6.7

4 (Optional) In the Default VM Settings pane, configure the default startup and shutdown behavior for
all virtual machines on the host.
Setting Description
Startup Delay After you start the ESXi host, it starts powering on the virtual machines that are
configured for automatic startup. After the ESXi host powers on the first virtual
machine, the host waits for the specified delay time and then powers on the next
virtual machine. The virtual machines are powered on in the startup order
specified in the Per-VM Overrides pane.
Continue immediately if VMware Tools
starts
Shortens the startup delay of the virtual machine. If VMware Tools starts before
the specified delay time passes, the ESXi host powers on the next virtual machine
without waiting for the delay time to pass.
Shutdown delay When you power off the ESXi host, it starts powering off the virtual machines that
run on it. The order in which virtual machines are powered off is the reverse of
their startup order. After the ESXi host powers off the first virtual machine, the
host waits for the specified shutdown delay time and then powers off the next
virtual machine. The ESXi host shuts down only after all virtual machines are
powered off.
Shutdown action Select a shutdown action that is applicable to the virtual machines on the host
when the host shuts down.
n
Guest Shutdown
n
Power Off
n
Suspend
n
None
5 (Optional) You can also configure the startup order and behavior for individual virtual machines.
Use this option when you need the delay of the virtual machine to be different from the default delay
for all machines. The settings that you configure for individual virtual machines override the default
settings for all machines.
a To configure the startup order of virtual machines, select a virtual machine from the Manual
Startup category and use the up arrow to move it up to the Automatic category.
Use the up and down arrows to change the startup order for virtual machines in the Automatic
and Manual categories. During shutdown, the virtual machines shut down in the reverse order.
b To configure the startup and shutdown behavior of virtual machines, select a virtual machine and
click the Edit icon.
c In the Virtual Machine Startup/Shutdown settings dialog box, configure the startup behavior of
the virtual machine.
You can decide to use the default startup delay or you can specify a new one. If you select
Continue if VMware Tools starts, the ESXi host powers on the next virtual machine without
waiting for the delay to pass.
vSphere Virtual Machine Administration
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