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Is it possible to create a VM Template on ESXi? I installed a Linux server on ESXi and I want to use this as a template.

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4 Answers

up vote 3 down vote

On ESXi? Yes.

On a standalone, free-license ESXi device? No. You need vSphere Server (nee Virtual Center) to create templates.

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It isn´t a free Version, we have installed a "vSphere 4 Essentials" with a valid license. Why it dosn´t work? – Marcus May 4 '11 at 19:41
What exactly have you been trying up to now? – joschi May 4 '11 at 19:46
@Marcus Are you connecting directly to the device, or through a vCenter server? The option should be available when connected to vCenter. – Shane Madden May 4 '11 at 20:30
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up vote 2 down vote

Yes and it is simple and you can do it even without vCenter. Open vSphere Client, select your VM (it has to be powered off), go to File->Export->Export OVF Template... and save it to your local drive. When you ready to create VM from it just do it through File->Deploy OVF Template.

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up vote 1 down vote

On the free ESXi you can enable Tech Support Mode and then once that is enabled you can connect to the host via SSH and use:

vmkfstools -i source.vmdk dest.vmdk -d thin

Then you can create a new VM using the file just created as an "Existing Disk".

It's not as convenient as as a Template, but it's better than nothing...

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up vote 0 down vote

Yes you can.

In Virutal Center right click on the Virtual Machine and select Template -> Convert to Template.

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That´s the Point, there isn´t "Teamplate" Option. I use vSphere 4.1 Client to access the VMs. – Marcus May 4 '11 at 17:58
This assumes that you have a vCenter server. This isn't available without a vCenter server. – mrdenny♦ May 4 '11 at 19:05
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The question was asked with absolutely no additional information or context. Better questions typically result in better answers :-) – Richard West May 4 '11 at 19:20
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