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3,113 Views 22 Replies Last post: Nov 10, 2008 7:08 AM by RParker RSS
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dwilli Hot Shot
dwilli
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Jun 3, 2008 7:45 AM

Customize guest OS for 2008 server

 

Is anything available to customize the guest OS for 2008 server yet?

 

 

demz Expert vExpert
demz
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1. Jun 3, 2008 7:49 AM in response to: dwilli
Re: Customize guest OS for 2008 server

 

I've heard that there's no more sysprep in 2008 / vista...

 

 

Troy Clavell Guru User Moderators vExpert
Troy Clavell
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2. Jun 3, 2008 7:51 AM in response to: dwilli
Re: Customize guest OS for 2008 server

 

here is a good .pdf to look at.

 

 

2008 is in experimental support

 

http://www.vmware.com/pdf/GuestOS_guide.pdf

dwilli Hot Shot
dwilli
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3. Jun 3, 2008 7:59 AM in response to: demz
Re: Customize guest OS for 2008 server

sysprep for 2008 still exists but is now an xml file.

demz Expert vExpert
demz
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4. Jun 3, 2008 8:33 AM in response to: dwilli
Re: Customize guest OS for 2008 server

Ok

John S Enthusiast
John S
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5. Jun 5, 2008 6:48 AM in response to: demz
Re: Customize guest OS for 2008 server
MS released an AutoInstall Kit that may help...
dwilli Hot Shot
dwilli
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6. Jun 5, 2008 6:51 AM in response to: John S
Re: Customize guest OS for 2008 server

Thanks, I downloaded that and am looking at it.  Its a big one.

Jasemccarty Champion vExpert
Jasemccarty
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7. Jun 5, 2008 7:06 AM in response to: dwilli
Re: Customize guest OS for 2008 server

dwilli,

 

If you have a Windows 2008 guest that you wish to customize, it is fairly easy to do in VirtualCenter.

 

 

 

The sysprep.xml file is automatically generated by VirtualCenter, and does not require any additional tools from Microsoft, as they got smart, and included it in the base build of Windows Vista/2008.

 

 

 

Unfortunately, VC won't customize a Windows 2008 guest... But it will customize a Windows Vista guest.  Because they are a similar architecture (if not almost identical), changing the guest type to Vista, will allow you to customize a Windows 2008 guest.

 

 

 

All you have to do, is change the guest you wish to clone, or the template, to be configured as a Windows Vista guest.

 

 

 

You can then customize the guest (2008) the same way you would Windows Vista.  When you are done deploying the guest, before you power it on, change it to be configured as a Windows 2008 guest.

 

 

 

That's it.

 

 

 

Jase McCarty

http://www.jasemccarty.com

Co-Author of VMware ESX Essentials in the Virtual Data Center

(ISBN:1420070274) from Auerbach

Attachments:
Jase McCarty - http://www.jasemccarty.com/blog/
dwilli Hot Shot
dwilli
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8. Jun 5, 2008 7:20 AM in response to: Jasemccarty
Re: Customize guest OS for 2008 server

 

Sounds reasonable, I am trying it now.  Thanks!

 

 

Jasemccarty Champion vExpert
Jasemccarty
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9. Jun 5, 2008 7:27 AM in response to: dwilli
Re: Customize guest OS for 2008 server

I've used this method successfully in ESX 3.5 Update 1/VirtualCenter 2.5 Update 1.

 

Jase McCarty

http://www.jasemccarty.com

Co-Author of VMware ESX Essentials in the Virtual Data Center

(ISBN:1420070274) from Auerbach

Jase McCarty - http://www.jasemccarty.com/blog/
dwilli Hot Shot
dwilli
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10. Jun 16, 2008 7:17 AM in response to: Jasemccarty
Re: Customize guest OS for 2008 server

Have you had any issue with the pasword setting in the customization options for 2008?  I cant get my password to take.  I tried a blank password and it filled in a default password of the "*".

Jasemccarty Champion vExpert
Jasemccarty
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11. Jun 16, 2008 7:52 AM in response to: dwilli
Re: Customize guest OS for 2008 server

 

I don't believe I have had any password issues.

 

 

I'll try to find some time, and kick one out to test it.

 

 

Jase McCarty

http://www.jasemccarty.com

Co-Author of VMware ESX Essentials in the Virtual Data Center

(ISBN:1420070274) from Auerbach

 

 

Jase McCarty - http://www.jasemccarty.com/blog/
dwilli Hot Shot
dwilli
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12. Jun 16, 2008 8:04 AM in response to: Jasemccarty
Re: Customize guest OS for 2008 server

I tried setting an admin password and could never log into the VM.  Then I tried to leave it blank and it warned me on it and put a single * in the space for the password.  After the system went thru the sysprep I need to enter the * as my password even though I did not enter it in the field of the cusomization file.

mattjk Enthusiast
mattjk
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Dec 19, 2007
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13. Aug 4, 2008 3:08 PM in response to: Jasemccarty
Re: Customize guest OS for 2008 server

If you have a Windows 2008 guest that you wish to customize, it is fairly easy to do in VirtualCenter.

 

The sysprep.xml file is automatically generated by VirtualCenter, and does not require any additional tools from Microsoft, as they got smart, and included it in the base build of Windows Vista/2008.

 

Unfortunately, VC won't customize a Windows 2008 guest... But it will customize a Windows Vista guest. Because they are a similar architecture (if not almost identical), changing the guest type to Vista, will allow you to customize a Windows 2008 guest.

 

All you have to do, is change the guest you wish to clone, or the template, to be configured as a Windows Vista guest.

 

You can then customize the guest (2008) the same way you would Windows Vista. When you are done deploying the guest, before you power it on, change it to be configured as a Windows 2008 guest.A couple of words of warning:

 

1) This doesn't appear to work for 64-bit Windows 2008 - if you switch to the VM to Vista 64-bit before converting to a template you can run through the customisation wizard when deploying it, but the customisations aren't applied, new SIDs aren't generated, etc.

 

2) After trying this with 64-bit Windows 2008, during every subsequent reboot (not just the first), a screen is briefly displayed stating "VMWare Image customization is in progress...". This may be inconsequential (it may not be doing anything), but it's a bit concerning for a production VM.

 

Both of these were observed with ESX 3.5 Update 2 and VirtualCenter 3.5 Update 2.

 

Cheers,

Matt

Cheers, Matt Kilham <a href="http://www.strattonfinance.com.au">Stratton Car Finance</a>
John S Enthusiast
John S
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Nov 30, 2005
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14. Aug 6, 2008 2:31 PM in response to: mattjk
Re: Customize guest OS for 2008 server

 

I have tested this with Windows 2008 64 bit using ESX 3.5 Update 2 and VirtualCenter 2.5 Update 2 - it works fine here.

 

 

 

 

 

I did notice that it stated customization failed, but when I checked the logs it failed on a file delete.

 

 

 

 

 

Multiple reboots show no signs of the customization wizard running more than once.  SID was changed.

 

 

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