Virtual Machines

Basic Virtual Machine Tasks

Start / Stop / Bounce a VM

1. Log into the Virtual Infrastructure - Management Access
2. Under the Inventory button, ensure Hosts and Clusters is ticked
3. Highlight the VM you want to affect
4. Either right-click or use the commands in the right hand pane to Power off, Power on, Reset as required

This is the same as using the Power or Reset buttons on the front of a physical server. It's possible to send Windows shut down etc commands to the VM; right click over the VM and select the appropriate Shut Down Guest, Restart Guest command. This tells VM Tools to attempt to perform the required action, obviously open applications etc can inhibit the successful shutdown of an OS.

Remote Console (KVM like) Access

If possible, its preferable to use normal remote access software (eg RDP, or VNC). This ensures that load caused by remote access is contained within the VM, rather than the ESX.

1. Log into the Virtual Infrastructure - Management Access
2. Under the Inventory button, ensure Hosts and Clusters is ticked
3. Highlight the VM you want and either right click Open Console or use the Open Console command in the right hand pane

CD-ROM Access

There are essentially two ways to present a CD-ROM image to a VM, using an ISO image is by far and away the most flexible. Even if you only have a physical CD and expect to use it once, its still recommended that you create an ISO image from the CD and use that instead. The alternative is to put the physical media into the ESX hosting the VM (use Host Device when adding the CD to the VM).

To present an ISO image to a VM

1. If its not already there, copy the ISO image to the Virtual Centre server's NFS share - \\uklonvcp1\NFS_Share
2. Log into the Virtual Infrastructure - Management Access
3. Under the Inventory button, ensure Hosts and Clusters is ticked
4. Highlight the VM you want to attach the ISO image to
5. Right-click and select Edit Settings...
6. Highlight the CD/DVD Drive, and select the Datastore ISO file
7. Hit Browse and go into the UKLONVCP1 NFSShare datastore
8. Select the required ISO file
9. Tick the Connected check box
10. Hit OK, the ISO will be attached to the VM's CDROM drive as if you'd inserted a CD into a physical drive

• Once you've finished using the ISO, go back into the VM's settings and untick the Connected check box
• To boot a VM to a CDROM ISO, check the "Connected at power on" checkbox and restart the VM's OS

To create an ISO image

You'll need to download an ISO creator, there are many freeware utilities available, however one that's tried and tested is ISORecorder. Generally you can create ISO images from both a physical CD, or just the contents of a folder (if you have ISORecorder installed, right-click over the disk or folder and select "Create ISO image")

Change Network Connection

In similar fashion to being able to swap over a network cable for a physical server, the network connection of a virtual machine can be changed on the fly

1. Log into the Virtual Infrastructure - Management Access
2. Under the Inventory button, ensure Hosts and Clusters is ticked
3. Highlight the VM you want to change the network connection on
4. Right-click and select Edit Settings...
5. Hightlight the appropriate Network Adapter, and select the new Network Connection
6. Change takes effect as soon as OK is hit

Add an Additional Network Connection

When adding additional network connections to any system you must consider network security, for example no system should ever be given access to both Private and Public networks.

1. Shut down the Application and OS of the virtual machine
2. Log into the Virtual Infrastructure - Management Access
3. Under the Inventory button, ensure Hosts and Clusters is ticked
4. Highlight the VM you want to add the network connection to
5. Right-click and select Edit Settings...
6. Hit the Add... button and select Ethernet Adapter, and hit Next
7. Select the appropriate network connection and hit Next, and then Finish
8. Power on the virtual machine

Change Physical Memory / CPU's Allocation

1. Shut down the Application and OS of the virtual machine
2. Log into the Virtual Infrastructure - Management Access
3. Under the Inventory button, ensure Hosts and Clusters is ticked
4. Highlight the VM you want to change the network connection on
5. Right-click and select Edit Settings...
6. Hightlight the appropriate setting, Memory or CPUs, and edit as required.
7. Apply the change by hitting OK
8. Power on the virtual machine

Troubleshooting

Can't Deploy VM

The VirtualCenter server is unable to decrypt passwords stored in the customization specification

• Bizarrely caused by the Virtual Centre running out of disk space, free up some space and all will be well.