6.0

Windows Requirements
Customization of Windows guest operating systems requires the following conditions:
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Microsoft Sysprep tools must be installed on the vCenter Server system.
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The ESXi host that the virtual machine is running on must be 3.5 or later.
Guest operating system customization is supported on multiple Windows operating systems.
Linux Requirements
Customization of Linux guest operating systems requires that Perl is installed in the Linux guest operating
system.
Guest operating system customization is supported on multiple Linux distributions.
Verifying Customization Support for a Guest Operating System
To verify customization support for Windows operating systems or Linux distributions and compatible
ESXi hosts, see the VMware Compatibility Guide at http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility. You can
use this online tool to search for the guest operating system and ESXi version. After the tool generates your
list, click the guest operating system to see whether guest customization is supported.
Configure a Script to Generate Computer Names and IP Addresses
During Guest Operating System Customization in the vSphere Client
As an alternative to entering the computer name or IP addresses for virtual NICs during guest operating
system customization, you can create a custom application and configure it so that vCenter Server can use it
to generate the computer name and IP addresses.
The application can be an arbitrary executable binary or script file appropriate for the corresponding
operating system in which vCenter Server is running. After you configure a name-ip-generation application
in vCenter Server, each time you initiate a guest os customization for a virtual machine, the name-ip-app is
executed and an XML string is generated in place and passed to its standard input. The name-ip-generation
application on its behalf should generate and return the resulting XML string through its standard output.
The application must comply with the reference XML file in the VMware knowledge base article at
http://kb.vmware.com/kb/2007557.
Prerequisites
Verify that Perl is installed on vCenter Server.
Procedure
1 Create the script and save it on the vCenter Server system's local disk.
2 In the vSphere Client connected to vCenter Server, select Administration > vCenter Server Settings.
3 Select Advanced Settings.
4 Enter the configuration parameters for the script.
a In the Key text box, type config.guestcust.name-ip-generator.arg1.
b In the Value text box, type c:\sample-generate-name-ip.pl and click Add.
c In the Key text box, type config.guestcust.name-ip-generator.arg2.
d In the Value text box, type the path to the script file on the vCenter Server system and click Add.
For example, type c:\sample-generate-name-ip.pl.
vSphere Administration with the vSphere Client
110 VMware, Inc.