5_Creating_a_Custom_Image_from_Custom_Managed_Image

Create a Custom Image, from an Existing Custom Managed Image, then Distribute and Version over Multiple Regions

This article is to show you how you can use an existing custom Managed Image using the Azure VM Image Builder, and then use the Azure Shared Image Gallery.

To use this Quick Quickstarts, this can all be done using the Azure Cloudshell from the Portal. Simply copy and paste the code from here, at a miniumum, just update the subscriptionID variable below.

Step 0 : Enable Prereqs

Happy Image Building!!!

Register for Image Builder / VM / Storage Features

az feature register --namespace Microsoft.VirtualMachineImages --name VirtualMachineTemplatePreview

az feature show --namespace Microsoft.VirtualMachineImages --name VirtualMachineTemplatePreview | grep state

# register and enable for shared image gallery
az feature register --namespace Microsoft.Compute --name GalleryPreview

# wait until it says registered

# check you are registered for the providers

az provider show -n Microsoft.VirtualMachineImages | grep registrationState

az provider show -n Microsoft.Storage | grep registrationState

az provider show -n Microsoft.Compute | grep registrationState

If they do not saw registered, run the commented out code below.

## az provider register -n Microsoft.VirtualMachineImages

## az provider register -n Microsoft.Storage

## az provider register -n Microsoft.Compute

Lastly ensure you have an existing Custom Managed Image, if you dont, you need to create one, you can go to Quick QuickStart 0_Creating_a_Custom_Linux_Managed_Image.

Step 1 : Set Permissions & Create Shared Image Gallery (SIG)

NOTE!!! Currently Linux Support only. For Preview AIB will only support creating custom images in the same Resource Group as the source custom managed image. For example, if your existing managed custom images resides in RG1, then you must make sure the sigResourceGroup variable below is set to RG1. In the quick start below, we will create a SIG in that RG.

This Quick Start assumes you have completed 0_Creating_a_Custom_Linux_Managed_Image, and therefore the variables below, will be preset to those variable names, for continuity, but you can always update them yourself.

# set your environment variables here!!!!

# Create SIG  resource group
sigResourceGroup=aibmdi

# location of SIG (see possible locations in main docs)
location=westus2

# additional region to replication image to
additionalregion=eastus

# your subscription
# get the current subID : 'az account show | grep id'
subscriptionID=<INSERT YOUR SUBSCRIPTION ID HERE>

# source image name
srcImageName=aibCustomLinuxImg01

# name of the shared image gallery, e.g. myCorpGallery
sigName=my10thSIG

# name of the image definition to be created, e.g. ProdImages
imageDefName=ubuntu1804images

# name of the image definition to be created, e.g. ProdImages
runOutputName=sigRo

# create SIG
az sig create \
    -g $sigResourceGroup \
    --gallery-name $sigName

# create SIG image definition
##$sigName \
az sig image-definition create \
   -g $sigResourceGroup \
   --gallery-name $sigName \
   --gallery-image-definition $imageDefName \
   --publisher corpIT \
   --offer myOffer \
   --sku 18.04-LTS \
   --os-type Linux

Step 2 : Modify HelloImage Example

# download the example and configure it with your vars

curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/danielsollondon/azvmimagebuilder/master/quickquickstarts/5_Creating_a_Custom_Image_from_Custom_Managed_Image/helloImageTemplateforReCustomization.json -o helloImageTemplateforReCustomization.json

sed -i -e "s/<subscriptionID>/$subscriptionID/g" helloImageTemplateforReCustomization.json
sed -i -e "s/<rgName>/$sigResourceGroup/g" helloImageTemplateforReCustomization.json
sed -i -e "s/<imageDefName>/$imageDefName/g" helloImageTemplateforReCustomization.json
sed -i -e "s/<sharedImageGalName>/$sigName/g" helloImageTemplateforReCustomization.json
sed -i -e "s/<srcImageName>/$srcImageName/g" helloImageTemplateforReCustomization.json


sed -i -e "s/<region1>/$location/g" helloImageTemplateforReCustomization.json
sed -i -e "s/<region2>/$additionalregion/g" helloImageTemplateforReCustomization.json
sed -i -e "s/<runOutputName>/$runOutputName/g" helloImageTemplateforReCustomization.json

Step 3 : Create the Image

# submit the image confiuration to the VM Image Builder Service

az resource create \
    --resource-group $sigResourceGroup \
    --properties @helloImageTemplateforReCustomization.json \
    --is-full-object \
    --resource-type Microsoft.VirtualMachineImages/imageTemplates \
    -n ImgTemplateforCustomManImg01


# start the image build

az resource invoke-action \
     --resource-group $sigResourceGroup \
     --resource-type  Microsoft.VirtualMachineImages/imageTemplates \
     -n ImgTemplateforCustomManImg01 \
     --action Run 

# wait minimum of 20mins (this includes replication time to both regions)

Step 4 : Create the VM

az vm create \
  --resource-group $sigResourceGroup \
  --name aibImgRcVm01 \
  --admin-username aibuser \
  --location $location \
  --image "/subscriptions/$subscriptionID/resourceGroups/$sigResourceGroup/providers/Microsoft.Compute/galleries/$sigName/images/$imageDefName/versions/latest" \
  --generate-ssh-keys

# and login...

ssh aibuser@<pubIp>

You should see the image was customized with a Message of the Day as soon as your SSH connection is established!

*******************************************************
**            This VM was built from the:            **
...

Clean Up

# BEWARE : This is DELETING the Image created for you, be sure this is what you want!!!

# delete AIB Template
az resource delete \
    --resource-group $sigResourceGroup \
    --resource-type Microsoft.VirtualMachineImages/imageTemplates \
    -n ImgTemplateforCustomManImg01

# get image version created by AIB, this always starts with 0.*
sigDefImgVersion=$(az sig image-version list \
   -g $sigResourceGroup \
   --gallery-name $sigName \
   --gallery-image-definition $imageDefName \
   --subscription $subscriptionID --query [].'name' -o json | grep 0. | tr -d '"')

# delete image version
az sig image-version delete \
   -g $sigResourceGroup \
   --gallery-image-version $sigDefImgVersion \
   --gallery-name $sigName \
   --gallery-image-definition $imageDefName \
   --subscription $subscriptionID

# delete image definition
az sig image-definition delete \
   -g $sigResourceGroup \
   --gallery-name $sigName \
   --gallery-image-definition $imageDefName \
   --subscription $subscriptionID

# delete SIG
az sig delete -r $sigName -g $sigResourceGroup

# delete RG
az group delete -n $sigResourceGroup -y

Next Steps

• Want to learn more???

  • Explore the documentation in the MS Teams channel (Files).
  • Look at the composition of the Image Builder Template, look in the 'Properties' you will see the source image, customization script it runs, and where it distributes it.

  cat helloImageTemplateforReCustomization.json

• Want to try more???

• Image Builder does support deployment through Azure Resource Manager, see here in the repo for examples, you will also see how you can use a RHEL ISO source too, and manu other capabilities.