6.0

e In the Key text box, type config.guestcust.name-ip-generator.program.
f In the Value text box, type c:\perl\bin\perl.exe and click Add.
5 Click OK.
You can select the option to use an application to generate computer names or IP addresses during
customization.
Customize Windows During Cloning or Deployment in the vSphere
Client
When you deploy a new virtual machine from a template or clone an existing virtual machine, you can
customize Windows guest operating systems for the virtual machine.
NOTE The default administrator password is not preserved for Windows Server 2008 after customization.
During customization, the Windows Sysprep utility deletes and recreates the administrator account on
Windows Server 2008. You must reset the administrator password when the virtual machine boots the first
time after customization.
Prerequisites
Verify that all requirements for customization are met. See “Guest Operating System Customization
Requirements,” on page 109.
Procedure
1 Select View > Management > Customization Management Manager and click New to start the
Windows Guest Customization.
2 Select the Target Virtual Machine OS and enter the name and description for the Customization
Specification Information, then click Next.
NOTE If you want to use a custom sysprep file, select Use Custom Sysprep Answer File.
3 Type the virtual machine owner’s name and organization and click Next.
4 Enter the guest operating system's computer name and click Next.
The operating system uses this name to identify itself on the network. On Linux systems, it is called the
host name.
Option Action
Enter a name
a Type a name.
The name can contain alphanumeric characters and the hyphen (-)
character. It cannot contain periods (.) or blank spaces and cannot be
made up of digits only. Names are not case-sensitive.
b (Optional) To ensure that the name is unique, select Append a
numeric value to ensure uniqueness. This appends a hyphen
followed by a numeric value to the virtual machine name. The name is
truncated if it exceeds 15 characters when combined with the numeric
value.
Use the virtual machine name
The computer name that vCenter Server creates is identical to the name of
the virtual machine on which the guest operating system is running. If the
name exceeds 15 characters, it is truncated.
Chapter 12 Customizing Guest Operating Systems
VMware, Inc. 111