HI,
I need to install 16 virtual machines on my Vmwares ESX.I would like to install one vm, prepare the set of tools and programs and save it to samo image to resuse it for rest of machines. Is it possible to do? Im a little terrified by the vision of installing 16 windows systems.
Using vmkfstools to clone a disk is documented in the man page of vmkfstools.
Here's an excerpt
NAME
vmkfstools - VMware ESX Server file system management tool
SYNOPSIS
vmkfstools OPTIONS
vmkfstools OPTIONS PARTITION
vmkfstools OPTIONS DEVICE
vmkfstools OPTIONS PATH
...
VIRTUAL DISK OPTIONS
-c, --createvirtualdisk #[gGmMkK]
-a, --adaptertype buslogic srcFile
-d, --diskformat zeroedthick
Create a virtual disk with the specified size on the VMFS file
system. The size is specified in bytes by default, but can be
specified in kilobytes, megabytes or gigabytes by adding a suffix
of ´k´, ´m´, or ´g´ respectively. The ´adaptertype´ option
allows users to indicate which device driver should be used to
communicate with the virtual disk. See the `SUPPORTED DISK
FORMATS` section for details on the disk formats supported by
the ´-d´ option. The default disk format is ´zeroedthick´. The
`-d eagerzeroedthick` option is used to create `thick` virtual
disk with zeroed out contents.
...
-i, --clonevirtualdisk srcDisk
-d, --diskformat rdm:<device>
Create a copy of a virtual disk or raw disk. The copy will be in
the specified disk format. See the `SUPPORTED DISK FORMATS´
section for details on the disk formats supported by the ´-d´
option. To clone ESX REDO logs while preserving their hierarchy, use
the Service Console command cp(1).
...
EXAMPLES
vmkfstools -i /vmfs/volumes/templates/gold-master.vmdk /vmfs/vol-
umes/myVMFS/myOS.vmdk
Clones the contents of a gold master virtual disk image from a template
repository to a virtual disk named `myOS.vmdk` on the VMFS file system
called myVMFS. A virtual machine can be configured to use this virtual
disk by adding the following lines to its configuration file:
To get the complete man page execute "man vmkfstools" in the console.
After you've cloned the disk you only need to create a new VM.
When asked for the disk point it to the cloned disk instead of creating a new one.
If you have Virtual Center you can create a template and deploy the VMs from the (syspreped) template.
If not you can still sysprep an image and clone the disk using vmkfstools.
Unfortunatelly i do not have Virtual Center. If i close using the vmkfstools will the networiking work properly ? What i mean will mac address be changed?
As soon as you create a new VM from the cloned disk this new VM will get a new UUID (and a new MAC address).
Just make sure you use sysprep before cloning the master image.
would you be so nice and point me to some documentation of the process? I am very fresh VMware user.
Using vmkfstools to clone a disk is documented in the man page of vmkfstools.
Here's an excerpt
NAME
vmkfstools - VMware ESX Server file system management tool
SYNOPSIS
vmkfstools OPTIONS
vmkfstools OPTIONS PARTITION
vmkfstools OPTIONS DEVICE
vmkfstools OPTIONS PATH
...
VIRTUAL DISK OPTIONS
-c, --createvirtualdisk #[gGmMkK]
-a, --adaptertype buslogic srcFile
-d, --diskformat zeroedthick
Create a virtual disk with the specified size on the VMFS file
system. The size is specified in bytes by default, but can be
specified in kilobytes, megabytes or gigabytes by adding a suffix
of ´k´, ´m´, or ´g´ respectively. The ´adaptertype´ option
allows users to indicate which device driver should be used to
communicate with the virtual disk. See the `SUPPORTED DISK
FORMATS` section for details on the disk formats supported by
the ´-d´ option. The default disk format is ´zeroedthick´. The
`-d eagerzeroedthick` option is used to create `thick` virtual
disk with zeroed out contents.
...
-i, --clonevirtualdisk srcDisk
-d, --diskformat rdm:<device>
Create a copy of a virtual disk or raw disk. The copy will be in
the specified disk format. See the `SUPPORTED DISK FORMATS´
section for details on the disk formats supported by the ´-d´
option. To clone ESX REDO logs while preserving their hierarchy, use
the Service Console command cp(1).
...
EXAMPLES
vmkfstools -i /vmfs/volumes/templates/gold-master.vmdk /vmfs/vol-
umes/myVMFS/myOS.vmdk
Clones the contents of a gold master virtual disk image from a template
repository to a virtual disk named `myOS.vmdk` on the VMFS file system
called myVMFS. A virtual machine can be configured to use this virtual
disk by adding the following lines to its configuration file:
To get the complete man page execute "man vmkfstools" in the console.
After you've cloned the disk you only need to create a new VM.
When asked for the disk point it to the cloned disk instead of creating a new one.
Sorry for bthering this is i hope my last question. You mentioned sysprep, i cannot use it on raw ESX can I? Im afraid that SIDs will be the same.
You create a "golden master" VM and run sysprep INSIDE the VM.
When sysprep asks to reboot shutdown the VM and clone it.
Sysprep will run on every new deployed / cloned VM and will generate a new SID.