6.0

Working with Templates and Clones
in the vSphere Client 11
A clone is a copy of a virtual machine. A template is a master copy of a virtual machine that can be used to
create many clones.
When you clone a virtual machine, you create a copy of the entire virtual machine, including its settings,
any configured virtual devices, installed software, and other contents of the virtual machine's disks. You
also have the option to use guest operating system customization to change some of the properties of the
clone, such as the computer name and networking settings.
Cloning a virtual machine can save time if you are deploying many similar virtual machines. You can create,
configure, and install software on a single virtual machine, and then clone it multiple times, rather than
creating and configuring each virtual machine individually.
If you create a virtual machine that you want to clone frequently, make that virtual machine a template. A
template is a master copy of a virtual machine that can be used to create and provision virtual machines.
Templates cannot be powered on or edited, and are more difficult to alter than ordinary virtual machine. A
template offers a more secure way of preserving a virtual machine configuration that you want to deploy
many times.
When you clone a virtual machine or deploy a virtual machine from a template, the resulting cloned virtual
machine is independent of the original virtual machine or template. Changes to the original virtual machine
or template are not reflected in the cloned virtual machine, and changes to the cloned virtual machine are
not reflected in the original virtual machine or template.
This chapter includes the following topics:
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“Clone a Virtual Machine in the vSphere Client,” on page 97
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“Create a Scheduled Task to Clone a Virtual Machine in the vSphere Client,” on page 100
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“Create a Template in the vSphere Client,” on page 100
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“Deploy a Virtual Machine from a Template in the vSphere Client,” on page 103
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“Change Template Name in the vSphere Client,” on page 105
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“Deleting Templates,” on page 106
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“Convert a Template to a Virtual Machine in the vSphere Client,” on page 107
Clone a Virtual Machine in the vSphere Client
Cloning a virtual machine creates a duplicate of the virtual machine with the same configuration and
installed software as the original.
Optionally, you can customize the guest operating system of the clone to change the virtual machine name,
network settings, and other properties. This prevents conflicts that can occur if a virtual machine and a clone
with identical guest operating system settings are deployed simultaneously.
VMware, Inc.
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