/parallels-scripts

Convenience scripts that automate management of Parallels VMs

Primary LanguageShell

Parallels Automation for CentOS VMs

Description

Some automation tools I've written to help manage Parallels VMs running CentOS

This has been tested and used extensively with Parallels 7

Setup

Before you can use pnew, you'll need to build a cloneable template

  1. Make sure the p* files in bin are somewhere in your $PATH

  2. Build a CentOS VM in Parallels

  3. Install Parallels Tools in that VM

  4. put root/setup.sh in the VM's /root and make sure it's executable

  5. Shut down the vm

    • you can optionally clone it to a template so you don't accidentally screw up your base image

        prlctl clone BASE_VM_NAME --name NEW_NAME --template

  6. Update the variable BASE with the UUID of your base VM

    • for templates: prlctl list --template
    • for regular VMs: prlctl list --all

  7. Try it out: pnew NEW_VM_NAME

Usage

  1. Clone a new VM with pnew VM_NAME
  2. Start up and ssh into a stopped or suspended VM with pstart VM_NAME
  3. Log in to a running VM with pssh VM_NAME
  4. Get the IP address of a VM with pip VM_NAME
    • useful for copying files around

Notes / TODOs

  • If you can avoid it, don't use LVM - it makes it harder for Parallels to compress the disks
  • current e2fsprogs: git clone http://git.kernel.org/cgit/fs/ext2/e2fsprogs.git
    • It contains 'e4defrag' which may help Parallels save disk space
  • How to find RPMs and sort by size: rpm -qa --qf '%{SIZE}\t%{NAME}\n' | sort -n