difference between clone, template, snapshort

[rajeshkongu]

Hi,

Any one help me what is the different between clone, template, snapshort. ?

for eg. in snapshort i was taken a snapshort and i changed vmx file conf and i revert back to previous state in this stage what will happen wheather the vmx conf changed to the old conf or will be in a current state.

Regards,

Karthick V

[Sree]

Hi ,

  Clone>  An exact copy of a VM at a specific moment in time, although this is usually performed on a powered off  VM (a clone of a running VM is called as snapshot :smileyhappy:

Snapshots should be used only for testing purpose !!! that too for 24-48 hours

VM Templates >A copy of pre-installed VMs containing all the software and configuration settings that would make the VM

work when deployed

Regard's

Sreejith.C

[dan13476]

Don't take snapshots of VMs & then change vmx file data.

If you just want to preserve old vmx settings, copy the vmx file somewhere else.

Snapshots just make sure that your base vmdk doesn't change by marking it read-only & placing all writes into a delta file.

Only use snapshots in patch/backup cycles, not for normal operation.

Templates are just write-protected vms. you can't modify them, you have to convert back to vm first.

Clone is a copy of a vm (or template)

Dan.

[Nikhil_Patwa]

Hi,

Templates are pre-configured VMs used for multiple deployments say you have to deploy W2K8 R2 Server 20 times in this case best would be to create a master copy of W2K8 R2 with all basic setups and create a template of it, thereafter use this template to deploy your 20 VMs. THe configuration file of a template VM will be *.vmtx and not *.vmx that way you can identify the VM in your datastore as template VM.

Clone is exact copy of your existing VM but it gives you option to change the name of your destination VM as well as the resouces.

Snapshot is an instance in time of a VM to preserve its state, snapshots are usually used for testing/development purposes as it allows you to revert back to previous state of VM. Snapshots create additional vmdk files as consumes disk space hence take snapshots with care and always delete the snapshots after completing your testings.

Hope this information is useful

Nikhil

[Ragunathd]

A clone is a copy of an existing virtual machine. The existing virtual machine is called the parent of the clone.Installing a guest operating system and applications can be time consuming. With clones, you can make many copies of a virtual machine from a single installation and configuration process.Clones are useful when you must deploy many identical virtual machines to a group.

A master image of a virtual machine. The template typically includes a specified operating system and a configuration that provides virtual counterparts to hardware components. Optionally, a template can include an installed guest operating system and a set of applications. Templates are used by vCenter Server to create new virtual machines.

A reproduction of the virtual machine just as it was when you took the snapshot, including the state of the data on all the virtual machine’s disks and the virtual machine’s power state (on, off, or suspended). You can take a snapshot when a virtual machine is powered on, powered off, or suspended

Note: After restoring the virtual machine from snapshot. It doesn't contain any changes in the VMX configuration file. It is restored to the original state.

Thanks & Regards,

Ragunath.D

[User7912]

I am new to this world of virtualization and I seeking for accurate answers  so forgive the simplicity of my questions if any.

This Being said, what happend to a clone server and his parent when both join the domain controller? Do they conflit at any stage or are they treat as two complete distinct nodes?

I am trying to have a test environment identical to the prod environment and so far it would seem that it is the riskiest thing to do besause active directory could  treat the two machines (The clone and its parent) as the same node even if I  rename the clone, affect a distinct IP adress to it . What is the truth about clone machines and their parent?

Thanks!

[mcasekar]

A clone is a copy of a virtual machine. A template is a master copy of a virtual machine that can be used to
create many clones.

When you clone a virtual machine, you create a copy of the entire virtual machine, including its settings, any
configured virtual devices, installed software, and other contents of the virtual machine's disks. You also have
the option to use guest operating system customization to change some of the properties of the clone, such as
the computer name and networking settings.

Cloning a virtual machine can save time if you are deploying many similar virtual machines. You can create,
configure, and install software on a single virtual machine, and then clone it multiple times, rather than creating
and configuring each virtual machine individually.

A template is a master copy of a virtual machine that can be used to create and provision virtual machines.
Templates cannot be powered on or edited, and are more difficult to alter than ordinary virtual machine. A
template offers a more secure way of preserving a virtual machine configuration that you want to deploy many
times.

A snapshot preserves the state and data of a virtual machine at a specific point in time.

• The state includes the virtual machine’s power state (for example, powered-on, powered-off, suspended).
  
• The data includes all of the files that make up the virtual machine. This includes disks, memory, and other devices, such as virtual network interface cards.