6.0.1

Procedure
1 Start the Clone a Virtual Machine to a Template Task on page 39
To make a master copy of a virtual machine, you can clone the virtual machine to a template. You can
open the New Virtual Machine wizard from any object in the inventory that is a valid parent object of
a virtual machine, or directly from the template. The wizard provides several options for creating and
deploying virtual machines and templates.
2 Select a Virtual Machine to Clone to a Template on page 40
To clone a virtual machine to a template, you must select an existing virtual machine to clone. You
cannot modify a template after you create it. To change the template, you must convert it back to a
virtual machine.
3 Select a Name and Location for the Template on page 40
When you deploy a template to the vCenter Server inventory, you provide a unique name for it. The
unique name distinguishes it from existing templates in the virtual machine folder or datacenter. The
name can contain up to 80 characters. You can select a datacenter or folder location for the template,
depending on your organizational needs.
4 Select a Resource for a Virtual Machine Template on page 40
When you deploy a virtual machine template, select a host or cluster resource for the template. The
template must be registered with an ESXi host. The host handles all requests for the template and must
be running when you create a virtual machine from the template.
5 Select a Datastore for the Virtual Machine Template on page 41
Each virtual machine or virtual machine template requires a folder or directory for its virtual disks
and files. When you create a virtual machine or template to deploy to the vCenter Server inventory,
select a datastore or datastore cluster for the virtual machine's configuration and other files and all of
the virtual disks. Each datastore can have a different size, speed, availability, and other properties.
6 Finish Virtual Machine Template Creation on page 42
Before you deploy the template, you can review the template settings.
Start the Clone a Virtual Machine to a Template Task
To make a master copy of a virtual machine, you can clone the virtual machine to a template. You can open
the New Virtual Machine wizard from any object in the inventory that is a valid parent object of a virtual
machine, or directly from the template. The wizard provides several options for creating and deploying
virtual machines and templates.
If you open the wizard from a template, the Select a creation type page does not appear.
Procedure
u
Select an option to clone a virtual machine to a template.
Option Description
Open the New Virtual Machine
wizard from any object in the
inventory
a Right-click any inventory object that is a valid parent object of a virtual
machine, such as a datacenter, folder, cluster, resource pool, or host,
and select New Virtual Machine.
b Select Clone Virtual Machine to Template and click Next.
The Select a name and folder page opens.
Open the Clone Virtual Machine to
Template wizard from a template
Right-click the virtual machine and select Clone > Clone to Template .
The Select a name and folder page opens.
Chapter 2 Deploying Virtual Machines
VMware, Inc. 39