Managing Virtual Machines

150+ word reply to the following: Managing virtual machines There is a lot more to virtual machines besides just installing them. They do require a good deal of managing. A few of the management requirements are adding and registering virtual machines, changing power states, and removing or deleting virtual machines. While some virtual machines can be created from scratch in the system you can also get pre-created virtual machines. The problem with the pre-created VM’s is that you are required to put a registration code. Registering a VM allows it to be accessed in the vCenter Server. Registering a virtual machine is important because it allows you to see performance metrics and the storage system. Power states are very important when managing virtual machines. There are 4 initial power states as well as 2 additional guest power states power on/off, suspend, reset, shut down guest, and restart guest. Power on/off and reset are standard. Suspend allows you to close the machine and start it back up at a later date right where you left off. The guest power states are only available with VMware Tools. Sometimes removing or deleting a virtual machine will be needed. Although it seems similar the 2 actions actually entail different things. Removing a virtual machine means you want to keep the VM but don’t necessarily need it listed in the inventory. Removing it allows you to keep the files while removing it from the inventory list. To re-add the removed VM you simply follow the regular adding or registering process. Deleting a VM is when the entirety of the virtual machine is no longer needed. It won’t be listed in the inventory and it won’t keep your files in the datastore. Unlike removing a VM, deleting is permanent. While there are other ways to manage a virtual machine, such as modifying them, these are among the simple but important ones.