New VMWARE Images

You can use vCenter Converter Standalone (http://www.vmware.com/products/converter/) to create your VMs. If you need to allocate different disk sizes, CPU, RAM with each, you can do make the changes in the convert wizard.

Regards,
~coolsport00

coolsport00: The first image I create will have a machine name. I image that I will need to make a copy of my virtual image first. For the second copy, how do I change the file names. Is all I have to do is change the name of the folder and the files? Then, do I just load up the image and then change the netbios name? What else do I have to do?

pschakravarthi:

The steps you mentioned sounds easy enough. So, you are saying that all I have to do is duplicate the folder and rename it. then, add the machine to my inventory.

If I install the Windows 2003 Server in Workgroup mode and then make copies of it, could I just do steps 1 through 6, then join the server to the domain? Would this be just as easy as doing sysprep or anything else? I have never run sysprep before so I don't know how complicated that will be (I know... I should have done sysprep by now). If the server is installed in Workgroup mode then the SID won't be an issue, right?

Thanks,
John

With the converter tool, the wizard walks you through changing the name, etc. It's done automatically...pretty simple tool :)  1 thing I will mention is be weary of licensing of all those VMs. You need to have a license for each. Also, you will need to download sysprep files and put them on the workstation you installed the Converter Standalone tool on.
XP Sysprep download:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=673a1019-8e3e-4be0-ac31-70dd21b5afa7&displaylang=en (this is for XP SP3, if you need SP2, scroll down on this page and click the link for SP2)

Regards,
~coolsport00

I am not too worried about the licensing just yet. I should be able to run in unlicensed mode for 60 days. I just need to do some testing for about a month, hopefully, and then wipe out these images when I am finished.

I have no idea why I gave you XP :P Skip that...hahaha (ooops!)
Here's 2003 download:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=93f20bb1-97aa-4356-8b43-9584b7e72556&displaylang=en
But, you will have to install this 'patch' on a 2K3 machine, then open the deploy.cab file in the C:\Windows\System32 folder then copy those files to the workstation with Converter on it.

BTW...here's the User's Guide to walk you through some things:
http://www.vmware.com/pdf/converter_standalone_guide401.pdf
But overall, it's a pretty easy tool to use.

~coolsport00

I have to get on a conference call here shortly, so I will give all of this a try when I am done with that. Thanks for the help. I will post back, later.

Sysprep will take care of it automatically, via Converter.

Here is a problem that I am runinng into. I am working on this now, and I made a copy of my default install. I sysprepped it, too.

The first copy is called TEST1

If I copy the test1 folder and give the new folder the name of test2 (or even rename the files to have the 2 appended to it) it still shows up in vmware as test1. I want the name to be unique just like the directory name. Eventually, I want test1, test2, test3, test4, etc.

Thanks. The step you mentioned in paragraph 1 did the trick. Now, I am setting up my 3rd image and things appear to be working well. Thanks for the help.

"jhieb"...if you used the Converter tool, all of this would be taken care of...you would have to mess with the config file (.vmx) or anything like that...just food for thought. :)

A combination of all these answers helped. I did not use the converter tool. I kept getting errors with it or someting odd was going on. Copying the directory, using sysprep, and editing the display name is what I needed to do. Thanks.

I'm sorry...you would *not* have to mess with the config file, I meant. :)