website: document new vmware-vmx builder

website/source/docs/builders/vmware-vmx.html.markdown

+---
+layout: "docs"
+page_title: "VMware Builder from VMX"
+---
+
+# VMware Builder (from VMX)
+
+Type: `vmware-vmx`
+
+This VMware builder is able to create VMware virtual machines from an
+existing VMware virtual machine (a VMX file). It currently
+supports building virtual machines on hosts running
+[VMware Fusion](http://www.vmware.com/products/fusion/overview.html) for OS X,
+[VMware Workstation](http://www.vmware.com/products/workstation/overview.html)
+for Linux and Windows, and
+[VMware Player](http://www.vmware.com/products/player/) on Linux.
+
+The builder builds a virtual machine by cloning the VMX file using
+the clone capabilities introduced in VMware Fusion 6, Workstation 10,
+and Player 6. After cloning the VM, it provisions software within the
+new machine, shuts it down, and compacts the disks. The resulting folder
+contains a new VMware virtual machine.
+
+## Basic Example
+
+Here is an example. This example is fully functional as long as the source
+path points to a real VMX file with the proper settings:
+
+<pre class="prettyprint">
+{
+  "type": "vmware-vmx",
+  "source_path": "/path/to/a/vm.vmx",
+  "ssh_username": "root",
+  "ssh_password": "root",
+  "shutdown_command": "shutdown -P now"
+}
+</pre>
+
+## Configuration Reference
+
+There are many configuration options available for the VMware builder.
+They are organized below into two categories: required and optional. Within
+each category, the available options are alphabetized and described.
+
+Required:
+
+* `source_path` (string) - Path to the source VMX file to clone.
+
+* `ssh_username` (string) - The username to use to SSH into the machine
+  once the OS is installed.
+
+Optional:
+
+* `boot_wait` (string) - The time to wait after booting the initial virtual
+  machine before typing the `boot_command`. The value of this should be
+  a duration. Examples are "5s" and "1m30s" which will cause Packer to wait
+  five seconds and one minute 30 seconds, respectively. If this isn't specified,
+  the default is 10 seconds.
+
+* `floppy_files` (array of strings) - A list of files to put onto a floppy
+  disk that is attached when the VM is booted for the first time. This is
+  most useful for unattended Windows installs, which look for an
+  `Autounattend.xml` file on removable media. By default no floppy will
+  be attached. The files listed in this configuration will all be put
+  into the root directory of the floppy disk; sub-directories are not supported.
+
+* `headless` (bool) - Packer defaults to building VMware
+  virtual machines by launching a GUI that shows the console of the
+  machine being built. When this value is set to true, the machine will
+  start without a console. For VMware machines, Packer will output VNC
+  connection information in case you need to connect to the console to
+  debug the build process.
+
+* `output_directory` (string) - This is the path to the directory where the
+  resulting virtual machine will be created. This may be relative or absolute.
+  If relative, the path is relative to the working directory when `packer`
+  is executed. This directory must not exist or be empty prior to running the builder.
+  By default this is "output-BUILDNAME" where "BUILDNAME" is the name
+  of the build.
+
+* `skip_compaction` (bool) -  VMware-created disks are defragmented
+  and compacted at the end of the build process using `vmware-vdiskmanager`.
+  In certain rare cases, this might actually end up making the resulting disks
+  slightly larger. If you find this to be the case, you can disable compaction
+  using this configuration value.
+
+* `shutdown_command` (string) - The command to use to gracefully shut down
+  the machine once all the provisioning is done. By default this is an empty
+  string, which tells Packer to just forcefully shut down the machine.
+
+* `shutdown_timeout` (string) - The amount of time to wait after executing
+  the `shutdown_command` for the virtual machine to actually shut down.
+  If it doesn't shut down in this time, it is an error. By default, the timeout
+  is "5m", or five minutes.
+
+* `ssh_key_path` (string) - Path to a private key to use for authenticating
+  with SSH. By default this is not set (key-based auth won't be used).
+  The associated public key is expected to already be configured on the
+  VM being prepared by some other process (kickstart, etc.).
+
+* `ssh_password` (string) - The password for `ssh_username` to use to
+  authenticate with SSH. By default this is the empty string.
+
+* `ssh_port` (int) - The port that SSH will listen on within the virtual
+  machine. By default this is 22.
+
+* `ssh_skip_request_pty` (bool) - If true, a pty will not be requested as
+  part of the SSH connection. By default, this is "false", so a pty
+  _will_ be requested.
+
+* `ssh_wait_timeout` (string) - The duration to wait for SSH to become
+  available. By default this is "20m", or 20 minutes. Note that this should
+  be quite long since the timer begins as soon as the virtual machine is booted.
+
+* `vm_name` (string) - This is the name of the VMX file for the new virtual
+  machine, without the file extension. By default this is "packer-BUILDNAME",
+  where "BUILDNAME" is the name of the build.
+
+* `vmx_data` (object, string keys and string values) - Arbitrary key/values
+  to enter into the virtual machine VMX file. This is for advanced users
+  who want to set properties such as memory, CPU, etc.