Installation guide

Table Of Contents
Customizing Guest Operating
Systems 15
The Guest Customization wizard lets you create specifications you can use to prepare the guest operating
systems of virtual machines to function in a target environment.
You can store specifications in the database to customize the guest operating system of a virtual machine during
the cloning or deploying process. Use the Customization Specification Manager to manage customization
specifications you create with the Guest Customization wizard.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n
“Preparing for Guest Customization,” on page 177
n
“Customize Windows During Cloning or Deployment,” on page 179
n
“Customize Linux During Cloning or Deployment,” on page 180
n
“Create a Customization Specification for Linux,” on page 181
n
“Create a Customization Specification for Windows,” on page 181
n
“Managing Customization Specification,” on page 183
n
“Completing a Guest Operating System Customization,” on page 184
Preparing for Guest Customization
Certain tasks must be performed before running the Guest Customization wizard.
You must perform the following tasks before running the Guest Customization wizard.
n
Create and configure a virtual machine.
n
Make sure that the virtual machine is registered in the vCenter Server inventory.
n
Verify that your system meets the virtual hardware requirements for guest customization listed in “Virtual
Hardware Requirements for Guest Customization,” on page 178.
n
Verify that your system meets the operating system requirements for guest customization listed in
“Windows Requirements for Guest Customization,” on page 178 and “Linux Requirements for Guest
Customization,” on page 179.
n
Understand the naming requirements for a guest operating system as described in “Naming Requirements
for a Guest Operating System,” on page 179.
n
If you are customizing a Windows guest operating system, verify that all required components are
installed on the Windows machine where vCenter Server is installed.
NOTE After deploying and customizing nonvolume-licensed versions of Windows XP or Windows 2003, you
might need to reactivate your Microsoft operating system on the new virtual machine.
VMware, Inc.
177