What did you guys use to create a customizable template?

[jcardoso]

I had used N-Lite to create my first custom VM and the converted to a template, but I was wondering if someone has a best practices approach for creating a new template?

[williamarrata]

This is in response only if your using ESX 3.0.2. From your VC click on the little down arrow next to the Inventory button, chose Virtual Machines and Templates. Click on the Edit tab located above the Inventory button and select Custimization Specifications. A new window appears here called the Customization Specification Manager. Click on the NEW button. This is where you start your customizations to fit your needs.

Hope that helped.

[bradley4681 · Accepted solution]

I've always just built a new vm from scratch and added all the software and updates and custom settings I needed and then shut it down, right clicked and converted it to a template. After that I've created the customization files the above poster mentioned and saved them, or you can do it on the fly when you deploy a new vm from the template.

Cheers,

Bradley Sessions

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[VMKR9]

We tried N-Lite but couldnt get sysprep to work with it, have you tested your deployment. We created a template and followed all the performance tweeks, disabled unused service etc and set RDP to enabled added required groups to local admins and installed required software, then converted to template.

[jcardoso]

Hi Guys,

I appreciate all the great reponses.

I also believe in building a VM, then shutting it down and converting to a template.

How did you sysprep after you deploy a new VM from the particualr template?

[bradley4681]

VMware will inject the sysprep files into the image when deploying from a template and uses the customization settings to answer the sysprep questions and generate a new SID. You just have to make sure you have the guest customization files(sysprep) on the virtual center server in the proper folder. I think its something like documents and settings\all user\applications\vmware\virtual infrastructure\resources\windows\

Cheers,

Bradley Sessions

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