Creating Virtual Machines
In Virtual Machine Manager (VMM), you can create new virtual machines from any of the following sources:
- An existing Virtual Machine Manager–based virtual machine.
- An existing Virtual Machine Manager template designed specifically to be used to create new virtual machines.
- An existing virtual hard disk that is not blank.
- A blank virtual hard disk.
- An existing physical machine, which can be used as the source for a physical-to-physical conversion (P2V conversion).
- An existing virtual machine that is not a Virtual Machine Manager–based virtual machine (such as a virtual machine created in VMware®), which can be used as the source for a virtual-to-virtual machine conversion (V2V conversion).
For more information about each of these possible sources, see the "Requirements and Restrictions by Source" section in this topic.
Actions that Create New Virtual Machines
In the Virtual Machine Manager Administrator Console, you can use the following options in the Actions pane to open a wizard used to create virtual machines:
- New virtual machine. Available in the Actions pane in any view, this action opens the New Virtual Machine Wizard. You can use this wizard to create a new virtual machine from an existing virtual machine, template, or virtual hard disk stored in the library. You can also use this wizard to create a new virtual machine from a blank virtual hard disk. For details about how to run the New Virtual Machine Wizard, see How to Create a Virtual Machine.
- Clone virtual machine. Available in the Actions pane in Virtual Machines view when you click a specific virtual machine, this action opens the New Virtual Machine Wizard. This action skips the initial New Virtual Machine Wizard page, Select Source, because the source is automatically set to be the existing virtual machine that you selected in Virtual Machines view. For details about how to run the New Virtual Machine Wizard, see How to Create a Virtual Machine.
- Convert physical server. Available in the Actions pane in any view, this action opens the Convert Physical Server Wizard. You can use this wizard to perform physical-to-physical (P2V) conversions. For details about how to run the Convert Physical Server Wizard, see How to Convert a Physical Server to a Virtual Machine.
- Convert virtual machine. Available in the Actions pane in Library view, this action opens the Convert Virtual Machine Wizard. You can use this wizard to perform virtual-to-virtual (V2V) conversions. For details about how to run the Convert Virtual Machine Wizard, see How to Convert a Virtual Machine to a VMM Virtual Machine.
Requirements and Restrictions by Source
The following table lists the requirements and restrictions that vary by source when you create a virtual machine
| Source | Requirements | Restrictions |
|---|---|---|
VMM virtual machine |
If the existing virtual machine is currently deployed on a host, the virtual machine must be stopped. |
Guest operating system settings cannot be customized. |
Virtual machine template |
|
You can deploy a new virtual machine created from a template on a host, but you cannot store the new virtual machine in the library. |
Existing virtual hard disk |
None |
Guest operating system settings cannot be customized. |
Blank virtual hard disk |
None |
Guest operating system settings cannot be customized |
Physical server (P2V conversion) |
Windows Server 2003 SP1 or Windows Server 2003 R2 operating system |
Virtual machine has the same identity as the source computer. |
Virtual machine that is not a Virtual Machine Manager machine (V2V conversion) |
The files that constitute the virtual machine must be stored in the Virtual Machine Manager library. |
The current release of VMM can convert only VMware-based virtual machines. |
See Also
Concepts
About Virtual Machines
How to Convert a Virtual Machine to a VMM Virtual Machine
How to Create a Virtual Machine
Virtual Machines
Other Resources
How to Clone a Virtual Machine
How to Convert a Physical Server to a Virtual Machine