6.0

Prerequisites
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You must be connected to vCenter Server in order to clone a virtual machine. You cannot clone virtual
machines if you connect directly to an ESXi host.
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To customize the guest operating system of the virtual machine, check that your guest operating system
meets the requirements for customization. See “Guest Operating System Customization Requirements,”
on page 109.
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To use a customization specification, you must first create or import the customization specification.
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To use a custom script to generate the host name or IP address for the new virtual machine, configure
the script. See “Configure a Script to Generate Computer Names and IP Addresses During Guest
Operating System Customization in the vSphere Client,” on page 110.
Procedure
1 Right-click the virtual machine and select Clone.
2 Enter a virtual machine name, select a location, and click Next.
3 Select a host or cluster on which to run the new virtual machine.
Option Action
Run the virtual machine on a
standalone host.
Select the host and click Next.
Run the virtual machine in a cluster
with DRS automatic placement.
Select the cluster and click Next.
Run the virtual machine in a cluster
without DRS automatic placement.
a Select the cluster and click Next.
b Select a host within the cluster and click Next.
4 Select a resource pool in which to run the virtual machine and click Next.
5 Select the datastore location where you want to store the virtual machine files.
Option Action
Store all virtual machine files in the
same location on a datastore.
a Apply a virtual machine storage policy for the virtual machine home
files and the virtual disks from the VM storage policy drop-down
menu.
The list shows which datastores are compatible and which are
incompatible with the selected virtual machine storage policy.
b Select a datastore and click Next.
Store all virtual machine files in the
same datastore cluster.
a Apply a virtual machine storage policy for the virtual machine home
files and the virtual disks from the VM storage policy drop-down
menu.
The list shows which datastores are compatible and which are
incompatible with the selected virtual machine storage policy.
b Select a datastore and click Next.
Store virtual machine configuration
files and disk in separate locations.
a Click Advanced.
b For the virtual machine configuration file and for each virtual disk,
click Browse and select a datastore or datastore cluster.
c Click Next.
vSphere Administration with the vSphere Client
98 VMware, Inc.