6.0

What to do next
If the new virtual machine encounters customization errors while it is booting, the errors are reported using
the guest’s system logging mechanism. View the errors by opening /var/log/vmware-
imc/toolsDeployPkg.log.
Managing Customization Specifications in the vSphere Client
Customization specifications are XML files that contain guest operating system settings for virtual
machines. You create customization specifications with the Guest Customization wizard, and manage
specifications using the Customization Specification Manager.
vCenter Server saves the customized configuration parameters in the vCenter Server database. If the
customization settings are saved, the administrator, and domain administrator, passwords are stored in
encrypted format in the database. Because the certificate used to encrypt the passwords is unique to each
vCenter Server system, reinstalling vCenter Server, or attaching a new instance of the server the database,
invalidates the encrypted passwords. The passwords must be re-entered before they can be used.
Create a Customization Specification for Linux in the vSphere Client
Use the Guest Customization wizard to save guest operating system settings in a specification that you can
apply when cloning virtual machines or deploying from templates.
Prerequisites
Ensure that all requirements for customization are met. See “Guest Operating System Customization
Requirements,” on page 109.
Procedure
1 From the vSphere Client Home page, select Customization Specifications Manager.
2 Click the Create New Specification icon.
3 Select Linux from the Target Virtual Machine OS menu.
4 Under Customization Specification Information, enter a name for the specification and an optional
description and click Next.
5 Specify how to determine the host name to identify the guest operating system on the network.
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.
Enter a name in the Deploy wizard
The vSphere Web Client prompts you to enter a name after the cloning or
deployment is complete.
Generate a name using the custom
application configured with vCenter
Server
Enter a parameter that can be passed to the custom application.
Chapter 12 Customizing Guest Operating Systems
VMware, Inc. 115