VMware VirtualCenter 1.1 Support Documentation

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If you plan to store a template in the VirtualCenter upload directory, refer to Specifying an Upload Directory for Templates and define the upload directory location before proceeding.

Note: You cannot create a template from a virtual machine with undoable disks that have redo logs (on ESX Server hosts), or a virtual machine with snapshots (on GSX Server hosts).

To import a template from a virtual machine:

1. Start VirtualCenter and log on to the VirtualCenter server.
2. Choose a method for starting the New Template wizard.

   From the inventory panel:

   1. Click the Inventory option in the navigation bar.

      The inventory panel and the information panel display the managed farms, hosts, virtual machines information. The Inventory toolbar appears.

   2. Expand the inventory as needed, and click the appropriate virtual machine.
   3. Start the New Template wizard.

      From the main or right-click popup menu select New Template from this Virtual Machine.

      From the Templates Navigation panel:

   4. Click the Templates option in the navigation bar.
   5. Click the New button in the Templates toolbar.
3. Confirm to proceed with the New Template Wizard. Click Next.
4. If you are starting from the Templates New Template panel: select a virtual machine managed by VirtualCenter. Click Next.

   

   The options are:

   A virtual machine in the VMware VirtualCenter Inventory. — Use this option to create a template from a virtual machine on a managed host.

   A virtual machine on a local or network file system that is not in the VMware VirtualCenter inventory. — Use this option to create a template from a virtual machine that is not being managed by VirtualCenter.

5. If you are selecting a non-managed virtual machine: locate the source virtual machine. Click Next.

   

   Type or copy the full path to the source virtual machine configuration file. This file has either a .vmx or a .cfg extension.

   The Browse option is available only when the VirtualCenter client is running on the same machine as the VirtualCenter server. If the Browse option is not available, type the path to the virtual machine configuration file in the textbox.

   Note: The path you specify is the path for the VirtualCenter server, not the path on the machine running your VirtualCenter client.

   If you are not running the VirtualCenter client on the same machine as the VirtualCenter server, type in the path on the VirtualCenter server machine where the template source virtual machine is located.

   Note: This file must be in a folder or file system local to the VirtualCenter server.

   Note: The source virtual machine should not use IDE virtual disks.

6. If you are using a managed virtual machine and started from the Templates New Template panel: select the managed virtual machine to use as the source for the template. Click Next.

   

7. Give the new template a name and description. Click Next.

   

   Enter a useful name and a brief description of the template. This description can include the operating system, applications, versions, and intended uses for the template. The name can be up to 80 characters long, and contain alphanumeric characters and the underscore (_) and hyphen (-) characters. The name should also be unique across all templates.

8. Specify the target location of the template files. Click Next.

   

   The choices are:

   • On the VMware VirtualCenter server — This option makes copies of the virtual machine disk files and places copies into the VirtualCenter upload directory.

     Copying the files can take some time. After the importing template process, the source virtual machine is available for normal operations. Refer to Specifying an Upload Directory for Templates for information on specifying and using the VirtualCenter upload directory.

     Use this option if the source disk is not on a SAN. This option ensures the template can be deployed to any managed host.

   • On a datastore — This option adds a reference to the location of the files.

     The virtual machine disks are copied to the VMFS volume that you specify.

     Use this option when the virtual disk resides in a VMFS volume on a SAN. This ensures a rapid deploy of a new virtual machine because it is a local disk copy.

9. If you selected On a datastore:

   Select the datastore location in which to place the new template. Click Next.

   

10. Complete the importing template process. Click Finish.

    VirtualCenter adds the configuration file data into the VirtualCenter database and adds the template to the list of available templates. To view the list, click the Templates option in the navigation bar.

    Copying the source virtual machine to the template upload directory, can take a long time, depending upon the size of the source virtual machine. Refer to the Tasks panel to view the progress of creating the template.

    To check the progress of the new template creation, click the Show Active Task toggle. A progress bar displays the percentage of completion.