chocolatey
98	provisioner "powershell" {
99	inline = [
100	"Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process -Force",
101	"iex ((New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadString('https://community.chocolatey.org/install.ps1'))"
102	]
103	}
104
105	# Install applications
106	provisioner "powershell" {
107	inline = [
108	"choco install -y googlechrome",
109	"choco install -y 7zip",
110	]
111	}
112
113	# Install IIS
114	provisioner "powershell" {
115	inline = [
116	"Install-WindowsFeature -Name Web-Server -IncludeManagementTools"
117	]
118	}
119	}
120	```
121
122	### Windows Updates
123
124	```hcl
125	provisioner "powershell" {
126	inline = [
127	"Install-PackageProvider -Name NuGet -Force",
128	"Install-Module -Name PSWindowsUpdate -Force",
129	"Import-Module PSWindowsUpdate",
130	"Get-WindowsUpdate -Install -AcceptAll -AutoReboot",
131	]
132	timeout = "2h"
133	}
134
135	# Wait for reboots
136	provisioner "windows-restart" {
137	restart_timeout = "30m"
138	}
139	```
140
141	## Cleanup
142
143	```hcl
144	provisioner "powershell" {
145	inline = [
146	"# Clear temp files",
147	"Remove-Item -Path 'C:\\Windows\\Temp\\*' -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue",
148	"# Clear Windows Update cache",
149	"Stop-Service -Name wuauserv -Force",
150	"Remove-Item -Path 'C:\\Windows\\SoftwareDistribution\\*' -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue",
151	"Start-Service -Name wuauserv",
152	]
153	}
154	```
155
156	## Common Issues
157
158	WinRM Timeout
159	- Increase `winrm_timeout` to 15m or more
160	- Verify security group allows ports 5985/5986
161	- Check user data script completed successfully
162
163	PowerShell Execution Policy
164	```hcl
165	provisioner "powershell" {
166	inline = [
167	"Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process -Force",
168	"# Your commands here",
169	]
170	}
171	```
172
173	Long Build Times
174	- Windows Updates can take 1-2 hours
175	- Use pre-patched base images when available
176	- Set provisioner `timeout = "2h"`
177
178	## References
179
180	- [Packer Windows Builders](https://developer.hashicorp.com/packer/guides/windows)
181	- [WinRM Communicator](https://developer.hashicorp.com/packer/docs/communicators/winrm)
182	- [PowerShell Provisioner](https://developer.hashicorp.com/packer/docs/provisioners/powershell)

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windows-builder

750stars110forks

View on GitHub

How to install windows-builder?

hashicorp/agent-skills/windows-builder

$npx -y skills add hashicorp/agent-skills --skill windows-builder

Installs into the current project.

Summary

Build Windows images with Packer using WinRM communicator and PowerShell provisioners. Use when creating Windows AMIs, Azure images, or VMware templates.

