Virtualization Essentials

Loading Windows into a Virtual Machine

A Windows operating system can be loaded into a virtual machine in a number of ways. In the last chapter, you saw that during the process of creating a virtual machine, VMware Player offers the option to install Windows. Most virtual machines are created through a template. Templates are virtual machines that already contain an operating system and often are already loaded with application software as well. These prebuilt VMs are stored in a nonexecutable state that allows an administrator to rapidly stamp out copies of the selected configuration. Once a copy is created, a few more personalization and system configuration steps, such as providing a system name and network address, will need to be completed ...