hyperv-demo/README.md

Hyper-V Windows Server Automation

Enterprise-grade automation for Windows Server VM lifecycle management on Hyper-V using Ansible Automation Platform, GitOps, and Infrastructure as Code practices.

Overview

This project demonstrates automated Windows Server VM management including:

• Provisioning: Automated VM creation using autounattend.xml
• Configuration Management: Day-2 operations and application deployment
• Patch Management: Automated Windows updates via git commits
• CMDB Integration: ServiceNow CMDB synchronization
• Event-Driven Automation: Future EDA integration

Quick Start

New to this project? See QUICKSTART.md for a complete step-by-step guide from fresh Hyper-V install to running VMs.

Development Environment

# Activate Ansible virtual environment
source ~/.venv/ansible/bin/activate

# Install required collections
ansible-galaxy collection install -r collections/requirements.yml

# Verify Hyper-V connectivity
ansible hyperv -m ansible.windows.win_ping

Provision a New VM

# Using ansible-navigator (recommended)
ansible-navigator run playbooks/provision-vm.yml \
  --execution-environment-image aap.toal.ca/ee-demo \
  --extra-vars "vm_name=WEB01 vm_ip_address=192.168.1.101"

# Or with ansible-playbook
ansible-playbook playbooks/provision-vm.yml \
  -e vm_name=WEB01 \
  -e vm_ip_address=192.168.1.101 \
  -e vm_cpu_count=4 \
  -e vm_memory_gb=8

See playbooks/README-provision.md for detailed provisioning guide

Manage Existing VMs

# Patch management
ansible-playbook playbooks/patch-vms.yml --limit windows_servers

# Install IIS demo application
ansible-playbook playbooks/install-iis.yml --limit web_servers

# Update CMDB
ansible-playbook playbooks/sync-cmdb.yml

Project Structure

.
├── ansible.cfg                      # Ansible config → uses toallab-inventory
├── playbooks/                       # Automation workflows
│   ├── provision-vm.yml             # VM provisioning with autounattend
│   ├── create-autounattend-iso.yml  # Helper for ISO creation
│   ├── patch-vms.yml                # Windows Update automation
│   ├── install-iis.yml              # IIS deployment demo
│   ├── sync-cmdb.yml                # ServiceNow integration
│   └── README-provision.md          # Detailed provisioning guide
├── templates/                       # Jinja2 templates
│   └── autounattend.xml.j2          # Windows unattended install
├── roles/                           # Custom roles (future)
└── collections/                     
    └── requirements.yml             # Required collections

Inventory Location: /home/ptoal/Dev/inventories/toallab-inventory

• group_vars/hyperv/ - Hyper-V host configuration
• group_vars/windows_servers/ - Windows Server defaults
• host_vars/hyperv1.lan.toal.ca/ - Hypervisor settings

Prerequisites

• Ansible Automation Platform 2.x
• Hyper-V Server or Windows Server with Hyper-V role
• Windows Server ISO images
• ServiceNow instance (for CMDB integration)
• Active Directory domain (for authentication)

Key Features

VM Provisioning

• Automated Installation: Uses autounattend.xml for unattended Windows setup
• Flexible Configuration: CPU, memory, disk size configurable via variables
• Network Setup: Static IP or DHCP configuration
• WinRM Ready: Automatically configured for Ansible management

Idempotent Operations

• All playbooks can be run multiple times safely
• Check mode support for validation
• Proper state management

AAP Integration

• Job template surveys for user-friendly VM creation
• Webhook support for GitOps workflows
• Credential management for secure operations

Hypervisor

Host: hyperv1.lan.toal.ca (192.168.1.182) Connection: WinRM over HTTP (NTLM auth) Default Storage: D:\VMs Default ISO Path: D:\ISOs

Documentation

• HANDOFF.md - Project status, next steps, and quick reference
• QUICKSTART.md - Complete step-by-step guide from scratch
• CLAUDE.md - Architecture and development guidelines
• playbooks/README-provision.md - VM provisioning guide
• templates/autounattend.xml.j2 - Windows unattended install template

Common Tasks

First-Time Setup

# 1. Configure fresh Hyper-V host
ansible-playbook playbooks/provision-hyperv-host.yml

# 2. Verify switches are available
ansible-playbook playbooks/list-hyperv-switches.yml

# 3. Upload Windows ISO to D:\ISOs\ on Hyper-V host

Provision a VM

ansible-playbook playbooks/provision-vm.yml -e vm_name=WEB01 -e vm_ip_address=192.168.1.101

Add VM to Inventory

# Edit /home/ptoal/Dev/inventories/toallab-inventory/static.yml
# Add under web_servers/app_servers/db_servers:
    WEB01:
      ansible_host: 192.168.1.101

Configure VM

ansible-playbook playbooks/install-iis.yml --limit WEB01

Patch VMs

ansible-playbook playbooks/patch-vms.yml --limit windows_servers