How to – Create, Manage and Deploy VMware virtual machine Template step-by-step

By | 25 April 2017

Hi guys ! In this article, I explain step-by-step, with pictures, how to create, manage and deploy virtual machine template.

This article was write in 3 steps :

  1. Create your template
  2. Create a custom specs (answer file)
  3. Deploy your template

Are you ready ? Let’s go !

How to create, manage and deploy virtual machine template ?

  • Create a template

To create a template, no more easy ! You create a virtual machine and you custom it as you want. After you have finished, right click on it!

Here, you have two choices :

  1. Clone to Template, with this option you have your original virtual machine + your template
  2. Convert to Template, with this option your virtual machine must be convert directly to a template.

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  • In this exemple, I’ve select “Convert to template”. Select “Yes” to convert your template

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  • Your Template was create !

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Now, you can clone your Template into Library if you want !

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  • Create a custom specs

What are custom specs ?

Customization Specifications is a file that will attach to your Template to personalize it when you start your deployment ! This option is available on your home screen in your vSphere Web Client !

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  • Click on (+) to create a new Guest Custom Spec

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  • Select your operating system and add a description if you want. You can also attach a sysprep answer file if you want !

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  • Add the name of your Organization

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  • Select how to name your VM

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  • Add a windows license key to activate your virtual machine automatically

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  • Add an administrator local password

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  • Select the time zone

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  • If you want to run a command line to the first start…

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  • Here you can choose the network to add at your VM

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  • Select the domain and user/password that allow to add a new computer in a domain

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  • /!\ VERY IMPORTANT /!\ This checkbox will be generate a new ID in your VM. if you don’t select this box, all virtual machine will have the same ID and when you use in a domain, you cannot have multiple VM with the same ID.

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  • A little summary of your custom specs file !

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  • Deploy virtual machine template

Now we have a template and custom specs, we can deploy our VM !

  • Go to your template, right click on it and select “New VM from This Template

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  • Enter the name of your future VM and choose where you want to place it.

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  • Choose the cluster to deploy your VM

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  • Select the storage, same as a new virtual machine

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  • Select the first box, to add a custom spec that we have create in the previous step
  • If you want to customize hardware, check the second box

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  • Here we can see the custom specs that we have create! Select it if you want to use it, otherwise, you can create another one.

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  • Modify the virtual hardware if you have check box previously

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  • Summary of your deployment !

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  • Start your VM

Now you can start the VM ! It’s possible it will be restart several times !

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Your virtual machine is now deployed ! Enjoy ! 🙂

 

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