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jskfanFlag for Cyprus

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Clone VMs with Customization.

Clone VMs with Customization.

When Cloning a VM ,  if it is windows , I believe we should always Customize it to avoid duplicate IP addresses, SIDs, etc...,
 I do not know if cloning Linux VM requires Customization.?

If I have several VMs to clone and customize, then it should be a lot of manual work to do, by entering specific information for each VM..

What is the best practice in cloning many VMs?

Thank you
Avatar of Andrew Hancock (VMware vExpert PRO / EE Fellow/British Beekeeper)
Andrew Hancock (VMware vExpert PRO / EE Fellow/British Beekeeper)
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What is the best practice in cloning many VMs?

If this is Windows, Microsoft has always recommended that you use Sysprep.

Sysprep can generate a new Machine SID.

But there are many other options of deploying Windows now, CLONING is just one, which is quite old fashioned.
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Murali Sripada

Actually this is the same logic why Horizon View or VDI evolved with...
They clone and customize all VMs -> linked clone or full clone or instant clone technologies

You can use instant clone to clone VMs in seconds.. You can use APIs as well provided by VMware

That requires a separate software and licensing in VMware to do or use APIs provided by VMware and design one for yourself

thanks,
Murali
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ASKER

If this is Windows, Microsoft has always recommended that you use Sysprep.

You can manually sysprep one Template, if you create other templates from the first template then you will have to sysprep all of them ?
No, because you run Sysprep, with the Generate new SID option, and then select it to Shutdown.

and then every template you deploy, will be ready to install. (when you convert VM to Template)
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ASKER

I guess Vmware has " customization specification manager " Tool to prepare that.
You can use that option, however recent developments and operating systems, seems to have broken!
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ASKER

It still in Vmware newer versions such as 6.7
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Try it and Test! and Report Back!

Just because it's there........does not mean it works!
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ASKER

You can prevent duplicate SID, by using Sysprep before converting the VM to Template. as described here:

https://www.enterprisedaddy.com/2015/09/how-to-prepare-a-vm-with-sysprep-before-converting-it-to-template/


VMware Customization also has the same thing to generate a new SID.
What I do not see is where to enter License Key, Organization Information, User Name and Password... this is Vsphere 6.7 , older versions have that.
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Avatar of Andrew Hancock (VMware vExpert PRO / EE Fellow/British Beekeeper)
Andrew Hancock (VMware vExpert PRO / EE Fellow/British Beekeeper)
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I will come back to this topic next time I reset the LAB
Thank you