Windows Templates¶

This section demonstrates Windows-based virtual machine templates and configurations using Kraken manifests. These examples show how to create, configure, and deploy Windows VMs for enterprise and development environments.

NOTE Windows licensing requires you to source your own Windows images. We recommend deploying pre-configured images whever possible so they are "ready to run" when booted without additional manual configuration post-deployment.

Overview¶

Windows templates in Kraken provide:

Enterprise Windows Server and Desktop deployments
TPM support for Windows security features
Template VMs for rapid deployment
Cloud-init integration for automated setup
Active Directory integration capabilities
Scale Guest Tools for better HyperCore visibility into guest.

Windows Server Template¶

This example creates a Windows Server template VM ready for enterprise deployment.

Windows Server Configuration¶

windows-server-template.yaml

type: Application
version: "1.0.0"
metadata:
  name: "windows-server-template"
  labels:
    - "os:windows"
    - "type:template"
    - "edition:server"
spec:
  assets:
    - name: "windows-server-2022"
      type: "virtual_disk"
      format: "raw"
      url: "https://storage.googleapis.com/demo-bucket/windows-server-2022.img"

  resources:
    - type: "virdomain"
      name: "windows-server-template"
      spec:
        description: "Windows Server 2022 template for enterprise deployment"
        os: windows
        cpu: 4
        memory: 8 GiB
        machine_type: "tpm"  # TPM required for Windows security

        storage_devices:
          - name: "system-disk"
            type: "virtio_disk"
            source: "windows-server-2022"
            boot: 1
            capacity: 100 GB

        network_devices:
          - name: "ethernet"
            type: "virtio"

        tags:
          - "windows"
          - "server"
          - "template"
          - "enterprise"

        state: "shutoff"  # Template state for cloning

Key Features¶

TPM Machine Type: Required for Windows security features
8GB RAM: Adequate for Windows Server workloads
100GB Storage: Space for OS, applications, and data
VirtIO Network: High-performance networking
Template State: Ready for cloning

Windows Desktop Development¶

Windows desktop environment for development and testing.

Windows Desktop Manifest¶

windows-desktop-dev.yaml

type: Application
version: "1.0.0"
metadata:
  name: "windows-desktop"
  labels:
    - "os:windows"
    - "purpose:development"
    - "edition:desktop"
spec:
  assets:
    - name: "windows-11-pro"
      type: "virtual_disk"
      format: "raw"
      url: "https://storage.googleapis.com/demo-bucket/windows-11-pro.img"

  resources:
    - type: "virdomain"
      name: "windows-dev-{{cluster_name}}"
      spec:
        description: "Windows 11 Pro development environment"
        os: windows
        cpu: 4
        memory: 8 GiB
        machine_type: "tpm"

        storage_devices:
          - name: "system-disk"
            type: "virtio_disk"
            source: "windows-11-pro"
            boot: 1
            capacity: 120 GB
          - name: "data-disk"
            type: "virtio_disk"
            capacity: 200 GB

        network_devices:
          - name: "ethernet"
            type: "virtio"

        tags:
          - "windows"
          - "desktop"
          - "development"
          - "visual-studio"

        state: "running"

        cloud_init_data:
          user_data: |
            #cloud-config
            # Windows cloud-init configuration
            users:
              - name: developer
                primary_group: Users
                groups: [Administrators, "Remote Desktop Users"]
                passwd: SecurePassword123!
                lock_passwd: false

            # Install Chocolatey package manager
            runcmd:
              - powershell -Command "Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process -Force; [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol -bor 3072; iex ((New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadString('https://community.chocolatey.org/install.ps1'))"

              # Install development tools
              - choco install -y git
              - choco install -y vscode
              - choco install -y nodejs
              - choco install -y python
              - choco install -y docker-desktop
              - choco install -y postman
              - choco install -y 7zip
              - choco install -y notepadplusplus

              # Configure Windows features
              - dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux /all /norestart
              - dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:VirtualMachinePlatform /all /norestart

              # Configure PowerShell execution policy
              - powershell -Command "Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Force"

          meta_data: |
            instance-id: windows-dev
            local-hostname: windows-dev

Active Directory Domain Controller¶

Windows Server configured as an Active Directory Domain Controller.

