Virtual Machine Customization - absentee-neptune/SYS-350 GitHub Wiki

Sysprepping a Windows Server 2019 VM

  • Select the Virtual Machine tab on the side
  • Select Create/Register VM
    • Leave the default selection then press Next
    • Select a name and guest OS
      • Name the new VM windowsServer-temp
      • Switch the Compatability to ESXi 6.5
      • Select Windows for the Guest OS family
      • Select Windows Server 2016 or later (64-bit) for the Guest OS version
      • Press Next
    • Select datastore2-super8 as the Storage, then press Next
    • Customize the Settings to match this:

      Make sure to change the Disk Provisioning for the Hard Disks to Thin Provisioning
      and Select Windows Server for the Datastore ISO file

    • Review the configurations then press Finish
  • Start the VM
  • Go through the standard installation, then navigate to the command prompt
  • When in the sconfig terminal, do the following in order:
    • Change the timezone to Eastern Standard Time
    • Change the Update Settings to Manual
    • Download and Install ALL updates until there are no more
    • Install VMware Tools
  • Exit the Command Terminal and Shutdown the VM

Converting and Prepping a Template

  • In the vCenter UI, right-click on the new VM and go to the Template menu, and press Convert to Template
  • Navigate to the Policies and Profiles page
  • In the VM Customizations Specifications menu, press new
    • Enter the name of the specification
    • Make sure a new SID is generated with every deployment
    • Enter Owner Name and Organization
    • Set the Computer Name to be entered during deployment
    • Enter an administrator password
    • Set the timezone to the appropriate one
    • Set the Network Settings so that the IP Address and Gateway is asked to be set during deployment
    • Enter the DNS Server
    • Set it so that the target guest OS automatically connects to the appropriate domain
    • Then press Finish

Using a VM Customization Specification with a Template

When deploying a VM using a template, when customizing the settings select the Customize the operating system checkbox. Then navigate to the appropriate specification file and select it. It will then prompt the user to add any information the was set to be so during spec creation. The target guest OS will restart once or twice to enable the settings from the spec file.

Milestone Completion

Milestone Demonstration

VM Customization Spec file

Reflection