6.5.1

Table Of Contents
Customize the Guest Operating System
When you customize a guest operating system, you can prevent conflicts that might result if you deploy
virtual machines with identical settings, such as duplicate computer names. You can change the computer
name, network settings, and license settings. You can customize guest operating systems when you
clone a virtual machine or deploy a virtual machine from a template.
Prerequisites
To access customization options for Windows guest operating systems, Microsoft Sysprep tools must be
installed on the vCenter Server system. The Sysprep Tool is built into the Windows Vista and Windows
2008 and later operating systems. For details about this and other customization requirements, see Guest
Operating System Customization Requirements.
Procedure
1 Apply a customization specification to the virtual machine.
Option Description
Select an existing specification Select a customization specification from the list.
Create a specification Click the Create a new specification icon, and complete the steps in the wizard.
Create a specification from an existing
specification
a Select a customization specification from the list.
b Click the Create a spec from an existing spec icon, and complete the steps
in the wizard.
2 Click Next.
Enter Additional Customization Parameters for the Guest
Operating System
In the User Settings screen, you can enter the NetBIOS name and configure the network settings of the
virtual machine.
The User Settings screen appears when you apply a customization specification for which at least one of
the following conditions is true.
n
The option Enter a name in the Clone/Deploy wizard was selected during the creation of the
customization specification.
n
The option Prompt the user for an address when the specification is used was selected for IPv4
and IPv6 during the creation of the customization specification.
See Customize Windows During Cloning or Deployment and Customize Linux During Cloning or
Deployment.
Procedure
1 Enter a NetBIOS name for the computer.
2 Enter Network Adapter Settings for each network interface.
vSphere Virtual Machine Administration
VMware, Inc. 38