So under Virtual Server, something I did and liked doing was using differencing disks. I would build a base image, say BASE_LHRC1 and then I would build multiple machines from that one disk via differencing disks. I am not seeing the option to build any type of differencing disks in VMWARE Server 1.0.0. Am I just missing it? Hopefully?
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As I know VMware Server only allows you to create ONE snapshot. It does not allow to create clones (linked or full). However, VMware Workstation (not free) allows to create full and linked clones and allows multiple snaphots.
I think that is the difference between:
to pay or not to pay
jorge
It’s a shame. There’s features in all four products that I like, but none of them have all of these features. For example, I love the drag ‘n’ drop feature in VPC -nice and easy to get command line apps and MSIs into my local dev env.
Then there’s the issue that you had and blogged about (that bit me yesterday and the day before -what a waste of two nights) – VMWare Workstation and Server handle Longhorn Beta 2 a lot better than VPC. VPC would die, with just one LH server with 768 MB of RAM. VMW is running two simultaneously with less RAM. Also, I installed two LH servers in VMW faster than one in VPC!
Differencing disks rock mind. I’ll have to nose at VMWare Workstation’s options for the same kind of functionality. Remember VMWare gave us [MVPs] free licenses of 5 a while back. I’ve since upgraded to 5.5.2 or something for free with that license.
Whilst I cannot help with differencing, I can at least provide a (manual) method for creating a clone in case anybody needs it.
It’s a case of
1) Create a new folder
2) Copy the vmdk files from the existing machine to the new folder
3) Rename the disks using the following command
“C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Server\vmware-vdiskmanager” -n oldname.vmdk newname.vmdk
and then creating a new “custom” VM which points at the existing disks.
Of course, it’s wise to sysprep before copying the disk, but then you all knew that 🙂
Paul, Mike
are you saying VMware does not support “drag-and-drop” from the host to the guest? It does support that. I use it a lot!
differencing disks in VMware…is I’m not mistaken that us called a linked clone in vmware terms.
Linked clones are delta VMs based upon a full VM.
For example, you install w2k3 server, then you create a linked clone of it, use newsid and after that promote to DC. You repeat the last for evry other linked clone.
Besides that vmware suppoprt multiples snapshots, which is really cool when testing
jorge
Jorge:
I can’t find any support for linked disks in VMWARE Server 1.0.0 at all.
joe,
see the first post at the top…;-)
jorge