Windows Template Build

This role automates converting a fresh Windows installation into a reusable template. It can be executed against virtual machines running on VMware, oVirt/RHV, EC2, Azure and other platforms. Typical tasks include installing drivers, applying Windows updates, enabling RDP, installing Cloudbase-Init and finally running sysprep.

Note: The tasks provided here are meant as examples. Review and adapt them to match your environment and security policies before using in production.

Requirements

• Ansible 2.9 or newer
• A reachable Windows VM with WinRM enabled
• Administrative credentials for the VM
• Internet access for downloading updates and tools

If WinRM is not yet configured on the guest, execute ConfigureRemotingForAnsible.ps1 from the Ansible project. The URL of this script can be changed via the winrm_enable_script_url variable.

Role Variables

Below are some frequently adjusted variables. See defaults/main.yml and vars/main.yml for the complete list.

Variable	Default	Purpose
install_updates	true	Apply Windows updates
install_cloudbase_init	true	Install and enable Cloudbase-Init before sysprep
remove_apps	false	Remove built‑in applications
upgrade_powershell	false	Install a newer PowerShell version
target_ovirt	false	Install oVirt/QEMU drivers
target_ec2	false	Install the AWS ENA driver
target_vagrant	false	Settings for Vagrant boxes
shutdown_instance	true	Power off after sysprep

Local administrator credentials and additional user accounts are defined in vars/main.yml.

Dependencies

The role depends on several other roles published on Ansible Galaxy:

• oatakan.windows_ec2_ena_driver
• oatakan.windows_powershell_upgrade
• oatakan.windows_configure_update
• oatakan.windows_update
• oatakan.windows_virtio
• oatakan.windows_vmware_tools
• oatakan.windows_virtualbox_guest_additions
• oatakan.windows_parallels_tools
• oatakan.windows_hotfix

Install them with ansible-galaxy install -r requirements.yml or using ansible-galaxy collection install.

Example Playbook

Inventory example:

[windows]
winhost ansible_host=192.0.2.10 ansible_user=Administrator ansible_password=Secret123

Playbook example:

- name: Build Windows template
  hosts: windows
  vars:
    ansible_connection: winrm
    ansible_port: 5986
    ansible_winrm_transport: credssp
    ansible_winrm_server_cert_validation: ignore
  roles:
    - oatakan.windows_template_build

Run the playbook with:

ansible-playbook -i inventory build.yml

Once the play completes, the virtual machine shuts down and can be used to create new templates on your virtualization platform.

License

MIT

Author

Orcun Atakan