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Table Of Contents
5 Click OK.
You can select the option to use an application to generate computer names or IP addresses during guest
operating system customization.
Customize Windows During Cloning or Deployment in the
vSphere Web Client
You can customize Windows guest operating systems for the virtual machine when you deploy a new
virtual machine from a template or clone an existing virtual machine. Customizing the guest helps prevent
conflicts that can result if virtual machines with identical settings are deployed, such as duplicate
computer names.
You can prevent Windows from assigning new virtual machines or templates with the same Security IDs
(SIDs) as the original virtual machine. Duplicate SIDs do not cause problems when the computers are
part of a domain and only domain user accounts are used. However, if the computers are part of a
Workgroup or local user accounts are used, duplicate SIDs can compromise file access controls. For
more information, see the documentation for your Microsoft Windows operating system.
Important 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
starts the first time after customization.
Prerequisites
n
Verify that all requirements for customization are met. See Guest Operating System Customization
Requirements.
n
start the Guest Customization wizard when you clone a virtual machine or deploy one from a
template.
Procedure
1 Start the New VM Guest Customization Spec wizard from the Clone Existing Virtual Machine
wizard or the Deploy From Template wizard.
a Follow the prompts until you reach the Select clone options page.
b On the Select clone options page, select the Customize the operating system check box and
click Next.
c On the Customize guest OS page, click the Create a new specification icon ( ).
2 On the Specify Properties page, enter a customization specification name and, optionally, a
description.
3 On the Set Registration Information page, type the name and the organization of the virtual machine
owner and click Next.
vSphere Virtual Machine Administration
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