Files · 1

View on GitHub

SKILL.md

1	# Windows Builder
2
3	Platform-agnostic patterns for building Windows images with Packer.
4
5	Reference: [Windows Builders](https://developer.hashicorp.com/packer/guides/windows)
6
7	> Note: Windows builds incur significant costs and time. Expect 45-120 minutes per build due to Windows Updates. Failed builds may leave resources running - always verify cleanup.
8
9	## WinRM Communicator Setup
10
11	Windows requires WinRM for Packer communication.
12
13	### AWS Example
14
15	```hcl
16	source "amazon-ebs" "windows" {
17	region = "us-west-2"
18	instance_type = "t3.medium"
19
20	source_ami_filter {
21	filters = {
22	name = "Windows_Server-2022-English-Full-Base-*"
23	}
24	most_recent = true
25	owners = ["amazon"]
26	}
27
28	ami_name = "windows-server-2022-${local.timestamp}"
29
30	communicator = "winrm"
31	winrm_username = "Administrator"
32	winrm_use_ssl = true
33	winrm_insecure = true
34	winrm_timeout = "15m"
35
36	user_data_file = "scripts/setup-winrm.ps1"
37	}
38	```
39
40	### WinRM Setup Script (scripts/setup-winrm.ps1)
41
42	```powershell
43	<powershell>
44	# Configure WinRM
45	winrm quickconfig -q
46	winrm set winrm/config '@{MaxTimeoutms="1800000"}'
47	winrm set winrm/config/service '@{AllowUnencrypted="true"}'
48	winrm set winrm/config/service/auth '@{Basic="true"}'
49
50	# Configure firewall
51	netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="WinRM 5985" protocol=TCP dir=in localport=5985 action=allow
52	netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="WinRM 5986" protocol=TCP dir=in localport=5986 action=allow
53
54	# Restart WinRM
55	net stop winrm
56	net start winrm
57	</powershell>
58	```
59
60	### Azure Example
61
62	```hcl
63	source "azure-arm" "windows" {
64	client_id = var.client_id
65	client_secret = var.client_secret
66	subscription_id = var.subscription_id
67	tenant_id = var.tenant_id
68
69	managed_image_resource_group_name = "images-rg"
70	managed_image_name = "windows-${local.timestamp}"
71
72	os_type = "Windows"
73	image_publisher = "MicrosoftWindowsServer"
74	image_offer = "WindowsServer"
75	image_sku = "2022-datacenter-g2"
76
77	location = "East US"
78	vm_size = "Standard_D2s_v3"
79
80	# Azure auto-configures WinRM
81	communicator = "winrm"
82	winrm_use_ssl = true
83	winrm_insecure = true
84	winrm_timeout = "15m"
85	winrm_username = "packer"
86	}
87	```
88
89	## PowerShell Provisioners
90
91	### Install Software
92
93	```hcl
94	build {
95	sources = ["source.amazon-ebs.windows"]
96
97	# Install Chocolatey
98	provisioner "powershell" {
99	inline = [
100	"Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process -Force",
101	"iex ((New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadString('https://community.chocolatey.org/install.ps1'))"
102	]
103	}
104
105	# Install applications
106	provisioner "powershell" {
107	inline = [
108	"choco install -y googlechrome",
109	"choco install -y 7zip",
110	]
111	}
112
113	# Install IIS
114	provisioner "powershell" {
115	inline = [
116	"Install-WindowsFeature -Name Web-Server -IncludeManagementTools"
117	]
118	}
119	}
120	```
121
122	### Windows Updates
123
124	```hcl
125	provisioner "powershell" {
126	inline = [
127	"Install-PackageProvider -Name NuGet -Force",
128	"Install-Module -Name PSWindowsUpdate -Force",
129	"Import-Module PSWindowsUpdate",
130	"Get-WindowsUpdate -Install -AcceptAll -AutoReboot",
131	]
132	timeout = "2h"
133	}
134
135	# Wait for reboots
136	provisioner "windows-restart" {
137	restart_timeout = "30m"
138	}
139	```
140
141	## Cleanup
142
143	```hcl
144	provisioner "powershell" {
145	inline = [
146	"# Clear temp files",
147	"Remove-Item -Path 'C:\\Windows\\Temp\\*' -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue",
148	"# Clear Windows Update cache",
149	"Stop-Service -Name wuauserv -Force",
150	"Remove-Item -Path 'C:\\Windows\\SoftwareDistribution\\*' -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue",
151	"Start-Service -Name wuauserv",
152	]
153	}
154	```
155
156	## Common Issues
157
158	WinRM Timeout
159	- Increase `winrm_timeout` to 15m or more
160	- Verify security group allows ports 5985/5986
161	- Check user data script completed successfully
162
163	PowerShell Execution Policy
164	```hcl
165	provisioner "powershell" {
166	inline = [
167	"Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process -Force",
168	"# Your commands here",
169	]
170	}
171	```
172
173	Long Build Times
174	- Windows Updates can take 1-2 hours
175	- Use pre-patched base images when available
176	- Set provisioner `timeout = "2h"`
177
178	## References
179
180	- [Packer Windows Builders](https://developer.hashicorp.com/packer/guides/windows)
181	- [WinRM Communicator](https://developer.hashicorp.com/packer/docs/communicators/winrm)
182	- [PowerShell Provisioner](https://developer.hashicorp.com/packer/docs/provisioners/powershell)

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