5.1

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.
You can create a full clone by using any disk clone type other than the linked clone type.
A linked clone is a copy of a virtual machine that shares virtual disks with the parent virtual machine in an
ongoing manner. A linked clone is a fast way to convert and run a new virtual machine. You can create a linked
clone from the current state, or snapshot, of a powered off virtual machine. This practice conserves disk space
and lets multiple virtual machines use the same software installation.
All files available on the source machine at the moment of 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 source machine. If you make changes to a source Virtual PC and
Virtual Server machines, or to LiveState images, the linked clone is corrupted and cannot be used anymore.
A linked clone must have access to the source. Without access to the source, you cannot use a linked clone.
For more information about how to create a linked clone, see “Create a Linked Clone,” on page 60.
Using Converter Standalone with Virtual Machine Sources and System
Images
With Converter Standalone, you can convert virtual machines and system images, and configure VMware
virtual machines.
Converting virtual
machines
You can convert VMware virtual machines from and to Workstation,
VMware Player, VMware Fusion, ESX, ESXi Embedded, and ESXi Installable.
You can also import virtual machines from Microsoft Virtual Server and
Virtual PC.
To be able to run an imported VMware virtual machine and its source virtual
machine on the same network, you must modify the network name and IP
address on one of the virtual machines. Modifying the network name and IP
address lets the original and new virtual machines to coexist on the same
network.
Configuring virtual
machines
If the VMware virtual machines have disks that have been populated by using
a backup of a physical host, Converter Standalone prepares the image to run
on VMware virtual hardware. If you have used third-party virtualization
software to create a virtual machine on an ESX host, you can use
Converter Standalone to reconfigure it. You can also reconfigure any operating
system installed on a multiboot machine if you have imported the virtual
machine to an ESX host. Before you reconfigure a multiboot machine, you must
change the boot.ini file or the BCD.
System Settings Affected by Conversion
A VMware virtual machine that Converter Standalone creates contains a copy of the disk state of the source
physical machine, virtual machine, or system image. Some hardware-dependent drivers and sometimes the
mapped drive letters might not be preserved.
The following source computer settings remain unchanged:
n
Operating system configuration (computer name, security ID, user accounts, profiles, preferences, and so
on)
n
Applications and data files
n
Volume serial number for each disk partition
Chapter 1 Introduction to VMware vCenter Converter Standalone
VMware, Inc. 15