Best Practices Multiple VM

[selkov]

I have a lot of software that i need to test on a WIN 7 environment before upgrading our systems.
This sounds like a perfect use of VM.I would like to install and run each program on an identical VM machine.
So if I had lets say ten to create, what is the easiest / best way to copy a VM installation.
Ideally  i would like to create 11 machines labeled VM1 - VM2 - VM3 -etc, each  with only one program installed and the las with them all.

selkov

Posts: 42

Joined: 19. Oct 2009, 02:46

Primary OS: MS Windows Vista

VBox Version: OSE other

Guest OSses: na

[MindTheGreg]

Use VMware Workstation

1. Create baseline VM. "VM0"

2. Clone VM using a linked-clone "VM1"

3. Install and Test app on VM1

4. Clone VM using a linked-clone "VM2"

5. Install and Test app on VM2

This would be for a non-shared small scale test environment. If you have a lot of testers and want to open it up, then I'm using a VMware View pool that provisions new machines that are tested.

[MindTheGreg]

Oops, this is the VMware Player forum. backup the VM files when you have it in the base state. Do your testing and when you are satisfied restore the backup.

[continuum]

do you run Virtual BOX ?

[selkov]

So in VM player there is no way to easly clone an existin appliance.

But in Workstation there is?

[continuum]

in Workstation that is an implemented feature : linked clones

in VMplayer you can use linked clones too -  but creating them is a bit tricky (but possible)
I wrote a howto several years ago - I can look up the link if you need it