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Custom Specifications Manager settings not applying to clone

Hi

I have a Win2008 R2 Server clone image, it's sysprepped and powered down. I set up an answer file via the Customisation Specifications Manager and when I cloned the server I selected that settings template. The clone is created successfully but when I power it up I get the Mini Setup and the settings I specified are not applied as if the settings file was completely ignored/

I used the sysprep from the server build (c:\windows\system32\sysprep\sysprep.exe)

Any clues where to start troubleshooting? I've been through the requirements doc, creating a clone, and creating a settings doc

It seems straight forward enough - create a VM, sysprep it (generalise), clone it and apply the settings file created from the CSM. Power on the newly cloned VM. But the settings aren't applied, have I missed something?

Thanks

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Rubeck
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In that case which is the step that "syspreps" it? - when you get to "Guest Customization" does that in fact perform this part?

If you were trying to deploy an older OS like Win 2003 from template you would see that "Guest Customization" isn't available until you've copied the needed sysprep files onto the vCenter server...

This isn't needed for Vista, 7, 2008+ as the needed sysprep files are in the OS natively...
So all you have to do is to install your 2008 VM and configure it as needed, shut it down, convert to template then start deploying using your selected customization. The settings defined in your custumization is then injected into the guest OS during deployment..

/Rubeck

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bump

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Rubeck
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I have a Win2008 R2 Server clone image, it's sysprepped and powered down. I set up an answer file via the Customisation Specifications

Don't...

vCenter does this for you...  No need to sysprep it manually.. vCenter triggers all of this when a Customization Spec. is selected when deploying from template..

/Rubeck

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Oh really? So I can take a perfectly running server and clone it without generalising it? I would assume that I can clone a server verbatim and use it as a backup or is that incorrect? In that case which is the step that "syspreps" it? - when you get to "Guest Customization" does that in fact perform this part?

Thanks a lot for your help

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Rubeck
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In that case which is the step that "syspreps" it? - when you get to "Guest Customization" does that in fact perform this part?

If you were trying to deploy an older OS like Win 2003 from template you would see that "Guest Customization" isn't available until you've copied the needed sysprep files onto the vCenter server...

This isn't needed for Vista, 7, 2008+ as the needed sysprep files are in the OS natively...
So all you have to do is to install your 2008 VM and configure it as needed, shut it down, convert to template then start deploying using your selected customization. The settings defined in your custumization is then injected into the guest OS during deployment..

/Rubeck

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Great, thanks Rubeck!

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