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The existing virtual machine is called the parent virtual machine. Two types of clones are available for
creation: linked clones and full clones. Linked clones are created more quickly than full clones, but are
dependent on the parent virtual machine. Full clones take longer to create, but are completely independent
of the parent virtual machine.
Changes made to a clone do not affect the parent virtual machine, and changes made to the parent virtual
machine do not appear in a clone. The MAC address for a clone is different from the parent virtual machine.
Using Linked Clones
A linked clone is a copy of a virtual machine that shares virtual disks with the parent virtual machine in an
ongoing manner. You can create linked clones only by using Fusion Pro.
Because a linked clone is created from a snapshot of the parent, disk space is conserved and multiple virtual
machines can use the same software installation. All files available on the parent at the moment you take the
snapshot continue to remain available to the linked clone.
Ongoing changes to the virtual disk of the parent do not affect the linked clone, and changes to the disk of
the linked clone do not affect the parent. A linked clone must have access to the parent. Without access to
the parent, you cannot use a linked clone.
Because linked clones are created quickly, you can create a unique virtual machine for each task. You can
also share a virtual machine with other users by storing the virtual machine on your local network where
other users can quickly make a linked clone. For example, a support team can reproduce a bug in a virtual
machine, and an engineer can quickly make a linked clone of that virtual machine to work on the bug.
You can make a linked clone from a linked clone, but the performance of the linked clone degrades. It is
recommended that you make a new linked clone of the original parent virtual machine, when possible. If
you make a full clone from a linked clone, the full clone is an independent virtual machine that does not
require access to the linked clone or its parent.
IMPORTANT You cannot delete a linked clone snapshot without destroying the linked clone. You can safely
delete the snapshot only if you also delete the clone that depends on it. Also, moving the linked clone or the
parent virtual machine breaks the connection between the linked clone and parent.
Since a linked clone has a dependency on the parent, you cannot delete a parent if it has a clone. You must
first delete all linked clones and snapshots before you can delete the parent virtual machine.
Using Full Clones
A full clone is a complete and independent copy of a virtual machine. A full clone shares nothing with the
parent virtual machine after the cloning operation. Ongoing operation of a full clone is separate from the
parent virtual machine. You can create full clones only with Fusion Pro.
Because a full clone does not share virtual disks with the parent virtual machine, full clones generally
perform better than linked clones. Full clones take longer to create than linked clones. Creating a full clone
can take several minutes if the files involved are large.
Because a full clone duplicates only the state of the virtual machine at the instant of the cloning operation, it
does not have access to snapshots of the parent virtual machine.
You can delete a full clone without affecting the parent virtual machine.
Chapter 5 Creating Virtual Machines
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