Unique VM computer names, how?

[jrbrewin]

Hi,

in vCD it appears when we spin up a new vApp from a vApp template, or create a new vApp and add VMs from a vApp template to them we have noticed that the computer names associated with the VMs are not unique. By comparison, in Lab Manager each configuration by default had a unique name. e.g. Config290. The number incremented with each new Configuration. Additionally, each VM created in the configuration would be given name based on the Config. E.g. Config290VM0....VM1...VM2...etc.

This worked brilliantly when you were adding VMs to a domain environment where you cannot have duplicate computer account names.

However vCD does not appear to do this. When creating vApps it doesn't by defualt create a uniquely named vApp, and the VMs added to the vApp are not based on the vApp name, rather based on the name of the VM. I can see this being a problem when our development staff start using vCD and start adding VMs in vApps to the domain - if they pick names that exist already - which is exceptionally likely seeing as how the default names are based on the VM in the vApp templates - the process of adding to the domain will fail.

How do you guys deal with this problem?

[IamTHEvilONE]

vCloud Director's catalog more closely resembles Lab Manager's Library, not the template system.

The closest I can say is that vCloud is like creating a blank configuration in lab manager, then adding specific VMs from the Library directly to the config, and then performing customization as required.

I also don't think there is a way to automate the naming of VMs, just vApps.

[wpatton]

I am currently be asked to provide this same solution.  vCD provides the ability to join a domain but doesn't provide a method to increment the VM names, like Horizon View so gracefully does.

Please let us know if you find a solution to this, and I will reply if I find anything as well.

[cfor]

We took care of our name issue by looping in vCloud's Blocking Task model with VCO.  When we detect a new instantiate we trigger to do some name changed before vCloud starts the vApp for the first time.  This let us make sure when guest customize run we had unique names.  Something like this might be worth looking into.

[haripadmam]

hi can you please share your strategy on how you achieved blocking task and vCO integration? I'm stuck on the same page!