ESXi 5.0 Trial Version - Clone/Template Not Available

[bradpr]

Hi

I just installed a trial of ESXi5.0 and have created a VM in it. I'd like to clone this VM. I checked the documentation which tells me to go to the "Summary" tab and select "Clone" from the "Commands" section. Unfortunately, "Clone" isn't there. Also, if I click on the VM in the inventory view, there is no clone of template option. Why do I not see these, and what do I need to do to expose these features?

Thanks,

BP

[bradpr]

additional info:

I am managing this via the vSphere client. Maybe cloning isn't available in this client?

[Dave_Mishchenko]

Welcome to the VMware Communities forums.  You'll need to deploy vCenter Server  to be able to clone VMs.  That is not an option (at least via the GUI) with a stand alone host.

[DSTAVERT]

Welcome to the Communities

The Clone option is only available when you are managing the host with vCenter Server. Otherwise if you shut down the VM and browse to the VM folder you can choose to download the folder to another location. You can also use VMware Converter to copy the VM. http://vmware.com/go/converter

[bradpr]

Thanks for the quick response.

Is there any way to manage/create VM's from a template on a standalone ESXi server?

I think vCenter is overkill for my needs.

Thanks!

[Dave_Mishchenko]

As mentioned you can use VMware Converter,  shut down the VM and make a copy of it (using the Browse Datastore option), or you could create a script that copies it as well.

[DSTAVERT]

Another option is to shut down the VM and choose Export from the file menu and export the VM to an OVF. You can then use the OVF to create additional VMs.