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Managing Virtual Machines with the VMM Administrator Console

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Ultimately, virtualization is all about running and managing virtual machines. It should come as no surprise, therefore, that a key role of VMM 2008, and the VMM Administrator Console component in particular, involves managing the life-cycle of virtual machines. VMM 2008 provides a central administrative interface for the management of any number virtual machines distributed over an equally broad number of potentially widely distributed host systems running both Hyper-V and VMware ESX Server technology.
The breadth of support for virtual machine management within VMM 2008 is such that there is no task that can be performed using the Hyper-V Manager that cannot also be performed using VMM 2008 and the VMM Administrator Console (assuming that the user in question has been assigned appropriate role permissions). In fact, VMm 2008 provides even more functionality that Hyper-V Manager including the ability to store virtual machines in a library and create virtual machine templates.
The objective of this chapter is to provide step-by-step guidelines on managing all aspects of virtual machine life-cycles using VMM 2008. The chapter assums assumes some level of familiarity with the VMM Administrator Console with regard to starting the
console and connecting to a VMM Server. For more details on this topic area refer to the chapter entitled [[A Guided Tour of the VMM Administrator Console]].
== Creating New Virtual Machines ==
Perhaps one of the key tasks when managing virtual machines is the creation of new virtual machines, either on a local or remote host. New virtual machines may be created by cloning an existing virtual machine, using a pre-existing template or configured completely from the ground up. Creating virtual machines from templates was covered in detail in the chapter entitled [[Creating and Managing VMM 2008 Virtual Machine Templates]] and cloning of virtual machines will be covered later in this chapter.  Creating a new virtual machine and configuring entirely from new is performed by selecting the ''new New virtual machinesmachine'' link located in the ''Actions'' pane of the VMM Administrator Console ''Virtual Machines View''view. This will display the ''New Virtual Machine'' wizard.
On the first screen, choose whether to create a new virtual machine using a blank virtual hard disk, or to use an existing hard disk or template. For the purposes of this tutorial, select the option to use a new blank disk and click ''Next'' to proceed to the ''Virtual Machine Identity'' screen. On this screen, enter a name for the new virtual machine and specify an owner if the default option is not acceptable.
If the virtual machine is to deployed to a host now, the next screen will provide a list of available hosts. Select the desired target host for the virtual machine, proceed to the ''Select Path'' screen and choose a location on the target host file system for the new virtual machine. Click ''Next'' to choose the virtual networks on the target host to which any network adapters configured on the hardware settings screen are to be connected.
The ''Additional Properties '' screen provides the option to define what should happen to the virtual machine when the target host system starts up and stops. This screen also provide provides the opportunity to define which operating system is going to run on the virtual machine. The final screen displays a summary of the new virtual machine settings. Review the information and click ''Create '' to create the new virtual machine on the selected host. Once the creation process is complete, the new virtual machine will appear in the inventory of the selected host and be ready to run.
== Cloning Virtual Machines ==
VMM 2008 provides the ability to make an exact copy of an existing virtual machine. The cloned virtual machine may be deployed on the same host as the original virtual machine, deployed to a different host or stored in a VMM Library for deployment at a later time. Before a virtual machine can be cloned it must reside on a host which is managed by VMM 2008 and be in a powered off or saved state. Assuming these criteria have been met, the cloning process is performed by selecting the ''Virtual Machines'' view of the VMM Administrator Console, selecting the virtual machine to be cloned from the list of machines displayed and clicking on the ''Clone'' link located in the ''Actions'' pane on the right hand side of the console window. Alternatively, right click on the virtual machine and select ''Clone'' from the resulting menu.
Once displayed, the ''New Virtual Machine'' wizard will request a name for the cloned machine, an owner and optional description. If the clone is to be placed on the same host as the ource source virtual machine, the clone muct must be given a different name. After providing this information, click ''Next'' to configure the hardware settings. If the ''Hardware profile'' menu is set to ''[New]'', the settings of the cloned virtual machine will match those of the source virtual machine but may be altered if necessary. If other hardware profiles have been stored in the VMM Library, one may also be selected from the drop down menu and also modified to meet any specific requirements. If an ISO image that is not stored in a library is used as a virtual floppy disk or CD/DVD drive in the source virtual machine, the image must be placed in the library before the virtual machine can be cloned. To achieved this, copy the ISO image to the library server's share folder on the VMM Library Server and then refresh the library. For more details on adding files to the library refer to the chapter entitled [[Managing VMM 2008 Library Servers]].
