20070430 cloning a vmware guest on the free vmware server - plembo/onemoretech GitHub Wiki

title: Cloning a VMWare Guest on the free VMWare Server link: https://onemoretech.wordpress.com/2007/04/30/cloning-a-vmware-guest-on-the-free-vmware-server/ author: lembobro description: post_id: 720 created: 2007/04/30 14:51:00 created_gmt: 2007/04/30 14:51:00 comment_status: open post_name: cloning-a-vmware-guest-on-the-free-vmware-server status: publish post_type: post

Cloning a VMWare Guest on the free VMWare Server

The free VMWare Server, unlike it’s heavyweight cousin, VMWare Infrastructure Suite, doesn’t include a facility for cloning guests. A copy guest function does exist in the nonfree VMWare Workstation, but this has been left out of all the free products. For those of us who began working with VMWare before even the fee-based products had this feature, the following simple method continues to work:

Create a new folder, named for the new copy;
Copy the files from the original guest into this folder;
Remove any .WRITELOCK files in the new folder, and rename the .vmx file for the new vm guest;
Run the following command to rename the disk folders in the new folder:

vmware-vdiskmanager -n [OLDVMNAME].vmdk [NEWVMNAME].vmdk

Edit the new .vmx file and change the value for “scsi0:0.fileName” to reflect the NEWVMNAME, you might also want to conform the value for “displayName” to match the new name;
Go out and enjoy a cup of coffee with the time you just saved.

That’s it!