Templates can be considered as mastercopy of a Virtual Machine. Clone is a copy of virtual machine. In this lab, we create a template from Virtual machine, customize and how to clone in to a VM from Virtual machine.

BY End of lab, we will obtain:

Task1:Create a Virtual Machine template

Step1: Navigate to templates and VM’s tab and select virtualmachine and make sure its turned off , then click on Template>Convert to Template

Step2: Click yes to confirm

and move the template to templates folder.

Step3:Rename it to VM-Template

Task2:Create Customization Specifications

Step1: Home>Policies and Profiles

Step2:Customization Specification>New and select Operating System

Step3:Provide details for registering the copy

Step4:Select use the virtual machine name as computer name

Step5: Set Administrative password.

Step6:TimeZone

Step7:If any commands needs to be ran for first time, like if any thing needs to be updated based on user details

Step8:Since we donot have any domain , leave it in Workgroup

Step9: Review and launch

Task3:Deploy a virtual machine from Template

Step1: RIghtclick the template and click New VM from this template

Step2:In the customization Window popped up , select the location as LABVMs and name as VM2-2

Step3: Select the ESXi host , in my case its second.

Step4:Select the storage of VM and format type. Select Shared ISCSI-VMFS

Step5: Select Clone options as Customize the OS and Power on after creation

Step6: Since customize the OS is selected Custom Specification created in Task2 needs to be selected

Step7: Repeat this task steps to create VM1-2

Step8: Connect to VM1-2 and VM2-2

Step9: Verify whether the VM tools are installed.

Step10:Set the static IP for VM’s as per STorage switch range (172.20.11.X)

Step11: Select this as Work Network

Task4:Create Content Library

Step1: Home>Content Libraries>Create

Step2:Name as VM_Library and select Vcenter server

Step3:Select Local COntent library and publish externally

Step4: Select Shared-iSCSI storage

Step5:Review and launch

Task5: Clone a VMTemplate to a template in a Content Library

Step1: Rightclick template and Clone to library

Step2:Select CLone as template created in above task

Step3: Check the status bar

Task6:Deploy a virtual machine from VMTemplate in the content Library

Step1:Home>Content Library>Templates tab>Rightclick and New VM from template

Step2: Select the location as LabVm’s and name as VMFromLib

Step3:Select resource as ESXI2 and next

Step4:Select STorage as Local02-2 and type as thin provision

Step5:Select adapter as storage

Step6: Review and finish

Step7:Poweron and login

Check VMware tools are running

Set static Ip and set as work network

Task7:Clone a powered on virtual machine

Step1: Select VM2-1 which is powered on and rightclick for cloning

Step2: Name it as Hotclone and location as LabVMs

Step3:Select ESXi2 as host resource

Step4: Select storage as Shared-iscsi-storage

Step5:Select the customization sepcifications doc created in task2

Step6:Review and finish

Step7:Open VM Console for HotCLone

Set IP in STorage range (172.20.11.x) and Homenetwork

verify whether VMware tools are running

Troubleshooting:

1.When creating a VM from Template it thrown an error stating Customization of windows 7_66 is not supported.

Solution: As per VM Ware knowledge base, VMware tools needs to be installed and template needs to be recreated

2. STorage issue while creating the VM’s

Solution: Add storage to iSCSI Target as per pre-requisite lab.

Critical Thinking:

Templates help in saving the image of VM and easy cloning of architecture. For instance, In a case where standard requisites like VMWaretools , Chrome and basic apps are needed, it is better to create a template with all these needs and later clone when needed which will save time. If we need to replicate the same architecture for testing or development, this helps to create same environment.

Since we are combining with specifications with little bit of customization we can relaunch the same template in different environments.