esxi-debian-deploy
Zero-touch Debian 13 VM deployment on VMware ESXi 8. Builds custom preseed ISO, creates NVMe+vmxnet3 VM with serial console, and runs unattended installation. Use when deploying Debian VMs on ESXi, automating VM provisioning, or setting up serial console access for headless ESXi VM management.
Install via CLI (Recommended)
clawhub install openclaw/skills/skills/cepheiden/openbot-esxiESXi Debian 13 Zero-Touch Deploy
Deploy fully configured Debian 13 VMs on ESXi 8 in ~8 minutes with zero manual interaction.
Required Environment Variables
| Variable | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
ESXI_HOST | Yes | ESXi host IP address |
ESXI_PASS | Yes | ESXi root password |
ESXI_USER | No | ESXi user (default: root) |
ESXI_DATASTORE | No | Target datastore (default: datastore1) |
NETWORK | No | Port group name (default: VM Network) |
DOMAIN | No | Domain for VMs (default: local) |
VM_PASS | Yes (resize only) | VM root password for disk resize script |
⚠️ Note: The deploy script generates a random VM password and prints it to stdout. The password is also embedded in the preseed ISO uploaded to the ESXi datastore. Remove the ISO after deployment and treat stdout output as sensitive.
Requirements
- ESXi 8.x host with SSH and datastore access
- govc CLI (github.com/vmware/govmomi)
- xorriso, isolinux — for custom ISO build
- sshpass — for automated SSH/SCP
- Tools on agent host:
bash,python3,wget
Install on Debian/Ubuntu:
apt install xorriso isolinux sshpass
# govc: https://github.com/vmware/govmomi/releases
Usage
All credentials are passed via environment variables — nothing is hardcoded or embedded in process arguments.
export ESXI_HOST="192.168.1.100"
export ESXI_PASS="your-esxi-root-password"
bash scripts/esxi-deploy.sh [hostname] [cpu] [ram_mb] [disk_gb] [serial_port]
| Parameter | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| hostname | random animal name | VM name |
| cpu | 2 | vCPU count |
| ram_mb | 2048 | Memory in MB |
| disk_gb | 20 | Disk size in GB |
| serial_port | random 8600-8699 | Telnet port for serial console |
Example:
bash scripts/esxi-deploy.sh webserver 4 4096 50 8610
What It Does
- Generate preseed.cfg — German locale, DHCP, configurable user +
root, random password - Build custom ISO — Debian netinst + preseed, patched isolinux for auto-boot
- Upload ISO to ESXi datastore
- Create VM — NVMe disk (thin provisioned), dual NIC (E1000 for installer + vmxnet3 for production), serial port via telnet
- Boot + unattended install — preseed handles everything
- Post-install — Remove E1000, eject ISO, set boot to HDD
- Output credentials — SSH + serial console access details
Serial Console
Every VM gets a serial port accessible via telnet to the ESXi host:
telnet <ESXI_IP> <serial_port>
Works even when the VM has no network. Configured:
- GRUB:
GRUB_TERMINAL="console serial", serial 115200 8N1 - Kernel:
console=tty0 console=ttyS0,115200n8 - Getty:
[email protected]enabled
ESXi firewall requirement (activated automatically by the script):
esxcli network firewall ruleset set -e true -r remoteSerialPort
Metadata
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Find the right skillPaste this into your clawhub.json to enable this plugin.
{
"plugins": {
"official-cepheiden-openbot-esxi": {
"enabled": true,
"auto_update": true
}
}
}