Preview: Upcoming v2.0.0 Release

[tenthirtyam]

I'm incredibly excited to announce the upcoming v2.0.0 release of vmware/packer-plugin-vmware.

This won't be just an incremental update; it's the culmination of months of dedicated effort to refactor, modernize, and refocus the plugin for the future.

As the maintainer, I've poured a lot of thought into what the next chapter for this plugin should look like, and I'm thrilled to share it with you.

Redefining the Plugin's Mission

The first and most significant change is a decision to refine the plugin's focus. Moving forward, the plugin will exclusively target the VMware Desktop Hypervisors: VMware Fusion Pro and VMware Workstation Pro.

For a long time, the plugin carried the maintenance burden of supporting VMware ESX. While this was useful in the past, the ecosystem has evolved. Broadcom provides the feature-rich Packer Plugin for VMware vSphere vmware/packer-plugin-vsphere which is purpose-built for vSphere environments. Continuing to maintain parallel ESX support in this plugin created a confusing user experience as well as split or duplicated development focus. By removing it, efforts will be dedicated to creating the best possible plugin experience for the desktop hypervisor user base.

Similarly, support is removed for the Workstation Player which has reached end-of-availability.

This sharpened focus is the bedrock upon which the release is built, enabling a more stable, feature-rich, and maintainable plugin.

New Features

The release will introduces some highly requested features that unlock new and more efficient workflows.

Cloning from OVF/OVA Templates

One of the most exciting new features is the ability to clone virtual machines directly from .ovf and .ova files. This leverages VMware's ovftool under the hood and complements the existing vmx-based cloning. Instead of starting every build from a bare OS installation, you can now use pre-built appliances or templates exported from vSphere as your base. This is a game-changer for teams looking to standardize on a common image artifact that can be used across different environments, dramatically speeding up build times.

A More Reliable tools_mode: attach

This method continues to support the previous upload methods but also supports an attach mode to mount the VMware Tools ISO directly to the virtual machine's CD-ROM drive, presenting it as a physical device. This approach is far more stable and universal ensuring the VMware Tools ISO can be efficiently made available to the guest operating system when you need them.

Modernizing the go-vnc Library

One of the most critical under-the-hood changes was addressing a key dependency. The plugin's ability to send keystrokes and interact with the VM console relied on the mitchellh/go-vnc library. Unfortunately, this library was archived and no longer receiving updates, posing a significant risk of incompatibility with modern Go versions and the desktop hypervisors.

I took on the task of developing the drop-in replacement tenthirtyam/go-vnc library. This involved modernizing the codebase, updating its APIs, and committing to its long-term maintenance. By replacing the deprecated dependency with this new, actively maintained version, it ensures the plugin remains stable, secure, and compatible with the Go ecosystem for years to come.

A Healthier Codebase for a Better Future

Beyond the major features, a massive effort went into improving the overall health of the codebase.

• Explicit Configuration: Ambiguity is the enemy of automation. I've removed deprecated fields like ssh_skip_request_pty and now require the usb_version to be set explicitly when a USB controller is enabled. These changes make your Packer templates clearer and your builds more predictable.
• Code Standardization: I've replaced countless "magic strings" with shared constants, centralized configuration defaults, and improved input validation across the board. This not only prevents typos and bugs but also makes the codebase easier for future contributors to navigate.
• Dependency Currency: The plugin dependencies continue to be updated, ensuring you benefit from the latest security and performance improvements in the platform.

Thank you for your continued support and feedback.

Ryan Johnson
VMware by Broadcom
GitHub | LinkedIn