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Operating a virtual machine

This topic describes how to perform operations on the details page of a virtual machine.

Editing settings​

Modify settings of a virtual machine, such as name, number of CPU cores, number of cores per socket, and memory.

Before you begin​

Ensure that the virtual machine is powered off.

Procedure​

  1. On the virtual machine details page, click Edit Configuration.
  2. On the page that is displayed, you can change the Virtual Machine Name.
  3. In the Hardware Configuration area, you can change the Number of CPUs, Number of Cores Per Slot, and Memory. Note that the memory size must be a multiple of 4 MB between 4 MB and 24,560 GB.
  4. In the Network area, you can delete, modify, and add networks.
  5. In the Disk Information area, you can delete, modify, and add disks.

Migrating a virtual machine​

This operation allows you to move a virtual machine from one computing resource or storage location to another.

Procedure​

  1. On the virtual machine details page, click More actions and choose Migrate virtual machines.
  2. On the page that is displayed, select Target Cluster. All clusters under the current vCenter will be listed.
  3. Select Target Virtual Machine. All virtual machines under the selected cluster will be listed.
  4. Select Target Storage. All storage resources under the selected cluster will be listed.

Cloning a virtual machine​

This operation allows you to create a copy from the original virtual machine.

Before you begin​

To clone a virtual machine across vCenter server instances, it is recommended that the instances be configured in linked mode.

Procedure​

  1. On the virtual machine details page, click More actions and choose Clone a virtual machine.
  2. On the page that is displayed, specify New Virtual Machine Name.
  3. Select Target vCenter, and then choose the target vCenter server instance from the vCenter list.
  4. Select Target Cluster, and then choose the target cluster from the cluster list for the target vCenter server instance.
  5. Select Target Storage, and then choose the target storage you want to clone the virtual machine to from the storage list for the selected cluster.
  6. Configure Power On settings to indicate whether to power on the target virtual machine after cloning is complete.
  7. Click Save and the task begins.

Generating a snapshot​

A snapshot allows you to back up the current virtual machine, which can be used for quick recovery in case of system failures.

Powering on/off a virtual machine​

You can power on or off a virtual machine on the details page.

Suspending a virtual machine​

This operation allows you to suspend a running virtual machine while keeping it connected to the network. After you resume the suspended virtual machine, the machine continues to run at the same point of time when it was suspended.

Resetting a virtual machine​

This operation allows you to restart the operating system of a virtual machine. By doing this, the virtual machine will be powered off and then powered on again.