Use > Virtualization management > Virtual machine and VM template tasks > Deploy a VM from a VM template - vCenter

Deploy a VM from a VM template - vCenter

This section describes how to deploy a VM from a VM template. You can also create and provision a VM or clone a VM from another VM (see Create and provision a VM - vCenter and Clone a VM - vCenter ).

Use an agent-managed template.

  1. In the SA Client, select the Virtualization tab to display your virtualization inventory.
  2. Navigate to the VM template.

  3. Select the VM template and right-click or select the Actions menu. Select Deploy VM to display the Deploy VM from VM Template window (see the following figure).

  1. Virtual Machine Definition: Enter the following information, then select Next.
    • The VM name.
    • Select a customer to assign the VM to. You can select the customer; the default option is the customer assigned to the template.

      The defaults for customer, inventory location, host, resource pool, and storage location are the same as the source.

    • Verify or change the location in the virtualization inventory where you want to place the new VM.
  2. Host: Navigate to and select the server that you want to host the VM. Verify that the host is compatible, then select Next.
  3. Resource Pool: If the host or cluster has resource pools defined, navigate to and select the resource pool where you want to place the new VM. Examine the Compatibility Details to make sure the resource pool can support the new VM, then select Next.
  4. Storage Location: Select the datastore in which to store the VM configuration file and the VM disk files.
    • Use the drop-down list to select a virtual disk format.
      • In Basic mode, select the datastore where all the VM related files will go (the VM configuration file and the VM disk files).
      • In Advanced mode, you can select different datastores for the VM configuration file and for each of the VM disk files. Select the VM configuration file or any disk, then select the datastore from the drop-down list of available datastores.

    Verify that the specified storage location is compatible with the VM you are creating, then select Next.

  5. Guest Customization: Guest customization is strongly recommended so that your new VM does not have any network conflicts with the source VM and to ensure SA agent connectivity. Guest customization is available on agent-managed VMs and templates.

    Guest customization can be used on the following platforms:
    - CentOS 5.8 and above
    - Microsoft Windows Server 2008 (32-bit)
    - Microsoft Windows Server 2008 (64-bit)
    - Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 (64-bit)
    - Microsoft Windows Server 2012 (64-bit)
    - Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 (64-bit)
    - Microsoft Windows 7 (64-bit)
    - Microsoft Windows 8.1 (64-bit)
    - Oracle Enterprise Linux 5.8 and above
    - Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 and above
    - SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 11
    - Ubuntu Linux Server 12.04
    - Ubuntu Linux Server 12.04 x86_64

    For Microsoft Windows Server 2008 (64-bit), Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 (64-bit), and Microsoft Windows 7 (64-bit), use only source VMs with IPv4 DHCP or autoconfiguration IPv6 when cloning to a target that will have an IPv6 autoconfiguration address (DHCPv6).

    Do the following to guest-customize the new VM:

    On Windows:

    • From the drop-down list, select the IP version to be used to configure the VM.

      Depending on the OS you select, you can use IPv4 only; IPv4 and IPv4/IPv6 dualstack; or IPv4, IPv6, and IPv4/IPv6 dual-stack.

      • For IPv4, you can select DHCP to configure your network using your SA DHCP-enabled environment, or choose Static to configure your network settings manually. For more information about an SA DHCP-enabled environment, see the "Provisioning" section in the SA 10.51 Administer section.

        • You can specify a static IP as the final network configuration for PXE-boot, although DHCP must be enabled for you to PXE-boot.
        • For static IP, you are required to enter the IP address, subnet mask, default gateway, and DNS server.
      • For IPv6:

        • With Autoconfig - You can optionally specify one or more IPv6 address, the default gateway, the DNS server, the host name, and the domain.

        • Without Autoconfig - You are required to enter a IPv6 address and the host name. Optionally, you can specify the default gateway, the DNS server, and the domain.
          • When an IPv6 address is specified, the default prefix (64) is added at the end of the address, provided that no other valid prefix (an integer between 1 and 128) has been given.
      • For IPv4/IPv6 dual-stack configuration - Configure both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses as described.
    • Enter the Computer Name for the new VM.
    • Use the source volume license key, or optionally enter the product key as XXXXX–XXXXX–XXXXX– XXXXX–XXXXX, in which each X represents a letter or number.
    • Set the Administrator Password.
    • Select Network Membership for the new VM.
      • If you select Workgroup, enter the Workgroup name for the new VM.
      • If you select Windows Server Domain, enter the domain. You must then enter your User Name and Password for that domain.

    • To add optional Customer Attributes, press the Configuration button (see the following figure):

    Note: Determine which drive the system partition is using. If the Source Windows VM has more than one partition (for example, a “Reserved Partition,” which default Windows installations have), you must set a custom attribute called “SystemPartition” on the source to specify the partition in which the system files reside. For example, if you have two partitions (Reserved and OS), set the “SystemPartition” drive custom attribute to D.

    On Linux:

    • Select the desired IP Version for the VM from the drop-down list. Depending on the platform there are one, two or three options available (IPv4 only, IPv4 and DualStack or IPv4, IPv6 and DualStack).

      • For IPv4, you can select DHCP to configure your network using your SA DHCP-enabled environment, or choose Static to configure your network settings manually. For more information about an SA DHCP-enabled environment, see the "Provisioning" section in the SA 10.51 Administer section..

        • You can specify a Static IP as the final network configuration for PXE boot, although DHCP must be enabled for you to PXE boot.

        • For static IP, you are required to enter the IP address, subnet mask, default gateway, and DNS server.

      • For IPv6:

        • With Autoconfig - Optionally specify one or more IPv6 address, the default gateway, the DNS server, the host name and the domain.

        • Without Autoconfig - You are required to enter a IPv6 address and the host name. Optionally, you can specify the default gateway, the DNS server, and the domain.
          • When an IPv6 address is specified, the default prefix (64) is added at the end of the address, provided that no other valid prefix (an integer between 1 and 128) has been given.
      • For IPv4/IPv6 dual-stack configuration - Configure both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses as described.
    • Enter the Host Name and Domain for the new VM.

    • Optionally set custom attributes for the new VM (see the following figure):

  6. Preview: Verify the information about the VM to be deployed. Use the Back button or select a previous step to make changes, the select Next.

  7. Scheduling: Select when you want the deploy VM job to run, then select Next.

  8. Notifications: Optionally enter a notifier, then select Next.

  9. Job Status: Select the Start Job or Schedule Job button. This runs the job or schedules it to be run in the future and displays the Job ID number in the window banner. You can use the Job ID number to look up the job under the Jobs and Sessions tab.

    When the job runs, it deploys the VM and displays the results. Once the VM is deployed, you will see it in the virtualization inventory of the VS in the SA Client and All Managed Servers.

Send Help Center feedback