Creating Custom Vagrant Boxes for Integration Testing

Posted on by rchapin

For some things, a docker container will not work. For example, I am working on a Python project to automate the deployment and configuration of VMs and bare-metal boxes. It involves installing packages and configuring the OS and to properly test it requires a full fledged VM and not just a container.

Use packer to define the box you want to build

Install packer. The description straight from apt show packer is “HashiCorp Packer – A tool for creating identical → Continue reading “Creating Custom Vagrant Boxes for Integration Testing”

Using Environment Variables in a Vagrant File

Posted on by rchapin

An easy way to parameterize a Vagrant file is to use environment variables. You simply need to export a variable and then refer to it in the Vagrant file with the following syntax.

Export the variable:

export SSH_PORT=22222

Sample Vagrant file that reads the exported variable

# -*- mode: ruby -*-
# vi: set ft=ruby :

Vagrant.configure("2") do |config|
  config.vm.box = "debian/bullseye64"
  config.vm.box_version = "11.20221219.1"

  config.vm.network "forwarded_port", guest: 22, host: ENV['SSH_PORT']
end
→ Continue reading “Using Environment Variables in a Vagrant File”

Declaring, Exporting, and Reading Dynamic Variables in Bash

Posted on by rchapin

If you want to dynamically define and export variable names in Bash here is the TLDR;

# Define the name of the variable
key="my-dynamic-var-name"

# Declare it and export it
declare -gx "$key"="some-value"

To then access that value via a dynamically generated variable name

# Create a variable that contains the variable name
var_to_access="my-dynamic-var-name"

# Read the value
my_var_value=${!var_to_access}

Read the man page for declare for more details and read this article for a really good explanation and further examples.→ Continue reading “Declaring, Exporting, and Reading Dynamic Variables in Bash”

Chickpea and Rice Stew

Posted on by rchapin

Ingredients

  • 1.5 cups basmati rice
  • 1 TB olive oil
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 cup yellow onion, diced
  • 2 (14 oz) cans chickpeas, drained
  • Salt & black pepper, to taste
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 lemon, juiced and zested
  • 1 (32 oz) box low sodium vegetable broth
  • 4 oz fresh baby spinach
  • 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
  • 1/2 cup parsley, chopped
  • 1/4 cup dill, chopped
  • 1 TB chives, chopped
  • 4 Naan
→ Continue reading “Chickpea and Rice Stew”

Bean and Barley Leek Soup

Posted on by rchapin

Make 3 cups of cooked barley ahead of time and have it on hand when cooking the soup.

Ingredients

  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 leeks, diced
  • 3 carrots, diced
  • 1 bulb fennel, sliced thin (1 cup)
  • 1 (15 ounce) can no-salt added diced tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence
  • 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 2 (15 ounce) cans white beans,rinsed and drained
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 4 ounces
→ Continue reading “Bean and Barley Leek Soup”

Potato Soup Slow Cooker Recipe

Posted on by rchapin

It’s cooked all day in the slow cooker and is great for a cold day. Top with bacon, cheese, and green onions for the ultimate potato soup. Prep Time: 10 mins, cook time: 5 hours

Ingredients

  • 1(80 oz.) bag frozen hash-brown potatoes (I used cubed)
  • 2 (14 0z.) cans chicken broth (see Note)
  • 1(10.75 oz.) can cream of chicken soup
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper (more to taste)
  • 1 (80z) package cream cheese (softened)
  • Optional Toppings:
→ Continue reading “Potato Soup Slow Cooker Recipe”

Mama Stamberg’s Cranberry Relish

Posted on by rchapin

Ingredients

  • 2 cups whole raw cranberries, washed
  • 1 small onion
  • 3/4 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons horseradish from a jar (“red is a bit milder than white”)

Directions

  1. Grind the raw berries and onion together. (“I use an old-fashioned meat grinder,” says Stamberg. “I’m sure there’s a setting on the food processor that will give you a chunky grind — not a puree.”)
  2. Add everything else and mix.
  3. Put in a plastic container and freeze.
  4. Early Thanksgiving
→ Continue reading “Mama Stamberg’s Cranberry Relish”

Noodle Kugel

Posted on by rchapin
  • 16 ounces (400 gm) broad egg noodles
  • 4 Tbsp. (50 gm) butter, melted
  • 1 pound (500 gm) cottage cheese
  • 1 pound (500 gm) sour cream or Israeli white cheese
  • 4 eggs, beaten
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 Tbsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cup crushed cornflakes
  • 2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/4-1/2 cup sugar

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, mix the noodles with the melted butter, cheeses, eggs, sugar and vanilla.
  2. Pour into a greased 9×13 inch pan.
  3. In a separate bowl, mix the
→ Continue reading “Noodle Kugel”

Thanksgiving Sage Stuffing

Posted on by rchapin

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

  • 1 (about 18-ounce) loaf rustic bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 10 cups)
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
  • 2 large yellow onions (about 1 pound total), diced
  • 4 large stalks celery, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh sage leaves
  • Leaves from 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 cups low-sodium turkey, chicken, or vegetable broth
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

  1. Dry the bread. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 225°F. Spread the bread
→ Continue reading “Thanksgiving Sage Stuffing”

[SOLVED] ‘Virtualized Intel VT-x/EPT is not supported on this platform. Continue without virtualized Intel VT-x/EPT’ on Windows 11 host

Posted on by rchapin

I was trying to run a Debian, Linux, guest on a Windows 11 Enterprise host with virtualization enabled for the VMWare Linux guest so that I could install minikube. Minikube requires running a VM on the host on which minikube is running, so essentially, a VM within a VM.

After enabling the “Virtualize Intel VT-x/EPT or AMD-V/RVI” setting and attempting to boot the VM it indicated that this configuration was not supported on this platform.

After quite a bit of → Continue reading “[SOLVED] ‘Virtualized Intel VT-x/EPT is not supported on this platform. Continue without virtualized Intel VT-x/EPT’ on Windows 11 host”

© 2005 Ryan Chapin