Templating VMs

How to Template VMs on ESXi

Make the template:

1. Build a virtual machine with your OS of choice.
2. Enable ssh into the ESX host
3. ssh into the host
4. Go into the datastore in which you created your VM
5. Make a copy of the VM you just built

1. Go into the datastore you are going to keep your new VM.
2. Make a new directory – I always call it the same as the short name of the VM I am creating
3. Copy only the .vmdk files into the new directory you’ve created.
4. Logout, and fire up the Virtual Infrastructure Client, and create a new VM as you normally would.
5. When it asks about the disk, choose “Use an existing disk,” and select the copy of the vmdk.

Source