Creating a Linked-clone VM

[JFHernandez]

Hey guys,

I'm new using View and I'm trying to train myself on it, I have everything setup:

vCenter, vSphere, Transfer Manager, View Administrator, View Composer Service/Database (I think that's all)

So I'm at the point of creating a pool with a linked-clone VM, I have a VM that I want to clone as linked, but when I use the Clone Wizard I don't see anything that resembles this (linked-clone), I'm using vSphere 5 for this purpose and all the help I have found is very old (Workstation 5) so I don't know how this is done differently between Workstation and vSphere.

If anybody has documentation on how to do this, please send me the link so I can read it and see if I can get it up and running.

Thanks.

[mittim12]

Do create a parent image for a View linked clone pool you will need a base VM.  On this VM you will install everything that is needed for the image, run ipconfig /release, and shutdown the VM.   At that point you create a snapshot and call it whatever you want as long as you can easily identify it when assigning it to a pool.   

After all this is done you are ready to setup a pool inside the View Admin.   login and go through the pool creation wizard and when prompted for a template you pick the base VM and snapshot.   I have included a link to the evaluators guide which should give you some idea of how it works.   I am also moving your thread over to the View forum.

http://www.vmware.com/files/pdf/view/VMware-View-Evaluators-Guide.pd

[JFHernandez]

OK I had a VM with all the software in it, so I ran ipconfig /release, shutdown the VM and created a snapshot, but still when I go to view admin and try to create a Linked-clone pool this is what I see:

I also have the document, I have been using it for this, I noticed it has a ps1.txt for Linkedclone, but this only works when there is a Pool already created and I don't have one, because I ca't create a VM that is linked-clone.

If you think I'm missing something, let me know.

Just in case, let me rephrase my question: How do I create a Linked-clone VM?

[Linjo]

Have you added you vCenter in the Configuration Tab?

// Linjo

[JFHernandez]

If you are talking about the View configuartion->Servers menu in the view admin, then yes, this is what I have:

I don't see a Tab for configuration as you mentioned.

I also tried creating a clone after I took the snapshot, but still nothing shows up for linked-clone, I do see my VM when I click on Full Virtual Machines.

Jorge_.

[JFHernandez]

I have not found any info about how to create a linked-clone VM in this document or any other, I need to find out how to create one so I can create a pool with it and test it.

What do I need to do to create it?

I have the Full VM with a snapshot, but when I clone it, it doesn't show as linked-clone and the file in the document is for already created pools, so it doesn't help.

Please let me know what I'm missing here.

Thanks.

[mittim12]

You really should look over the View documentation so that you have a better understanding.  THis will prevent you from having to go back and fix things that may not be setup correctly.

To answer your question you don't clone  the machine.  You select it from View Administrator and then View handles the process of creating the replica and then clones based on that replica.

Good Luck.

[Linjo]

I would suggest to read through this guide, it will take you step-by-step:

www.vmware.com/go/view5evalguide

// Linjo

[portyman]

the free guides that vmware supply go through exactly what you need to install and setup step by step, including all the AD work you will need to do before you start anything . I highly recommend this, as you will find that if you missed a step in the setup you find starting over from scratch a much better option as it can take ages to work out what you have doen wrong (yup I had to) . I setup the first view 4.5 with no training but had a good understanding of vmware 4.1 already. and someone who new about AD to set that bit up for me. the view course proved very useful later.

If you are missing the option under linked clones check the options in server section in view ,I think it was,  as there is a tick box you must tick (use linked clones I think it was called) and then you vcentre will appear under the linked clone option. Had me going for a while. just that darn tickbox I'd missed. View 5 is almost identical in the way its setup and the from page looks the same as 4.5/4.6

top tip make sure you AD is setup correctly as view links in very closly and can give some interesting results in it does not have all the correct permissions.

[JFHernandez]

I found where my problem was, my vCenter server did not have the View Composer checkbox checked so it wasn't checking for view composer service on it.

Thanks everyone fot your help.