Using ESXi 5.5 to create "Golden Master" Windows 8.1 template VM with ease-of-use tweaks for your lab
In this article with video walk through, you'll learn exactly how to create a Windows 8.1 Profession 64 bit template, using an ESXi 5.5 Virtual Machine Version 10. The ginormous 8TB size for the C: drive in the VM shows off the vSphere 5.5-only features, including the VM's EFI BIOS setting to allow booting from a drive >3TB in size. Why did I chose 8TB, instead of the maximum 62TB I demonstrated last month in Wow, is that a 62TB drive in my home lab? Well, I figure you might want to migrate to VMware Workstation 10 at some point. So this size is a good compromise that allows ample long-term growth, without the hassle of resizing that C: drive. Remember, you can always Storage vMotion this to a larger hard drive someday, should you find the SSD you typically start out on simply too cramped. Keep and eye on that free space, or you'll fill that SSD up 100%, which degrades its performance, at least until a secure wipe can be done.
Over time, I will revise and enhance the details of the procedure, to improve your ability to follow along without watching the entire video, with step-by-step screenshots.
But for experienced Windows sysadmins, this short list will be more than enough to give you the gist of what's accomplished in this very detailed video. It'll give you some ideas about how you might want to create your Windows 8 VMs in your ESXi 5.5 lab, and how to deploy VMs from such templates in 2-3 minutes using SSDs, which is a pretty fantastic experience. The only minor gotcha is that the vSphere Web Client doesn't believe VMware Tools is running on Windows 8.1, but it is, and works just fine, so this can apparently safely be ignored.
This lab VM allows very rapid reboot with no password prompts and will automatically shows your desktop, not the default Metro/Modern UI. And your desktop will show your Windows version, even after activation. Helps reduce OS confusion, if you use Remote Desktop Connection to connect, for example.
This lab assumes:
- you've already built an vSphere 5.5 lab, if not, worry not, step-by-step instructions for that lab creation are at Build your own VMware vSphere 5.5 Datacenter with ESXi and VCSA
- you've already download en_windows_8_1_x64_dvd_2707217.iso from TechNet/MSDN
- you've already uploaded that ISO to an ESXi VMFS datastore, nicely described here.
Steps to build the Golden Master Windows 8.1 VM:
- using vSphere Web Client logged into vCenter, create a VM named something like
TEMPLATE-Windows 8.1 Pro 2707217
choose Guest OS Version "Microsoft Windows 8 (64-bit),
and an 8TB thin-provisioned C: drive, VMXnet3 for NIC, add xHCI USB controller, and CD/DVD Drive, Datastore ISO File, 'Connect At Power On' checkbox on, pointing to:
en_windows_8_1_x64_dvd_2707217.iso - 'VM Options' tab, 'Boot Options' section, 'EFI' drop down choice instead of BIOS
- choose 'Windows 8.1 (multiple editions) (x64) - DVD (English)'
- click 'Send Ctrl+Alt+Delete' button at top-right of vSphere Web Client to get it to boot from CD/DVD, then hit space bar
- click Next, 'Install Now'
- 'Enter the product key to activate Windows'
I have found that 'Windows 8.1 Pro VL (x64) - DVD (English)' to be more problematic in a home lab, even if you have the valid license keys form MSDN. It stops you in your tracks as it looks for an enterprise server to serve up the activation keys. - Power up the VM, watch the console, doing normal install, typing local login credentials
- name the VM "windows81provm0"
- install VMware tools (choosing 'Typical', reason explained here)
- say Yes to Local Network prompt, so it becomes a local Private network automatically
- turn of NTP sync in Windows tray and set timezone
- set sync to tools in VM Settings
- configure autologin by pressing Win+R and typing netplwiz.exe
- set 1440x900 resolution to fit console comfortably on 1920x1080 monitor
- REBOOT
- make metro Desktop icon big at bottom left
- show all icons
- turn off screensaver by Win+W, 'Edit Power Plan'
- turn off power off of screens
- disable "Require a Password on Wake-up"
- turn on Remote Desktop
- turn of CD/DVD drive 1 "Connected" checkbox and change to "Client Device"
- run regedit to show your Windows version on desktop
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\PaintDesktopVersion - turn off automatic updates
- Microsoft update other products
- add poweroff.exe shortcut
- shutdown
- convert to Template
- deploy from template, name it "windows81provm1"
- change the computer name of the new VM, turn on Windows Updates, you're done!
All Comments on This Article (4)
Hello Paul, I have 3 questions.
1. Can i use the template like a (or is it a) iso image? i need to install Win 8 in many computers and as i read in another of your comments this method has its own sysprep
2. Is this method compatible with windows 7 and windows 10?
3. Do you have a video like this but more recent?
I haven't had that issue, but see the "vCenter" section of this article, it may help:
http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1004129&src=vmw_so_vex_pbrar_70
to go into the UEFI and change the boot order to ISO first temporarily. Let us know how it goes!
"Connect to vCenter Server/VirtualCenter using the VMware Infrastructure/vSphere Client.
Right-click on the virtual machine you want to edit in the Inventory view.
Click Edit Settings > Options > Boot Options.
Set the Power-on Boot Delay or select Force BIOS Setup."
Hello Paul, I have been wathching and receiving your video's and emais. I appreciete what you do. Thank you!
When I was followin the above Video to create a Golden Master, I came the this part....
click ‘Send Ctrl+Alt+Delete’ button at top-right of vSphere Web Client to get it to boot from CD/DVD, then hit space bar
That is where I am stuck. It seems that after reboot, clicking in back in the Win8 screen, when hitting spacebar, it will not go to boot from the iso in the DataStore. I have tried many times without success. I was wondering, have you had seen this issue before?
Thanks, Pat
Paul Braren | TinkerTry.com
1. A VMware template is really just a VM that is marked as one you can't power up, it can only be used to deploy from (which really means clone it to a new VM that can be powered up).
2. Sure
3. I do not, unfortunately, but not too much has changed as far as the basics of the process that I show here, and there are now articles at VMware:
https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/2100150
https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-vSphere/6.5/com.vmware.vsphere.vm_admin.doc/GUID-AC1545F0-F8BA-4CD2-96EB-21B3DFAA1DC1.html
and a different template that is a bit more complicated than it needs to be for home labs (non-enterprise)
http://techhead.co/10-basic-things-to-do-when-creating-a-microsoft-server-gold-build-for-use-on-vmware-esx-template/
Hope this helps?