This section describes how to create a template from an existing
virtual machine.
Caution |
Creating a template can destroy the virtual machine that is
used as the template's source because Sysprep strips the virtual
machine of its computer identity. If you want to continue to use
the source virtual machine after creating the template, you must
clone the virtual machine before you start. For instructions, see
How to Clone a
Virtual Machine |
Before You Begin
To convert to a template, the virtual machine must meet
the following requirements. Confirm the following before creating a
template:
- The virtual machine must be managed by
Virtual Machine Manager.
- The virtual machine must be deployed on a
host.
- The system partition must be the same as the
Windows partition.
- The Administrator password on the virtual
hard disk should be blank as part of the generalization process.
However, the Administrator password for the guest operating system
profile does not have to be blank.
- The supported capacities for some hardware
components depend on the virtualization platform. For more
information, see Supported Hardware
Capabilities.
- The virtual hard disk must have a supported
operating system installed. For more information, see Supported Operating
Systems for Virtual Machines.
Procedure
The following procedure describes how to create a
virtual machine template from an existing virtual hard disk and
from a virtual machine.
- In Library view, in the Actions pane, click New
Template.
- Complete the New Template Wizard.
Wizard Page |
Action |
Select Source
|
- Click From an existing virtual machine currently located on
a host, and then click Select.
- In the Select Library Resource dialog box, select the
virtual machine that you want to use, and then click OK.
|
Template Identity
|
Enter a template name and description, and specify the owner of
the template. The template owner must have an Active Directory
domain account. All VMM administrators and delegated administrators
who have access to the library server with the template will be
able to use the template. Templates are assigned to the scope of a
user role and all self-service users in that self-service user role
may use the assigned templates.
Note |
By default, virtual machines created from the template are
owned by the user who creating them. Templates are assigned
to self-service policies through the user-role properties, which
does not require the owner to be the same as the user. |
|
Configure Hardware
|
Customize the hardware settings as needed. The template inherits
the hardware configuration of the source virtual machine. The links
below open procedures for key configurations.
If virtual machines created with this template will be accessed
over a network, you must configure a network adapter to connect to
each virtual network.
Note |
To be able to configure the template to add new virtual
machines to a domain, later in this procedure, you must configure
at least one network adapter. |
To configure network adapter
- On the New toolbar, click Network Adapter.
- In Connected to, select the virtual network that the
virtual machines will use. The list contains all virtual
networks that have been configured on the host.
Note |
To support virtual machine migration, you need to configure
standard networks on all hosts. If the host does not contain a
virtual network that is configured for the virtual machine,
migration fails. |
- Under Ethernet (MAC) address, specify a dynamic or
static IP address.
- Configure the hardware components. For information about how to
configure one or more components on the hardware profile, see the
following topics:
- Startup Order—Select
the order of devices to start the operating system.
- CPU
Requirements—Specify the processor requirements of a virtual
machine on a new host.
- Memory—Specify the
amount of memory to allocate on a host for a new virtual
machine.
- Floppy
Drive—Configure the virtual floppy drive to read a physical
floppy disk on the host or to read a virtual floppy disk file
stored in the library.
- DVD or CD Drive—Add
a virtual DVD or CD drive to an IDE bus.
- Virtual Hard
Disk—Add a virtual hard disk to an IDE device or a SCSI
adapter.
- Network
Adapters—Configure one or more virtual network adapters for a
virtual machine.
- Priority and
Availability—Configure how CPU resources are allocated and
whether virtual machines are highly available.
|
Guest Operating System
|
Configure identity information, administrative credentials, and
user access to computers based on the template.
- General Settings: Enter the following
settings:
- Identity Information--Specify a
computer name. To randomly generate a computer name for virtual
machines based on the template, enter an asterisk in the
Computer name field.
- Admin Password: Specify the local
Administrator password for the virtual machine. If virtual machines
created with this template will not be in a domain, users must use
this password to gain access to the local computer.
Note |
To prompt the user for a password when they create a virtual
machine with the template, enter an asterisk (*) in the Admin
Password field. If you leave the field blank, virtual machine
creation will fail. |
- Product key: If you want the template
to provide a product key for virtual machines, enter a product key
in the Product key field. To require users to provide their
own product key when they create a virtual machine, leave the field
blank.
- Time Zone : Select the appropriate
option from the Time Zone drop-down list box, or accept the default
time zone.
- Operating System: Select the operating
system that will run on the virtual machine. This selection does
not install an operating system.
- Networking: Configure settings to
determine network access for virtual machines:
- Domain/Workgroup: If you want virtual
machines that are created from this template to be in a domain,
click Domain. Then specify a user account that will be used
to add the computer to the domain at first logon. If the virtual
machines that are created from this template will not be in a
domain, click Workgroup, and then enter the name of the
workgroup.
- Scripts: Use the options under
Scripts to provide additional settings for Sysprep:
- Answer File: You can attach a Sysprep
file (for Windows XP, Windows Server 2000, or Windows
Server 2003) or an Unattend.xml file (for Windows Vista or
Windows Server 2008) to the guest operating system profile.
The answer file script must be stored on a library share.
To select an answer file, click Browse to open the Select
sysprep.inf script dialog box, and then select the file.
To add settings, in the Answer file field, specify the
SysPrep or Unattend file to run. The settings in the answer file
will be appended to those from the wizard.
- [GUIRunOnce] Commands: If you want to
specify one or more commands to run the first time a user logs on
to a virtual machine, type a command that you want to add in the
Command to add field, and then click Add. This action
adds the command to the [GuiRunOnce] section of the SysPrep
file.
|
Select Library Server
|
Type or select the library server where you want to add the
template, and then click Next. For more information, see
How to Add a
Library Server
|
Select Path
|
Specify the path on the available library shares to store the
virtual machine template.
|
Summary
|
Review your settings. To create the template, click
Create.
|
See Also
For the most up-to-date Help information, go to the
Virtual Machine Manager 2008 Help Online. To find
additional Virtual Machine Manager 2008 documentation, go to the
Virtual Machine Manager 2008 TechCenter Library.