Azure-docs: No docs for publishing managed images / packers to marketplace

[lmeyerov]

We successfully used Packer to generate a valid Managed Image and can successfully start new VM instances using that image. However, we do not see anywhere in the marketplace docs how to use that image for a SKU. We do see orthogonal docs about VHDs, but nothing about going between images and VHDs, and especially not via automated packer scripts. We're probably not understanding something, but as packer automation is a best practice here... the lack of clear scripts & docs here has us stuck & confused.

Note: Packer does have some notes about Managed Image -> Managed Image and VHD -> VHD and no cross-overs... but they're deprecrecating VHDs, and Packer is the basis for new Azure builds... which further confuses how to use Marketplace at all, and especially with automation.

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Document Details

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• ID: 9bdd1146-d9ba-a246-3de9-792436f00c2d
• Version Independent ID: f4b0d911-516f-55b2-4e15-f011a83c2406
• Content: Virtual machine SKUs tab in the Cloud Partner Portal for Azure Marketplace
• Content Source: articles/marketplace/cloud-partner-portal/virtual-machine/cpp-skus-tab.md
• Service: marketplace
• GitHub Login: @v-miclar
• Microsoft Alias: pabutler

[Alberto-Vega]

Hi @lmeyerov I'm sorry to hear that you are having issues with this. Is there a link to a doc where you think this information should be added to? We use the documentation link to find the right content author.

[lmeyerov]

I expected to either see "How to publish a Managed Image" or "How to Publish/Export a Managed Image to a VHD / SAS URL" or "Do not use Managed Images for Azure Marketplace". We're still stuck on this, fwiw.

Marketplace docs:

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/marketplace/cloud-partner-portal/virtual-machine/cpp-skus-tab (hovers say nothing about Managed IMs)

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/marketplace/cloud-partner-portal/virtual-machine/cpp-create-technical-assets

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/marketplace/cloud-partner-portal/virtual-machine/cpp-prerequisites

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/marketplace/cloud-partner-portal/virtual-machine/cpp-skus-tab says nothing about Managed Images

~All examples for Packer are Managed Images and officially deprecate VHDs:

https://www.packer.io/docs/builders/azure.html

https://github.com/hashicorp/packer/tree/master/examples/azure

Microsoft Packer docs don't discuss Managed<>VHD or VHD in general, and Azure Pipelines seems to be Packer

-- https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/pipelines/tasks/deploy/packer-build?view=azure-devops

-- https://github.com/microsoft/azure-pipelines-image-generation

Microsoft Data Science VM we are using as a base:

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/machine-learning/data-science-virtual-machine/dsvm-ubuntu-intro

[lmeyerov]

FWIW, the answer _may_ be to clarify

(1) "Marketplace cannot do Managed Images, and will eventually drop VHDs for them but tough cookies write known-to-be-deprecated code now"

(2) ... And provide pointers to how to write already-obsolete Packer code, namely, replace modern packer code's managed_image... sections with 25-28 of https://github.com/Azure/batch-shipyard/blob/master/contrib/packer/centos-7.4-GPU/build-vhd.json#L25 ,

[lmeyerov]

And more: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/marketplace/cloud-partner-portal/virtual-machine/cpp-prerequisites

The technical requirements for Linux on Azure Marketplace offerings are definitely not the technical requirements for Linux on Azure in general. The docs here are incredibly misleading and time wasting.

[femsulu]

@qianw211, looks like v-miclar's the author on these marketplace content. Can you help with this or let me know who should be assigned? thanks

[lmeyerov]

We figured out how to do a VHD-based packer submission that passed manual certification on our side, but TBD on full certification by the marketplace team. If that works, the fix may be to document that path for automation-driven submissions... but still TBD.

[lmeyerov]

For completeness sakes:

• For automating linux marketplace builds, the deprecated packer "capture" automation approach works <- recommend adding to docs as the best practice for at least one linux automation path
• Still unclear if packer can be made to convert the managed -> vhd and have that pass marketplace testing
• Manual or automated post-build steps are needed to generate the SAS url
• Marketplace does not support deriving from other marketplace images (as far as we can tell) nor automatic linux testing

[qianw211]

Here is the documentation to export the underlying VHD of managed disks to a storage account. It has all the steps from generating the SAS of managed disks to downloading the VHD using AzCopy.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-machines/scripts/virtual-machines-windows-powershell-sample-copy-managed-disks-vhd

[femsulu]

We will now close this issue. If there are further questions regarding this matter, please reply and we will gladly continue the discussion.

[fxnicolas]

I'm facing the same issue here. I have a working image and am trying to get it on Azure Marketplace, and cannot see how to generate the SAS URI from the image.
Is there an Azure VHD packer sample or template somewhere?

[qianw211]

@fxnicolas, the link we posted above should resolve your question, and let me know if you have additional questions. Thanks!
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-machines/scripts/virtual-machines-windows-powershell-sample-copy-managed-disks-vhd

please-close issue is considered fixed unless additional questions come up.

[CecileRobertMichon]

Hi @qianw211, for Linux images what is the recommended approach? We currently use Packer to build VHDs which are then published to the Azure Marketplace using a SAS URI but we are getting warning "You are using Azure Packer Builder to create VHDs which is being deprecated, consider using Managed Images. Learn more http://aka.ms/packermanagedimage". If we move to using managed images, how can we make those publicly available?

The link you posted above only covers Windows VHDs.

[fxnicolas]

@qianw211 The article about "managed disk copy" was not helpful (maybe I did not get the point).

I figured out how to test the Packer-generated VHD and how to have the marketplace-compliant SAS URI generated for that VHD. These parts are not well documented and should be since vendors willing to perform automated builds for Azure Marketplace will go for Packer.

Two points I had to figure out:

• How to generate a virtual machine for testing, from the VHD/JSON pair generated by Packer.
• You do not need to install Storage Explorer. The very convenient Storage Explorer (Preview) in the Azure Console lets you generate the SAS URI, but you must check the Generate Container Level SAS URL box to get a valid URI.

BTW, Using Managed Images is _way more simple_ (I experimented on AWS and Azure).
So like @CecileRobertMichon, I am wondering whether/when Azure Marketplace will be supporting images. AFAIK this does not seem possible.

[qianw211]

@fxnicolas Hi, could you please get in touch with @ramankumarlive directly? Thanks!

[iakovmarkov]

@qianw211 Hi! I am having similar issues with Azure Marketplace & publishing of Managed Image. I don't see any new docs on Azure portal. What's the status of Managed Images on Marketplace, and what's the recommended approach?
Thank you!

[qianw211]

@iakovmarkov Hi, we're tracking this issue, and will let you know once the issue is resolved. Thanks!

[mohitsog]

Hey ,did we get the solution ? @qianw211 @femsulu

[lmeyerov]

AFAICT, negative progress:

-- In practice, it seems that packer VHD support here recently broke in the last few weeks

-- We successfully build Managed & Shared Image Gallery images via packer, but unclear how to get either in to Marketplace, which only accepts an OS VHD URL

[femsulu]

Hi @BrianLevenson - can help fast-track?

[tim-snapt]

+1 This has been an issue for me for some time now as well.

I initially tried publishing Managed Images to marketplace over a year ago and found that you could only use standard VHD disks so I had to amend my build process.

We recently adopted Packer for all of our different platforms and was delighted to find that it builds a Manged Image. Only to find out that we still cannot use Managed Images to publish to the marketplace...

Any plans to add support for this? Or do I need to switch to the Packer VHD method?