Windows Guest Customization and Automation

This collection focuses on preparing Windows guests and automating the infrastructure around them. Start with template customization for a new deployment, or use the disk provisioning guide when the guest needs more specific storage settings.

Windows provisioning

Install and configure Cloudbase-Init for VCF Automation — prepare a Windows Server template, configuration files, and guest initialization.
Add Windows disks with drive letters and labels in Aria Automation — connect deployment inputs to the desired guest layout.

Administration from Windows

Exporting and restoring vCenter 8.x permissions is useful when planning an Enhanced Linked Mode change. The Salt Open Source deployment walkthrough provides infrastructure context for the Salt-related articles in the archive.

For more provisioning workflows and API examples, continue with VCF and Aria Automation. For host maintenance and troubleshooting, use the vSphere guides.

Cloudbase-Init Windows Guest Customization: Blueprint Editor

Installing and Configuring Cloudbase-Init on Windows for VCF Automation Guest Customization

Customizing Windows guest instances in VMware environments has traditionally been handled by the VMware Guest Customization Specification (Sysprep-based). While this approach works, it has limitations, especially when you need cloud-agnostic blueprints that work across vCenter, Azure, AWS, and GCP cloud accounts. Enter Cloudbase-Init: the Windows equivalent of Cloud-Init. It provides powerful guest customization capabilities including user creation, password injection, hostname configuration, SSH public keys, and user-data script execution. This guide walks through the full process of installing and configuring Cloudbase-Init on a Windows Server template for use with VCF Automation (formerly VMware Aria Automation / vRealize Automation). ...

Notepad file listing firmware type settings for ESXi hosts, indicating Legacy BIOS for all entries.

Automating Legacy Boot Option Checks Across ESXi Hosts with PowerShell and Plink

In the evolving landscape of VMware ESXi environments, maintaining compatibility and ensuring that systems adhere to specific boot requirements is essential. As more environments transition towards UEFI, there might still be a need to check or enforce legacy BIOS boot methods on certain ESXi servers, especially for compatibility with older hardware or specific operational requirements. This blog post will guide VMware administrators on how to automate the process of checking the boot option (UEFI or Legacy BIOS) on multiple ESXi hosts using PowerShell and Plink. ...

SaltStack: The Ultimate Tool for Windows Patch Management

Windows systems are vulnerable to security threats and need to be regularly patched to protect against these threats. However, managing patches for a large number of Windows systems can be a tedious and time-consuming task. This is where SaltStack comes in to help. SaltStack is a popular open-source configuration management and orchestration tool that can be used to manage Windows systems, including patch management. In this blog, we will discuss how to use SaltStack to patch Windows systems. ...

Mac mini M1's back panel with highlighted Thunderbolt 3 port.

Doing a full restore of the Mac mini M1

I would try the restore options first. You can find instructions for the restore menu here If the recovery menu doesn’t work put the Mac mini in DFU mode by following the instructions I have here One the device is in DFU open Apple Configurator 2 (Mac Only sorry Windows folks). Make sure you are at least at version Version 2.13.2 Connect the USB-C cable to the Mac and the Mac mini to the port closest to the ethernet port ...

Windows provisioning#

Administration from Windows#

Windows provisioning

Administration from Windows