Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Deploy new VMs from a template.
By combining templates and cloning, VMware vSphere
administrators have a powerful way to standardize the coni guration of VMs being deployed,
protect the master images from accidental change, and reduce the amount of time it takes to
provision new guest OS instances.
Master It
Another VMware vSphere administrator in your environment starts the wiz-
ard for deploying a new VM from a template. He has a customization specii cation he'd
like to use, but there is one setting in the specii cation he wants to change. Does he have
to create an all-new customization specii cation?
Deploy a VM from an OVF template.
Open Virtualization Format (OVF, formerly Open
Virtual Machine Format) templates provide a mechanism for moving templates or VMs
between different instances of vCenter Server or even entirely different and separate instal-
lations of VMware vSphere. OVF templates combine the structural dei nition of a VM along
with the data in the VM's virtual hard disk and can exist either as a folder of i les or as a
single i le. Because OVF templates include the VM's virtual hard disk, OVF templates can
contain an installation of a guest OS and are often used by software developers as a way of
delivering their software preinstalled into a guest OS inside a VM.
Master It
A vendor has given you a Zip i le that contains a VM they are calling a
virtual
appliance. Upon looking inside the Zip i le, you see several VMDK i les and a VMX i le.
Will you be able to use vCenter Server's Deploy OVF Template functionality to import
this VM? If not, how can you get this VM into your infrastructure?
Export a VM as an OVF template.
To assist in the transport of VMs between VMware
vSphere installations, you can use vCenter Server to export a VM as an OVF template. The
OVF template will include the coni guration of the VM as well as the data found in the VM.
Master It
You are preparing to export a VM to an OVF template. You want to ensure
that the OVF template is easy and simple to transport via a USB key or portable hard
drive. Which format is most appropriate, OVF or OVA? Why?
Work with vApps.
vSphere vApps leverage OVF as a way to combine multiple VMs into a
single administrative unit. When the vApp is powered on, all VMs in it are powered on, in
a sequence specii ed by the administrator. The same goes for shutting down a vApp. vApps
also act a bit like resource pools for the VMs contained within them.
Master It
Name two ways to add VMs to a vApp.