AD Domain Controller Manifest¶

ad-domain-controller.yaml

type: Application
version: "1.0.0"
metadata:
  name: "ad-domain-controller"
  labels:
    - "os:windows"
    - "role:domain-controller"
    - "service:active-directory"
spec:
  assets:
    - name: "windows-server-2022-dc"
      type: "virtual_disk"
      format: "raw"
      url: "https://storage.googleapis.com/demo-bucket/windows-server-2022-dc.img"

  resources:
    - type: "virdomain"
      name: "ad-domain-controller"
      spec:
        description: "Windows Server 2022 Active Directory Domain Controller"
        os: windows
        cpu: 4
        memory: 8GiB
        machine_type: "tpm"

        storage_devices:
          - name: "system-disk"
            type: "virtio_disk"
            source: "windows-server-2022-dc"
            boot: 1
            capacity: 100GB
          - name: "ad-database"
            type: "virtio_disk"
            capacity: 50GB

        network_devices:
          - name: "domain-network"
            type: "virtio"

        tags:
          - "windows"
          - "domain-controller"
          - "active-directory"
          - "dns"

        state: "running"

        cloud_init_data:
          user_data: |
            #cloud-config
            # Configure Domain Controller
            runcmd:
              # Install AD DS role
              - powershell -Command "Install-WindowsFeature -Name AD-Domain-Services -IncludeManagementTools"

              # Configure static IP (adjust for your network)
              - powershell -Command "New-NetIPAddress -InterfaceIndex 12 -IPAddress 192.168.1.10 -PrefixLength 24 -DefaultGateway 192.168.1.1"
              - powershell -Command "Set-DnsClientServerAddress -InterfaceIndex 12 -ServerAddresses 127.0.0.1"

              # Install AD Forest
              - powershell -Command "Install-ADDSForest -DomainName 'company.local' -SafeModeAdministratorPassword (ConvertTo-SecureString 'P@ssw0rd123!' -AsPlainText -Force) -Force"

              # Configure DNS
              - powershell -Command "Add-DnsServerPrimaryZone -Name 'company.local' -ZoneFile 'company.local.dns'"

              # Add DNS forwarders
              - powershell -Command "Add-DnsServerForwarder -IPAddress 8.8.8.8"
              - powershell -Command "Add-DnsServerForwarder -IPAddress 8.8.4.4"

          meta_data: |
            instance-id: ad-domain-controller-001
            local-hostname: dc01

IIS Web Server¶

Windows Server configured with Internet Information Services (IIS).

IIS Web Server Manifest¶

iis-web-server.yaml

type: Application
version: "1.0.0"
metadata:
  name: "iis-web-server-{{ instance_id }}"
  labels:
    - "os:windows"
    - "role:web-server"
    - "service:iis"
spec:
  assets:
    - name: "windows-server-2022"
      type: "virtual_disk"
      format: "raw"
      url: "https://storage.googleapis.com/demo-bucket/windows-server-2022.img"

  resources:
    - type: "virdomain"
      name: "iis-web-{{cluster_name}}"
      spec:
        description: "Windows Server 2022 with IIS web server"
        os: windows
        cpu: 2
        memory: 4GiB
        machine_type: "tpm"

        storage_devices:
          - name: "system-disk"
            type: "virtio_disk"
            source: "windows-server-2022"
            boot: 1
            capacity: 80GB
          - name: "web-content"
            type: "virtio_disk"
            capacity: 40GB

        network_devices:
          - name: "web-network"
            type: "virtio"

        tags:
          - "windows"
          - "iis"
          - "web-server"
          - "dotnet"

        state: "running"

        cloud_init_data:
          user_data: |
            #cloud-config
            runcmd:
              # Install IIS and ASP.NET
              - powershell -Command "Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName IIS-WebServerRole, IIS-WebServer, IIS-CommonHttpFeatures, IIS-HttpErrors, IIS-HttpRedirect, IIS-ApplicationDevelopment, IIS-NetFxExtensibility45, IIS-HealthAndDiagnostics, IIS-HttpLogging, IIS-Security, IIS-RequestFiltering, IIS-Performance, IIS-WebServerManagementTools, IIS-ManagementConsole, IIS-IIS6ManagementCompatibility, IIS-Metabase, IIS-ASPNET45 -All"

              # Configure IIS
              - powershell -Command "Import-Module WebAdministration"
              - powershell -Command "New-Website -Name 'Default Web Site' -Port 80 -PhysicalPath 'C:\\inetpub\\wwwroot'"

              # Install .NET Framework
              - powershell -Command "Install-WindowsFeature -Name NET-Framework-45-Features"

              # Configure firewall
              - powershell -Command "New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName 'Allow HTTP' -Direction Inbound -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 80 -Action Allow"
              - powershell -Command "New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName 'Allow HTTPS' -Direction Inbound -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 443 -Action Allow"

              # Create sample web page
              - powershell -Command "Set-Content -Path 'C:\\inetpub\\wwwroot\\index.html' -Value '<html><body><h1>IIS Server Running</h1><p>Server: {{ instance_id }}</p></body></html>'"

          meta_data: |
            instance-id: iis-web
            local-hostname: iis-web

SQL Server Database¶

Windows Server with SQL Server for database workloads.

