Proper way to create templates and to deploy - "No Internet Access issues"

[jtlee]

I am new to ESX and I am having tons of networking issues with VM's I am deploying from a template.  Can someone tell me if I am doing something wrong?

We are using

vSphere Client 4.1.0

vCenter Server 4.1.0 build 345043

This is a brand new install of W2k8 32-bit and w2k8 R2 SP1.  The machines work fine when I create them from a CD.  When I turn them into a Template and "Deploy Virtual Machine from this template" is when things go wrong, all the machines I deploy have networking issues.

This is what I am doing

• Install VMWare tools v 8.3.7 build 341836
• Apply all the MS updates to the base VM's
• I check them in as s template
• Deploy Virtual Machine from this template
• Give it a name
• Choose the guest customiztion --> customize using the customization wizard
• Use the vm as the computer name
• Give it the windows license product key
• give it a password
• set the time zone
• nothing in the run once
• Network - typical settings
• workgroup - workgroup
• Operating System Options --> this is where I check "Generate New Security ID (SID)
• Save specification - I can't check anything here but I wish I could
• Finish

When it deploys, the deployed machine gets and IP address but it typically says "local only" and it cannot access the internet or other machines in the environment.

I can click on the x beside internet and start up the Windows Network Diagnostics and when it completes it says:

"Your computer appears to be correctly configured, but the device or resouce (primary DNS server) is not responding

I have disabled the firewall, enabled the firewall, deleted the virtual nic, changed nic types (currently using vmxnet3), tried every trick in the book that I can find on google and nothing is helping.

I took a deployed machine and ran sysprep after the fact and that didn't help anything.  I could be wrong but I think sysprep isn't necessary if you use the guest customization, is that a correct assumption?

I have created and XP VM and created a template out of it, when I check it out, networking is just fine.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

[Linjo]

Did you set the ip-adress to DHCP? Could be a problem with duplicate ip-adresses...

// Linjo

[jtlee]

Yes they are configured to use dhcp and they are all unique.

[jamesbowling]

Have you verified that DHCP is giving the VM all the correct information?  I would make sure that the gateway and DNS servers it is handing to your VMs all check out.

[jtlee]

From everything I can tell, the IP settings it is getting is correct.  I have emailed the guy that set up the VLAN to see if there is anything on that side that might be messed up.

[jamesbowling]

Looks to me like a DNS issue or possibly a routing issue.  Can you ping the gateway from the VM?

[jtlee]

Nope I can't ping the gateway.

ping 172.18.0.1

Destination host unreachable

tracert 172.18.0.1

destination host unreachable

To add to this, some machines that have been working intermittentaly stop working.

I do feel like it is a routing/vlan issue.

[jamesbowling · Accepted solution]

I think you are right, it looks like an issue with the switchport configuration.

[jtlee]

All our issues are now fixed.  For some reason two of the three hosts had their  ports were set to the wrong load balancing configuration, our IT guy fixed this.

We also updated the clocks on all the hosts, they were all off by 5 hours, I don't think that fixed this problem but all my VM's clocks are now right!