10 VMware Template Best Practices

VMware templates are a great way to save time and ensure consistency when deploying new virtual machines. By creating a template from an existing VM, you can quickly deploy new VMs with the same configuration and settings.

However, there are some best practices to follow when creating and using VMware templates. In this article, we will discuss 10 of those best practices.

1. Use a template for all new VMs

When you create a new VM from scratch, you have to select and configure all of the settings for that VM. This includes things like the operating system, CPU, memory, networking, storage, etc.

However, when you use a template, all of those settings are already configured. All you have to do is select the template and specify any custom settings for that particular VM.

This saves a lot of time and effort, especially if you’re creating multiple VMs. It also ensures that all of your VMs are consistent and have the same configuration.

2. Create templates from the smallest VM possible

The smaller the VM, the less disk space it will consume. This is important because when you create a template, VMware creates a full copy of the VM’s disk. So if you have a 100GB VM, your template will consume 100GB of storage. But if you have a 10GB VM, your template will only consume 10GB.

The smaller the VM, the less time it will take to deploy. This is because the time it takes to deploy a VM from a template is directly proportional to the size of the VM. So if you have a 100GB VM, it will take longer to deploy than a 10GB VM.

The smaller the VM, the less CPU and memory it will consume. This is important because when you deploy a VM from a template, it will consume CPU and memory resources. So if you have a 100GB VM, it will consume more resources than a 10GB VM.

The smaller the VM, the less likely it is to have problems. This is because the larger the VM, the more complex it is, and the more likely it is to have problems. So if you have a 100GB VM, it is more likely to have problems than a 10GB VM.

3. Use thin provisioning on your virtual disks

When you create a new virtual machine, VMware allocates the entire disk space to the VM, even if you only use a small portion of it. With thin provisioning, on the other hand, VMware only allocates the disk space that is actually used by the VM.

This has several advantages. First, it saves storage space because you’re not allocating unnecessary disk space to VMs. Second, it can help improve performance because less disk space means less data that needs to be read and written. And third, it can help reduce wear and tear on your storage system because there is less data to be read and written.

So, if you’re not using thin provisioning on your virtual disks, you should start doing so as soon as possible. It’s one of the best practices for using VMware templates, and it can help you save storage space, improve performance, and reduce wear and tear on your storage system.

4. Keep templates in their own folder

When you have multiple templates, it can be difficult to keep track of which template is which. By keeping templates in their own folder, you can easily identify which template is which, and you can also more easily update and manage your templates.

Additionally, by keeping templates in their own folder, you can ensure that your templates are always up-to-date. When you make changes to a template, you can simply update the template in the folder, and all of your templates will be updated automatically.

5. Remove unnecessary hardware devices

When you create a new VM from a template, VMware automatically adds all of the hardware devices that were present in the original VM. This includes devices that are no longer needed, such as old network adapters or storage controllers.

Not only does this add clutter to the VM, it can also cause problems. For example, if an old network adapter is still present, it could cause networking issues. Or, if an old storage controller is still present, it could cause storage performance issues.

Therefore, it’s important to remove any unnecessary hardware devices before creating a template. That way, you can be sure that your VMs will have only the hardware they need, and nothing more.

6. Disable time synchronization with the host

When you create a new VM from a template, the guest OS will inherit the time settings of the host. This can cause problems because the guest OS might not be able to properly sync with an external NTP server. As a result, you might see issues like inaccurate log file timestamps or incorrect SSL certificate validation.

To avoid these problems, it’s best to disable time synchronization between the guest and host OS. You can do this by editing the VM’s settings and unchecking the “Synchronize guest time with host” option.

7. Don’t install VMware Tools

VMware Tools is a suite of utilities that enhances the performance of a virtual machine’s guest operating system and improves management of the VM. However, installing VMware Tools also modifies the guest operating system, which can cause problems when you try to create an identical clone or template from the original VM.

If you don’t install VMware Tools, the guest operating system will remain unmodified, making it much easier to create an identical clone or template. You can always install VMware Tools after cloning or templating the VM.

8. Set up automatic logins

If you’re using VMware templates in your environment, you know that one of the benefits is being able to quickly deploy new virtual machines (VMs) from a common starting point. But if you have to log in to each VM manually after it’s been deployed, that negates much of the time-saving value of using a template in the first place.

Fortunately, there is a way to automate the login process so that you don’t have to do it manually for each VM. By configuring the Windows Registry on your template VM, you can specify an account and password that will be used for automatic login. That way, when a new VM is deployed from the template, it will automatically log in to the specified account, saving you time and effort.

9. Make sure you have enough disk space to create a template

If you don’t have enough disk space to create a template, you’ll end up with a corrupted or incomplete template. This can cause all sorts of problems down the line when you try to use that template to deploy new virtual machines.

So, before you begin creating your template, make sure you have at least twice the amount of disk space that the template will require. This will give you plenty of room to work and will help ensure that your template is created successfully.

10. Set up an automated process to update templates

If you’re manually updating templates, there’s a good chance you’re not doing it as often as you should be. That means your templates are likely out of date, which can lead to problems when you try to deploy new virtual machines from them.

By automating the template update process, you can ensure that your templates are always up to date, and you don’t have to worry about forgetting to update them. There are a few different ways to do this, but one popular method is to use a tool like Ansible.

With Ansible, you can create a playbook that will automatically update your templates whenever there’s a new release of VMware vSphere. This way, you can rest assured that your templates are always up to date, and you don’t have to worry about manually updating them.