Full VM pool guest customization not working

[PatrizM]

The problem:

I've deployed a pool (dedicated, full VMs) and im using a guest customization specification that i made on my server.

When the VM provisions (looking at it provisioning in vSphere client) it will make a VM using the Template, i can login for about a minute and it still has the name of the Image that i use. After that it restarts and it starts a first time Windows 7 setup (as shown in the picture).

It seems that the customization isnt starting for some reason. I deployed the VM with the option "none - Customization will be done manually" and it works.

The settings for the customization spec. are:

name: Company name
NetBIOS name: Use the VM name

License: no key (for ease, but with key doesnt work either)

Password admin: Local admin pass of the template VM

Run once: -

Network: Typical
Domain:      test.local
                  Administrator    

                  Password    

                  Password

Generate New SID: checked

Any idea's why customization is not starting on my deployment?

Best regards,

Patriz

[Camek]

Why not use View and have it create the guest for you?  You can still use assigned desktops if you woudl like and you get all the value of the using View for mgt.

[PatrizM]

You mean using Linked-Clones and have View take care of the customization with quickprep.

I have that functionality working, tho i want to roll out some full VM's aswell. It worked before but for some reason, it isnt working now and i didnt change much in my network.

I tried getting new fresh Golden Image with just the basics (Win7, updates + office and View Agent), making new templates, old Golden Images.

[npeter]

Hi Patriz,

Howe much time did you wait to see if customization starts automatically. Usually it takes few minutes. Do you have the administrator account enabled in the windows7 template. By default the administrator account is disabled in windows7.

-noble

[PatrizM]

I let it run until View itself saw that the VM was going nowhere. The connection server gave error that its no longer in contact with the View agents and gives a provisioning error.

The template (made out of a Golden Image) is already added to the domain. Either using the local administrator (user first added during installation of Golden Image) or domain admin both of them have no effect.

And as i said, it has worked before (template added to domain) but for some reason its not working now on any of my  Golden Images. 

[npeter]

As a troubleshooting step try deploying a vm from the same template using the same customization spec from vCenter manually. (using vsphere client)

Check if the customization is done properly.

-noble

[PatrizM]

Thank you, im doing that right now.

Also i took one of my Golden Images, kicked it out of the domain (made template) and making a pool using my current custom spec.

Gonna test if any of it works.

[PatrizM]

The direct template test in vsphere didnt work.

But the GI that i kicked out the Domain did the trick, it picked up the custom spec and View fixed the rest.

I guess the GI with domain conflicts when using a custom spec to "readd" it as it were.

[npeter]

ok..

I haven's faced problem with GI in domain. But if i remeber correctly vmware recomendation is not to joing GI to domain.

My guess is that the local admin credentials provided in custom spec didn't work. That should be the reason direct deployment from vc also failed.

-noble

[PatrizM]

Well i found one solution, but its a workaround. Since it should work with the GI in the Domain.

Ill check up on the Custom spec settings again.

As for what you said about VMware recommending:

"Join the virtual machine to the Active Directory domain for your View desktops.

A parent virtual machine that you use for View Composer must either belong to the same Active Directory domain as the domain that the linked-clone desktops will join or be a member of the local WORKGROUP."

In the manual section describing Full VM's it refers back to "creating a VM for pool deployment" and in that it says the above.

So it really shouldnt matter.

[Camek]

Why not let View generate the full image.. When you setup the pool you just tell it not to use linked cloan.

[PatrizM]

I require a situation that needs Full VM's. Linked-clones are connected to their parent image.

Its possible to let View produce a full vm without cutom specification, but that would mean i need to change the computer name to all VM's.

which gives administrative overhead. 

If thats what your suggesting Camek.

[Camek]

When you setup your pool do Automated Pool > then Floating or Dedicated > "Full Vitrual Machines"  then when you get to the naming put in your own names you can Bill, Ted, etc.

At the desktop are generated they will have this name in the machine name then if you are using dedicated machines you can go into view and assign "Bill" to the full desktop call "bill".......

By doing this you use View to the all the work of setting up the desktop but still get control over which machine is used by which user and you get to use the View client interface. 

[PatrizM]

You dont seem to understand the situation.

What your saying is correct, but this is not what i mean.

What i want is the following:

Automated pool -> dedicated -> full virtual machine -> VM names (TEST-1, TEST-2, etc.) -> custom spec (custom spec made in vsphere, which adds VM's to domain and gives guest OS naming.)

The problem im having is with custom spec, firstly it provisions a desktop (direct copy of the template) but then it doesnt start the customization. I get the above screenshot.

That means it doesnt use the custom specification that i made.

What your describing is easy and it works, but at the VM naming you dont give the guest OS a name. You give the VM a name.

So when you create "bill" you need to go into the guest oss.. change the name into "bill" and then add it to the domain.

that gives alot of administrative overhead if you need to do that 30 times and View only does the provisioning.

I know how VMware View works, i have all its features running tho full vm + custom specification isnt working for me at this moment.

[Camek]

If you use the naming as I suggested and then make sure under the Guest Customization tab to indicated where you want it placed in AD the name of the device in AD/DNS etc will show "ted" or what ever you entered as the machine name.   The AD joined name and "full computer name" will be correct the ONLY thing which will not change is the "Computer Descrption" name which nothing realy uses....  But if that is your issue then yes this will not work.

[PatrizM]

Camek, have you deployed VM Full machines in View 5.x?

There is no option in Guest customization to select the domain / OU's to place the desktops in if you are deploying full VM's.

If you are you are using Linked-Clones then you get that option yes.

[PatrizM]

After testing alot i did the following:

Create new VM (added to domain), enabled local administrator and gave that the same password as network admin (just to clear confusions)

Created a new custom spec. Deployed another pool using a template made of the VM and the custom spec.

And it works. My guess about the problem is, enable administrator in the vm, make sure all passwords are correct.

[npeter · Accepted solution]

Good to know you solved the problem, this is exactly why i suggested you to deploy vm from vc directly and check. If direct deployment does not work with same custom spec, the problem is always with the template or custom spec. . view just automates what we do manually in vc.

-noble