How to Create Template From VM?

[Dthompson04]

Hello everyone.  I'm trying to review how to create a template in VCSA 6.7 from a VM and it didn't work.  I've reviewed the process and have done it in ESXi 5.5, but when I attempted this in VCSA it created the template OK, but it also did two unexpected things.

1.  The template didn't have the drives associated with them

2.  When I rebooted the VM that I created the template from it died because it couldn't locate the boot drive associated with the VM.

What happened and how do I create a template from a VM without ruining the VM itself?  Shouldn't the boot drive be created for the template so it has the Windows server install for it?

The task I have is to build, update and security tighten Server 2016.  I completed all of this work on two VM's, one for a Member Server and one for Domain Controllers.

Just when everything was perfect I run the procedure to create the template and now the VM doesn't work anymore.

Any help would be appreciated.

Dave

[MikeStoica]

Check this Clone a Virtual Machine to a Template

[NathanosBlightc]

Hi

To deploy VMs from a Template remember following points:

1. I suggest to sysprep VM that you want to use as a Template. You mentioned you need to clone a DC and a Member server from your template, because of that sysprep with generalize OOBE options. So your cloned VMs will not encounter with SID conflict whenever they work in a single domain.

2. You cannot modify VM settings or even Guest OS when it's a template! so you need to revert it back to the VM, do your changes and convert it to a template again. (It's a little different when they are cloned in the Content Library)

3. I recommend to generate a snapshot before Sysprep step especially in production environment because you can update its OS and applications every specified duration. I do it in every 3 or 6 months for my Templates and update (security and critical) them with our WSUS server, power it off, generate a new Snapshot, remove old snapshot and convert them again to the Template.

4. Templates are Master-Copy of VMs, but generated VMs from templates have their independent identity. It must be possible to do whatever you need to do to your new VMs that are deployed from a template.

5. Template creation is possible only through vCenter Server, although their files are visible by ESXi datastore management consoles. It means there is no identification for template by ESXi, but the host can see their files inside its datastores.

[Dthompson04]

I decided that the best option was to clone instead of creating a template.  I had two Windows 2016 server VMs that had all of the security updates and hardening done.  So that I didn't have to do that again for a second vCenter cluster I wanted to make a copy.

The clone is more complete than the template and preserves the file updates and settings.