Course Content
VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, Manage Content
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Course Introduction
Introduction to vSphere and the Software Defined Data Center
As a vSphere administrator, you must be familiar with the components on which vSphere is based. You must also understand the following concepts: Virtualization, the role of the ESXi hypervisor in virtualization and virtual machines Fundamental vSphere components and the use of vSphere in the software-defined data center Use of vSphere clients to administer and manage vSphere environments
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Overview of vSphere and Virtual Machines
vSphere Virtualization of Resources
vSphere User Interfaces
Overview of ESXi
Virtual Machines
You can create a virtual machine in several ways. Choosing the correct method can save you time and make the deployment process manageable and scalable.
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Creating Virtual Machines
Virtual Machine Hardware Deep Dive
Introduction to Containers
vCenter Server
vCenter Server helps you centrally manage multiple ESXi hosts and their virtual machines. If you do not properly deploy, configure, and manage vCenter Server Appliance, your environment might experience reduced administrative efficiency or ESXi host and virtual machine downtime.
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Centralized Management with vCenter Server
Deploying vCenter Server Appliance
vSphere Licensing
Managing the vCenter Server Inventory
vCenter Server Roles and Permissions
Monitoring vCenter Server Appliance
Backing Up and Restoring vCenter Server Appliance
vCenter Server High Availability
Configuring and Managing Virtual Networks
When you configure ESXi networking properly, virtual machines can communicate with other virtual, and physical, machines. In this way, remote host management and IP-based storage operate effectively.
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Introduction to vSphere Standard Switches
Configuring Standard Switch Policies
Configuring and Managing Virtual Storage
Understanding the available storage options helps you set up your storage according to your cost, performance, and manageability requirements. You can use shared storage for disaster recovery, high availability, and moving virtual machines between hosts.
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vSphere Storage Concepts
Fibre Channel Storage
iSCSI Storage
VMFS Datastores
NFS Datastores
vSAN Datastores
Virtual Machine Management
Virtual machines are the foundation of your virtual infrastructure. Managing VMs effectively requires skills in creating templates and clones, modifying VMs, migrating VMs, taking snapshots, and protecting the VMs through replication and backups.
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Creating Templates and Clones
Working with Content Libraries
Modifying Virtual Machines
Migrating VMs with vSphere vMotion
Enhanced vMotion Compatibility
Migrating VMs with vSphere Storage vMotion
Creating Virtual Machine Snapshots
vSphere Replication and Backup
Resource Management and Monitoring
Although the VMkernel works proactively to avoid resource contention, maximizing performance requires both analysis and ongoing monitoring. Developing skills in resource management, you can dynamically reallocate resources so that you can use available capacity more efficiently.
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Virtual CPU and Memory Concepts
vSphere Resource Controls
vSphere Resource Monitoring Tools
Monitoring Resource Use in vSphere
Using Alarms in vSphere
vSphere Clusters
Most organizations rely on computer-based services like email, databases, and web-based applications. The failure of any of these services can mean lost productivity and revenue. By understanding and using vSphere HA, you can configure highly available, computer-based services, which are important for an organization to remain competitive in contemporary business environments. And by developing skills in using vSphere DRS, you can improve service levels by guaranteeing appropriate resources to virtual machines.
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vSphere Clusters Overview
vSphere DRS
Introduction to vSphere HA
vSphere HA Architecture
Configuring vSphere HA
Introduction to vSphere Fault Tolerance
vSphere Lifecycle Management
Managing the life cycle of vSphere involves keeping vCenter Server and ESXi hosts up to date and integrated with other VMware and third-party solutions. To achieve these goals, you must understand how to use the new features provided by vSphere Lifecycle Manager, namely, clusterlevel management of ESXi hosts and the vCenter Server Update Planner.
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vCenter Server Update Planner
Overview of vSphere Lifecycle Manager
Working with Baselines
Working with Images
Managing the Life Cycle of VMware Tools and VM Hardware
VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, Manage
About Lesson

Creating Templates and Clones

Learner Objectives

After completing this lesson, you should be able to meet the following objectives:

  • Create a template of a virtual machine
  • Deploy a virtual machine from a template
  • Clone a virtual machine
  • Create customization specifications for guest operating systems

About Templates

A template is a master copy of a virtual machine. You use templates to create and provision new VMs.

 

A template typically includes:

  • A guest operating system
  • One or more applications
  • A specific VM configuration
  • VMware Tools

Creating a Template: Clone VM to Template

You can create templates using different methods. One method is to clone the VM to a template. The VM can be powered on or off.

Creating a Template: Convert VM to Template

You can create a template by converting a VM to a template. In this case, the VM must be powered off.

Creating a Template: Clone a Template

You can create a template from an existing template, or clone a template.

Updating Templates

You update a template to include new patches, make system changes, and install new applications.

To update a template:

  1. Convert the template to a VM.
  2. Place the VM on an isolated network to prevent user access.
  3. Make appropriate changes to the VM.
  4. Convert the VM to a template.

Deploying VMs from a Template

To deploy a VM, you must provide information such as the VM name, inventory location, host, datastore, and guest operating system customization data.

Cloning Virtual Machines

Cloning a VM creates a VM that is an exact copy of the original:

  • Cloning is an alternative to deploying a VM.
  • During cloning, the VM can be powered on or off.

Creating Templates and Clones

Guest Operating System Customization

You customize the guest operating system to make VMs, created from the same template or clone, unique.   By customizing a guest operating system, you can change information, including the following details:

  • Computer name
  • Network settings
  • License settings
  • Windows Security Identifier

About Customization Specifications

You can create a customization specification to prepare the guest operating system:

  • Specifications are stored in the vCenter Server database.
  • Windows and Linux guests are supported.

Customizing the Guest Operating System

When cloning a VM or deploying a VM from a template, you can use a customization specification to prepare the guest operating system.

About Instant Clones

Creating Templates and Clones You can use Instant Clone Technology to create a powered-on VM from the running state of another powered-on VM:

  • The processor state, virtual device state, memory state, and disk state of the destination (child) VM are identical to the states of the source (parent) VM.
  • Snapshot-based disk sharing is used to provide storage efficiency and to improve the speed of the cloning process.

Use Cases for Instant Clones

Instant clone VMs have various uses:

  • Virtual desktop infrastructure
  • Rapid scale-out: Container hosts, big data, and Hadoop worker nodes
  • DevTest: Quickly and efficiently replicate VMs and test beds with the same running state
  • DevOps: Replicate VMs from staging to production, and the converse, with the identical running state

In vSphere 6.7 and later, you can create instant clones of VMs only through API calls. In vSphere 7, instant clone guest customization is supported (Linux only).

Review of Learner Objectives

After completing this Creating Templates and Clones lesson, you should be able to meet the following objectives:

  • Create a template of a virtual machine
  • Deploy a virtual machine from a template
  • Clone a virtual machine
  • Create customization specifications for guest operating systems
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