SQL Server Manifest¶

sql-server.yaml

type: Application
version: "1.0.0"
metadata:
  name: "sql-server"
  labels:
    - "os:windows"
    - "database:sql-server"
    - "tier:data"
spec:
  assets:
    - name: "windows-server-sql"
      type: "virtual_disk"
      format: "raw"
      url: "https://storage.googleapis.com/demo-bucket/windows-server-2022-sql.img"

  resources:
    - type: "virdomain"
      name: "sql-server-{{cluster_name}}"
      spec:
        description: "Windows Server 2022 with SQL Server"
        cpu: 4
        memory: 16GiB
        machine_type: "tpm"

        storage_devices:
          - name: "system-disk"
            type: "virtio_disk"
            source: "windows-server-sql"
            boot: 1
            capacity: 100GB
          - name: "data-disk"
            type: "virtio_disk"
            capacity: 200GB
          - name: "log-disk"
            type: "virtio_disk"
            capacity: 100GB

        network_devices:
          - name: "sql-network"
            type: "virtio"

        tags:
          - "windows"
          - "sql-server"
          - "database"
          - "enterprise"

        state: "running"

        cloud_init_data:
          user_data: |
            #cloud-config
            runcmd:
              # Configure SQL Server data directories
              - powershell -Command "New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path 'E:\\SQLData' -Force"
              - powershell -Command "New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path 'F:\\SQLLogs' -Force"

              # Format additional disks
              - powershell -Command "Initialize-Disk -Number 1 -PartitionStyle MBR -PassThru | New-Partition -UseMaximumSize -AssignDriveLetter | Format-Volume -FileSystem NTFS -NewFileSystemLabel 'SQLData' -Confirm:$false"
              - powershell -Command "Initialize-Disk -Number 2 -PartitionStyle MBR -PassThru | New-Partition -UseMaximumSize -AssignDriveLetter | Format-Volume -FileSystem NTFS -NewFileSystemLabel 'SQLLogs' -Confirm:$false"

              # Configure SQL Server service
              - powershell -Command "Set-Service -Name 'MSSQLSERVER' -StartupType Automatic"
              - powershell -Command "Start-Service -Name 'MSSQLSERVER'"

              # Configure SQL Server Agent
              - powershell -Command "Set-Service -Name 'SQLSERVERAGENT' -StartupType Automatic"
              - powershell -Command "Start-Service -Name 'SQLSERVERAGENT'"

              # Configure firewall for SQL Server
              - powershell -Command "New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName 'SQL Server' -Direction Inbound -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 1433 -Action Allow"

          meta_data: |
            instance-id: sql-server
            local-hostname: sql-server

Common Windows Patterns¶

User Management¶

# Create local users
users:
  - name: serviceaccount
    primary_group: Users
    groups: [Users, "Log on as a service"]
    passwd: ComplexPassword123!
    lock_passwd: false

# Configure Administrator
runcmd:
  - net user Administrator NewPassword123! /active:yes

Windows Features¶

# Enable Windows features
runcmd:
  - dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:IIS-WebServerRole /all /norestart
  - dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux /all /norestart
  - powershell -Command "Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Microsoft-Hyper-V -All"

Package Management¶

# Install Chocolatey and packages
runcmd:
  - powershell -Command "Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process -Force; iex ((New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadString('https://chocolatey.org/install.ps1'))"
  - choco install -y git
  - choco install -y vscode
  - choco install -y nodejs

Service Configuration¶

# Configure Windows services
runcmd:
  - sc config "ServiceName" start= auto
  - net start "ServiceName"
  - sc description "ServiceName" "Service description"

Best Practices¶

1. Security Configuration¶

# Security hardening
runcmd:
  - powershell -Command "Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Force"
  - powershell -Command "Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Windows-Defender-Features -All"
  - powershell -Command "Set-MpPreference -DisableRealtimeMonitoring $false"

2. Resource Planning¶

# Appropriate Windows sizing
cpu: 4                    # Minimum for server workloads
memory: 8GiB     # 8GiB minimum for Windows Server
capacity: 100GB    # 100GB minimum for Windows + apps

3. TPM Configuration¶

# Always use TPM for Windows VMs
machine_type: "tpm"  # Required for Windows security features

4. Storage Layout¶

# Separate system and data storage
storage_devices:
  - name: "system-disk"     # OS and applications
    capacity: 100GB
  - name: "data-disk"       # Application data
    capacity: 200GB

5. Scale Guest Tools¶

# Setting os:windows ensure that the scale guest tools ISO is automatically attached to VM to ensure required drivers are available.
os: windows

Troubleshooting¶

Common Issues¶

Boot failures: Ensure TPM machine type is used
Activation issues: Check Windows licensing
Driver problems: Verify VirtIO driver installation
Network connectivity: Check Windows firewall settings

Debug Commands¶

# Check Windows activation
slmgr /xpr

# Check system information
systeminfo

# Check services
Get-Service | Where-Object {$_.Status -eq "Running"}

# Check event logs
Get-EventLog -LogName System -Newest 50

Multi-VM Applications - Windows and Linux together
Basic Examples - Fundamental configurations
GPU Applications - Windows with GPU support

Next Steps¶

Customize templates for your organization
Implement domain joining procedures
Configure monitoring and backup
Scale to enterprise deployments