Creating a New Virtual Machine

You create a new virtual machine by using the Virtual Machine Wizard through the VMware Management Interface. Any user who has an account on the server’s console operating system may log in to the wizard and create a virtual machine.

To create a new virtual machine:

From the VMware Management Interface overview page (http://<hostname>/overview), click Create VM. Alternately, use the following URL:

http://<hostname>/vmcfg-esx

Choose the guest operating system for your virtual machine. Corresponding default entries appear for other configuration settings.

Make any changes you wish to the basic settings.

Display Name: The name you enter in this field is the name that is listed in the VMware Management Interface. Be sure to enter a name that allows you to distinguish this virtual machine from others you have created or plan to create.
Virtual Machine Filename: The name you enter in this field must be unique. The default path and filename are based on the guest operating system you have chosen. If other virtual machines have been created on this server, you must change the path to create a new, unique directory for the new virtual machine.
Memory Size (RAM): The default Memory Size setting depends on the guest operating system you have selected. You may need to change it to meet the demands of applications you plan to run in the virtual machine. You may change this setting later, using the Configure VM page of the VMware Management Interface.

Select an unique filename for a virtual disk. The filename should end in .dsk. Click Browse if you want to view file names already in use.

Note: If you use an existing file name, VMware ESX Server warns you that a virtual machine with that name already exists. However, multiple virtual machines can use the same virtual disk if the disk mode is nonpersistent.

Enter the size of the virtual disk.

Select the disk mode for your virtual disk. VMware ESX Server can use disks in four different modes: persistent, nonpersistent, undoable and append.

The setup process allows you to create one virtual disk for your virtual machine. You can add more virtual disks later, using the Configure VM page of the VMware Management Interface.

Select the way you want to connect this virtual machine to the network.

After the virtual machine is created, you can use the Configure VM page to assign additional network adapters to the virtual machine.

If your server contains a CD-ROM drive or floppy drive, enter the full path and filename of the device or image file, and whether you want the virtual machine to connect to this device when the virtual machine powers on. A device can be connected to only one virtual machine on a server at a time.

Make any changes you wish to the miscellanous settings.

Remote Display Depth: You can change the color depth of your display. A higher color depth setting slows down screen redraws and increases network load when you use a remote console to view a virtual machine across a network connection. However, with greater color depth, you get better color resolution and fidelity. The default setting is 8. Other options are 15, 16 or 24.
Suspend Directory: When you suspend a virtual machine, a suspend file is created in the virtual machine’s directory — the directory shown in the Virtual Machine Filename field. If you want to save the suspend file in a different directory, specify this path in the Suspend Directory entry field.
Use Debug Monitor: Set the Use Debug Monitor option to No unless you are working with VMware support to debug a specific issue.

Click Create VM.