VI: VMware ESX™ 3.5 : ghettoClone.sh - Automate cloning VM(s) for ESX/ESXi 3.5u2+ utilizing VMware VIMA: RCLI + VI Perl Toolkit : Comments

RE: ghettoClone.sh - Automate cloning VM(s) for ESX/ESXi 3.5u2+ utilizing VMware VIMA: RCLI + VI Perl Toolkit

lamw — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 14:17:12 GMT

Note, VMware ESXi 3.5u4 was just released and the internal API seems to have been fixed and VI API will have only read-only access when using the free licensed version of ESXi. This script will most likely not work on U4, please be advised if you're going to upgrade. I have not had a chance to verify but I believe this will be the case: http://tinyurl.com/cxayy6 U3 will continue to have this hole in the API to provide both read/write access to the VI API.

=========================================================================
William Lam
VMware vExpert 2009
VMware ESX/ESXi scripts and resources at: http://engineering.ucsb.edu/~duonglt/vmware/
http://twitter.com/lamw

RE: ghettoClone.sh - Automate cloning VM(s) for ESX/ESXi 3.5u2+ utilizing VMware VIMA: RCLI + VI Perl Toolkit

tricube — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:16:50 GMT

You can also do this connecting to the ESXi server using putty ( ssh ) just run the cp ( copy command )
Enable ssh on your esxi server ( unsupported )
http://www.vdi.co.nz/tag/esx4i/

I am using esx4i
putty in to your server
1. cd to your datastore.
2. Make a new directory for the clone VM: mkdir /vmfs/volumes/Data1/web2/
3. In your vsphereclient, make sure VM is powered off,
4. copy vm to new folder,
eg: cp /vmfs/volumes/Data1/web/* /vmfs/volumes/Data1/web2/
5. In client, browse datastore, to new vm , add to inventory
6. Start the new VM in the vshpere client, when asked confirm " I copied "
7. Start original VM to prove they are both working.

keep it simple.