
Modifying Virtual Machines
Learner Objectives
After completing this lesson, you should be able to meet the following objectives:
- Describe virtual machine settings and options
- Add a hot-pluggable device
- Dynamically increase the size of a virtual disk
Modifying Virtual Machine Settings
You can modify a VM’s configuration by editing the VM’s settings:
- Add virtual hardware:
- You can add some hardware while the VM is powered on.
- Remove virtual hardware:
- You can remove some hardware only when the VM is powered off.
- Set VM options.
- Control a VM’s CPU and memory resources.
Hot-Pluggable Devices
With the hot plug option, you can add resources to a running VM. Examples of hot-pluggable devices:
- USB controllers
- Ethernet adapters
- Hard disk devices
With supported guest operating systems, you can also add CPU and memory while the VM is powered on.
Dynamically Increasing Virtual Disk Size
You can increase the size of a virtual disk that belongs to a powered-on VM.
Inflating Thin-Provisioned Disks
Thin-provisioned virtual disks can be converted to a thick, eager-zeroed format. To inflate a thin-provisioned disk:
- The VM must be powered off.
- Right-click the VM’s file with the .vmdk extension and select Inflate.
Or you can use vSphere Storage vMotion and select a thick-provisioned disk as the destination.
VM Options: General Settings
You can use the VM Options tab to modify properties such as the display name for the VM and the type of guest operating system that is installed.
VM Options: VMware Tools Settings
You can use the VMware Tools controls to customize the power buttons on the VM.
VM Options: VM Boot Settings
Occasionally, you might need to set the VM boot options.
Removing VMs
You can remove a VM in the following ways:
- Remove from the inventory:
- —The VM is unregistered from the ESXi host and vCenter Server.
- —The VM’s files remain on the disk.
- —The VM can later be registered (added) to the inventory.
- Delete from disk:
- —All VM files are permanently deleted from the datastore.
- —The VM is unregistered from the ESXi host and vCenter Server.
Review of Learner Objectives
After completing this Modifying Virtual Machines lesson, you should be able to meet the following objectives:
- Describe virtual machine settings and options
- Add a hot-pluggable device
- Dynamically increase the size of a virtual disk