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Customize a VMware Image

This tutorial explains how to customize a VMware virtual machine image (VMI) provided by the Marketplace to create your own reusable templates.

General Principle​

The Marketplace provides generic operating systems (OS). Deploying from the Marketplace gives you a clean, quickly and easily deployable base, eliminating the need for manual uploads and accelerating your deployments.

Once the image is deployed, it becomes a virtual machine that you can configure. You can then export it as a reusable template available to all users within your tenant.

Customization Steps​

  1. Deploy the base image from the Marketplace.
  2. Configure the virtual machine according to your requirements.
  3. Create a template from the configured virtual machine.
  4. Deploy a new virtual machine from your customized template.

Step 1: Deploy the base image​

Follow the Deploy an image on VMware tutorial to get started.

Step 2: Configure the virtual machine​

Once the virtual machine is deployed, configure it according to your needs (software installation, security configuration, etc.).

Step 3: Create a template from the virtual machine​

  1. From your list of virtual machines, select the configured virtual machine.
  2. Select "Export" from the action bar.
  3. Follow the steps in the Console to export the template.

Step 4: Deploy from your new template​

You can deploy from the Catalog page or from the Virtual Machines page.

To deploy from the Virtual Machines page:

  1. Click on "Create a virtual machine".
  2. Choose "Deploy from a template".
  3. Select your new template from the list.