Setting a registry key in Windows guests

[MariusRoma]

Given a group of Windows guest VMs hosted by an ESXi 5.0 host (member of a vSphere 5 infrastructure) is there any tool (command o other tool) to sforce the value of a registry key in all the guests VMs without having to logon to each Windows guest and set the registry key using regedit?

Regards

marius

[JimKnopf99]

yes there is.

Are you using a window 2008 domaincontroller?

Are you able to use gpo preferences?

That is one posibility.

Or you can use regedit and connect to that remote registry and set the regkey.

Frank

[rickardnobel]

Frank wrote:

Are you using a window 2008 domaincontroller?

Are you able to use gpo preferences?

An interesting fact is that you could use Group Policy Preferences even on Windows 2003 domain controllers, you only need a Windows Vista / 7 with the latest Group Policy editor to create the preferences and the 2003 DCs could then deliver them without knowing what is inside.

(For XP and 2003 servers that will recieve the preferences the GP Preference CSE will need to be installed.)

[JimKnopf99]

Yes, you only Need a w7 or a 2008 Server and the gpo extensions installed in your membran Servers

Frank

[VMmatty]

There is nothing that I'm aware of at the vSphere level that would do this.  You can probably use PowerCLI to script something.

As Frank already indicated a Group Policy Preference in Active Directory is likely the easiest and most consistent way to do this.  You could use system management tools like System Center Configuration Manager (or similar) to push the registry key out.  If you're dealing with desktops, you could put it into a login script also.

Matt

http://www.thelowercasew.com

[VTsukanov]

Additionally

Take a look Automating the New Integrated VIX/Guest Operations API in vSphere 5

You can use VMware guest API which :

on step 1 - upload cmd file with required commands (f.e. reg "HKLM\System\Current...") to drive c: for each guest

on step 2 - start this cmd file

on step 3 - delete this cmd file from guest OS

Of course you will need to install vmware tools

[William Lam]

Either leverage Windows based tools or you can use the VIX capablites in the vSphere 5 API as mentioned by VTsukanov