The next screen is where the decision about where the cloned virtual machine is to be placedis made. As previously mentioned, the optioned options are to store place the clone on a host or store it in a library. if If the option to store the virtual machine in a library is selected, the next screen will provide a list of VMM Library Servers available to store the clone. After a server has been selected, the location within the library must then be selected.
If, on the other hand, the clone is to be placed on a host, the next screen provides a list of managed hosts. Once a host has been selected, the location on the host's file system for the cloned virtual machine files to be stored must be selected. After selecting a location, click ''Next'' to choose the virtual networks on the target host to which any network adapters configured on the hardware settings screen are to be connected.
The ''Additional Properties '' screen provides the option to define what should happen to the virtual machine when the target host system starts up and stops. This screen also provide provides the opportunity to define which operating system is going to run on the virtual machine. The final screen displays a summary of the new virtual machine settings. Review the information and click the''Clone'' button to create the new virtual machine on the selected host or library.
The duration of the cloning process will vary depending on a variety of factors such as the size of any disk images and whether the clone is being placed on the same host as the source virtual machine or on a remote host or VMM Library Server. The progress of the cloning process is reported on the ''Jobs'' dialog which is displayed by default at the start of the creation process:
The wizard displays a list of VMM Library ServerServers, one of which may must be selected as the destination for the virtual virtual machine. Clicking ''Next'' prompts for a location within the library into which the virtual machine is to be stored. Finally the ''Summary'' screen is displayed which includes a ''Store'' button to initiate the storage process. Once completed, the virtual machine will be removed from the host on which it was originally placed and made available for future deployment from the library.
== Deploying Virtual Machines from a Library ==
Once a virtual machine has been stored in a VMM Library, it may subsequently be deployed to any suitable managed host. A stored virtual machine may only be deployed to one host. Once the deployment is complete, the stored copy is removed from the library.
Deployment is performed form from within the ''Library'' view of the VMM Administrator Console. With this view selected, navigate to the ''VMs and Templates'' branch of the ''Resources'' tree located in the top left pane of the console window. This will display a list of virtual machines stored in the library as illustrated in the following figure:
To deploy a stored virtual machine to a managed host, select the required machine from the list and click in the ''Deploy'' link in the ''Actions'' pane to invoke the ''Deploy Virtual Machine'' Wizard. The initial screen of the wizard provides a list of managed hosts from which to choose a destination. Once a host has been selected, click ''Next'' to configure the folder on the host where the virtual machine files are to be stored. The next screen provides the option to connect any network adapters configured into present in the stored virtual machine to virtual networks on the target host. Finally, the Summary screen provides an overview of the chosen deployment options, together with a ''Deploy'' button used to initiate the deployment process. Progress of the deployment will be displayed in the ''jobs'' dialog which may be launched (if it does not appear automatically) by clicking on the ''Jobs'' button located on the console toolbar.
== Migrating Virtual Machines ==
* VMware ESX Server host to VMware ESX Server host
At the time of writing, only VMware ESX Server's VMotion feature supports live migration whereby there is no interruption of service as the virtual machine is migrated. Current versions of both Hyper-V and Virtual Server only support static migration, where the virtual machine state is saved during the migration process and then restored on the destination host causing a temporary loss of service. Live migration is scheduled for inclusion in future Hyper-V versions.
To perform a virtual machine migration, select the ''Virtual Machines'' view of the VMM Administrator Console, select followed by the virtual machine to be migrated and click on the ''Migrate'' link in the ''Actions'' screen.
This will display the ''Migrate Virtual Machine Wizard'' which will being begin by providing a list of target hosts. The This table contains a ''Type'' columns column which indicated indicates the type of migration which that will be performed. In the case of VMware ESX Server based virtual machines, the default type will be ''VMotion''. Select the host to which the virtual machine is to be migrated and click ''Next'' to select the file system location for the virtual machine files on the destination host. The next screen allows any network adapters present in the virtual machine to be assigned to virtual networks on the destination host. Finally, the summary screen includes a ''Migrate'' button to initiate the migration.
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