Cloud-Init with Terraform on Proxmox¶

This is a sample guide for using the cloud-init command with Terraform to deploy new VMs.

Table of Contents¶

1. Install cloud-init (If Not Already Installed)
2. Create a Cloud-Init Image Using the cloud-localds Command
3. Convert a Base VM into a Cloud-Init Template
- Install Dependencies on the Base VM
- Clean Up the Base VM for Cloning
4. Convert the VM into a Proxmox Cloud-Init Template
- Convert the VM to a Template
5. Use Terraform to Deploy the Cloud-Init Image
- Terraform Configuration
6. Deploy the Terraform Configuration
7. Verify the Cloud-Init VM
Conclusion

1. Install `cloud-init` (If Not Already Installed)¶

Ensure cloud-init is installed on your base VM before creating an image.

sudo dnf install cloud-init  # For Rocky Linux
sudo apt install cloud-init  # For Ubuntu/Debian

Verify installation:

cloud-init --version

2. Create a Cloud-Init Image Using the `cloud-localds` Command¶

Use cloud-localds to create a cloud-init disk with a user-defined configuration.

Create a `meta-data` file¶

This file provides instance-specific information, such as instance ID.

cat <<EOF > meta-data
instance-id: cloud-vm-001
local-hostname: my-cloud-init-vm
EOF

Create a `user-data` file¶

This file contains initial setup, such as users, passwords, SSH keys, and packages.

cat <<EOF > user-data
#cloud-config
users:

  - name: kolkhis
    sudo: ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD:ALL
    shell: /bin/bash
    ssh_authorized_keys:

      - ssh-rsa AAAAB3...your-public-ssh-key...
package_update: true
packages:

  - qemu-guest-agent
  - htop
runcmd:

  - echo "Cloud-init configured successfully!" > /etc/motd
EOF

Generate a Cloud-Init Image¶

Create a cloud-init seed image:

cloud-localds cloud-init.img user-data meta-data

This creates a cloud-init.img file, which can be used to initialize VMs.

3. Convert a Base VM into a Cloud-Init Template¶

Now, take a clean base VM, install necessary dependencies, and configure it for cloud-init.

Install Dependencies on the Base VM¶

sudo dnf install cloud-init cloud-utils-growpart qemu-guest-agent
sudo systemctl enable --now qemu-guest-agent

Clean Up the Base VM for Cloning¶

Before turning this VM into a template, clean up persistent machine-specific settings:

sudo cloud-init clean
sudo rm -rf /etc/machine-id
sudo touch /etc/machine-id

Shut down the VM:

sudo poweroff

4. Convert the VM into a Proxmox Cloud-Init Template¶

On the Proxmox node, create a template for future Terraform use.

This can either be done with the qm command line tool, or with the Proxmox Web UI.

Convert the VM to a Template¶

Locate the VM ID:
```
qm list
```
Convert it to a Template:
```
qm template <VM_ID>
```

Create a cloud-init disk:

qm set <VM_ID> --ide2 local-lvm:cloud-init

Configure boot options for cloud-init:

qm set <VM_ID> --boot c --bootdisk scsi0

Optionally, resize the disk if you need to:
```
qm resize <VM_ID> scsi0 +10G
```

5. Use Terraform to Deploy the Cloud-Init Image¶

After setting up the cloud-init template, you can use Terraform to deploy VM instances.

Terraform Configuration¶

provider "proxmox" {
  pm_api_url      = "https://192.168.1.10:8006/api2/json"
  pm_user         = "root@pam"
  pm_password     = "password"
  pm_tls_insecure = true
}

resource "proxmox_vm_qemu" "cloud_vm" {
  name        = "cloud-vm-1"
  target_node = "proxmox-node"
  clone       = "cloud-init-template"

  disks {
    scsi {
      disk {
        size    = "10G"
        storage = "local-lvm"
      }
    }
  }

  network {
    model  = "virtio"
    bridge = "vmbr0"
  }

  os_type = "cloud-init"
  ciuser  = "kolkhis"
  cipassword = "your-password"
  sshkeys = <<EOT
ssh-ed25519 AAAAC3...your-public-ssh-key...
EOT
}

Fill in the information in the appropriate fields.

provider "proxmox": This should be your PVE node's info.
- pm_api_url: Should be the IP to your proxmox node, pointing towards the Proxmox API endpoint.
- pm_user: Default login for the root user on PVE is root@pam.
- pm_password: The password for your root login.
- resource "proxmox_vm_qemu" "cloud_vm": The new resource to be created.
- name: The name of your new VM.
- target_node: The Proxmox node that it should be created on.
- clone: The cloud-init template that you are using.
- disks: Fill in the disk information here (size and name of storage pool).
- ciuser/cipassword: The username to create on the new VM and its password.
- sshkeys: The public SSH keys to upload to the authorized_keys file.

6. Deploy the Terraform Configuration¶

Run the following Terraform commands to deploy your VM.

terraform init
terraform apply -auto-approve

7. Verify the Cloud-Init VM¶

Once Terraform has created the VM, verify that cloud-init applied the settings.

ssh kolkhis@<VM_IP>

Check logs:

sudo cloud-init status
sudo cloud-init analyze

tl;dr¶

cloud-init automates VM initialization for Terraform in Proxmox.
Using cloud-localds, you preconfigure VM settings (users, SSH keys, packages).
Converting a base VM to a Proxmox cloud-init template allows dynamic deployment via Terraform.