Ubuntu 24.04 Desktop Vagrant Box Builder

This project automates the creation of Ubuntu 24.04 Desktop Vagrant boxes using Packer and QEMU/KVM.

Features

• Ubuntu 24.04 LTS with full desktop environment
• Automated installation using cloud-init autoinstall
• Pre-configured with Vagrant SSH keys and credentials
• Optimized for desktop use with SPICE graphics
• Support for libvirt/QEMU provider

Prerequisites

Required tools:

• Packer
• QEMU/KVM
• Vagrant with vagrant-libvirt plugin
• xorriso (for ISO creation)
• jq (for JSON processing)

Quick Start

1. Build the VM Image

packer build .

This will:

• Download Ubuntu 24.04 Server ISO
• Run automated installation with vagrant user
• Install Ubuntu Desktop packages
• Configure SSH and sudo access
• Output a QEMU image to output/ubuntu24.04

Build time: ~20 minutes

2. Package as Vagrant Box

./package-vagrant-box.sh

This creates ubuntu-24.04-desktop.box (~1.9GB)

3. Add to Vagrant

vagrant box add ubuntu-24.04-desktop ubuntu-24.04-desktop.box --provider libvirt

4. Use the Box

mkdir ~/my-ubuntu-vm
cd ~/my-ubuntu-vm
vagrant init ubuntu-24.04-desktop
vagrant up --provider=libvirt
vagrant ssh

Project Structure

.
├── auto-desktop.pkr.hcl    # Packer configuration
├── http/
│   ├── user-data          # Cloud-init autoinstall config
│   └── meta-data          # Cloud-init metadata
├── Vagrantfile            # Default box configuration
├── metadata.json          # Vagrant box metadata
└── package-vagrant-box.sh # Packaging script

Configuration Details

VM Specifications

• Memory: 4GB
• CPUs: 2
• Disk: 25GB
• Graphics: SPICE with QXL video
• Network: NAT with DHCP

Credentials

• Username: vagrant
• Password: vagrant
• SSH Key: Vagrant insecure public key (replaced on first vagrant up)

Autoinstall Configuration

The http/user-data file contains:

• User creation with proper SSH keys
• Package installation (desktop, development tools)
• SSH server configuration
• Sudo access without password

Customization

Modify VM Resources

Edit auto-desktop.pkr.hcl:

memory = 8192  # Change RAM
cpus = 4       # Change CPU cores
disk_size = "50G"  # Change disk size

Add Additional Packages

Edit http/user-data packages section:

packages:
  - ubuntu-desktop
  - your-package-here

Change Desktop Environment

Replace ubuntu-desktop with alternatives:

• kubuntu-desktop for KDE
• xubuntu-desktop for XFCE
• ubuntu-mate-desktop for MATE

Troubleshooting

SSH Authentication Fails

• Ensure VNC is enabled (headless = false) to watch installation
• Check that autoinstall completes successfully
• Verify user-data syntax is correct

Build Timeout

• Increase ssh_timeout in Packer config
• Check system resources (RAM, CPU)
• Monitor installation via VNC (port 5900)

Package Script Fails

• Ensure QEMU image exists in output/ubuntu24.04
• Verify metadata.json and Vagrantfile are present
• Check disk space for packaging

Development

Running with Debug Output

PACKER_LOG=1 packer build .

Monitoring Installation

Connect VNC viewer to localhost:5900 during build

Cleaning Up

rm -rf output/
vagrant box remove ubuntu-24.04-desktop

Files Included in Box

• box.img - QEMU/KVM disk image
• metadata.json - Provider configuration
• Vagrantfile - Default VM settings

License

This project uses standard Ubuntu distribution and Vagrant configurations.

Contributing

Feel free to submit issues and enhancement requests!