How do you get rid of a virtual machine in VMWare?

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I've read an awful lot about how to create a virtual machine and how to load an OS, how to allocate resources such as RAM and hard drive space and all the information about configuring a VM network...but when you're done with a VM, how do you get rid of it? One of the big points of creating a virtual network is that you can blow it away when you're done and reconfigure it to meet different needs. I don't see anything about that in the owner's manual. What's the scoop, learned ones?

 

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This got me back when I first started using VM also Trip.

In your "My Documents" directory, there should be a folder called "My Virtual Machines."

At least, that's unless that's just how I've configured it, can't remember now , but I'm pretty certain this was the way it was automatically set.

Anyway, make sure that VMWare is closed, then go and find the folder called "My Virtual Machines" then find the specific folder/machine (a VM machine is but a folder) and then blow the sucker away

OK

 

Bingo, Flex is right but I'd like to add. Instead of blowing away the files and having to reinstall the VM all over again you may wish to create a snap-shop of the VM after you've gone through the install. Then when you want to revert back you can use the revert to snapshot and your back where you started. Now that is one fancy feature.

 

How does that work then :?:
Sorry a bit tired, but do you mean that your getting rid of the space that the VM occupies, but your keeping it's state :?:

 

It more of a revert back to state, it wont delete the files used for the VM but restore it back to when you created the snapshot.

 

Just confusing myself because how I see it, the snapshot is associated with the machine.

Therefore, I thought that if you deleted a VM machine, then the snapshot would also be deleted.

If Trip wants to get rid of a VM machine which is taking space up, and if he takes a snapshot, but then deletes the VM machine, won't the snapshot go also :?:

 

Yes thats correct but what I was saying was instead of deleting all the files why not create a snapshot then you wont have to re install the vm again. If its installs he's working on then yes delete the files but if not a snapshot is a great way of blowimg it away when you're done and reconfigure it to meet different needs.

 

Si, I got myself into a muddle then, wasn't seeing what you were saying.
that's a good way to go, good advice

 

hey no bother Flex. I dont think I was all that clear in my original post. :roll:

 

Let's see if I've got this straight. If I wanted to completely delete the virtual machine, I'd blow away the specific files associated with it in My Documents. If I just wanted to revert back to it's original state at install, I'd take a snapshot of the thing when I first installed it, then revert back to it when I was ready.

So, Let's say I create a small Windows 2000 Lab with a Server and some Workstations. I monkey around with it, make all kinds of configuration changes required by labs and such and get the job done. After I'm done, if I want to keep a Windows 2000 lab but with a "clean slate" so to speak, I'd revert back to the snapshots I took when I first installed all the OSes. That seems clear.

Now, let's say that I want a different set of OSes for a new lab...Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 for example. In this case, I'd really need to blow away all the files for the VMs in My Documents and start from scratch. Is that correct?

 

No, you can keep the previous OS files for any future use or even use them in this scenario. I have a set of VM files for every OS in a "just installed" state. If I need any OS for a given scenario there at hand. If I need two of the same OS I just duplicate the contents of the OS folder.

 

That's a good idea.I didn't know you could duplicate the folders, hmmm, nice one.

Question though, how does the hd space work.I mean, do you just set up the install that your going to use as "just installed" state, with the bare minimum for the install of the OS.Because otherwise, say you have 5 backup machines, each with 2GB hd's, then you'd be taking up 10GB of hard disk.

If you have a big hd, then a gig or so for each VM "just installed" ready to go, isn't that bad I suppose.

I don't suppose their is a way though, is their, of actually getting rid of the assigned hd space, while still holding onto the OS files, and then assigning a hd when you bring the machine back.Probably isn't, but thought I'd ask.

If you set up a few OS's, like Si has, and keep them for when needed, then you won't have to keep the "snapshot" because you'll have some machines ready to go anyway.

Also, the keeping of the snapshot to revert back to isn't very practical in a sense, because while messing around with your installed OS, there's going to be times when you want to take a "snapshot" of a certain configuration eg/ just before installing AD (maybe not, just an example)

As VMWare can only hold one snapshot at a time, then your clean install "snapshot" would be blown away by VMWare.

If VM could hold more than one snapshot at a time, then there wouldn't be a problem, but it can't

Let's just say that you won't be taking any more snapshot's, other than the one you took after the installation.Well, be sure to check this setting:

Go to the VM machine, click edit, virtual machine settings.Click options, then click snapshot.

From these options, make sure that the "Lock current snapshot" is enabled, otherwise VMWare will by default, update your snapshot at every power off, therefore your intentions will be obsolete.

Basically Trip, I would say because you've said in other posts that the hd is like 120GB on your computer, your better off just installing the OS's that you'll be using, and then keeping copies of those files.

Thanks

 

Only thing you need to look out for is duplicate network setting

I have a 20GB partition on a 60GB HD that I use for VMware so HD space is not problem, but I can see this could be a problem for others that dont have this luxury

 

HD sizes these days are generally pretty darn big anyway, so not too much of a problem, but hey we're systems admins (or budding admins) so suppose it's just natural for me to ask how to get the most out of something, and how to make things as easy as possible.

What I think I'll do is set work do an install of XP Pro, Win2KPro, Win2000Server, and maybe order 2003 eval, then set these all up one time, and then assign say 2GB to each one.You can always add a virtual hd anyway, and span it, to create more space once your up and away.

So do you just change this in the settings, once it's in VM :?:

 

I have my VM's using DHCP from my router so I only need to change the computer name before I boot the second VM

 

So, if I understand this right, given enough HDD space, you could create a fairly large number of virtual machines to use in different configurations and then only "power up" the ones you need at any given time. For examples, you could create a Windows 2000 Server and Windows Server 2003, several Windows 2000 Pro and several XP Pro machines, even several Linux boxes. That way you could "mix and match" devices to test different network configurations. The only things that would need to be unique would be the machine names and the IP addresses. Just to keep things straight of course, it would help to have them all on the same subnet. How's that?

 

Yeah, that's right.

That's the great thing about VMWare, all the different configurations you can have.Same subnet or not, or multiple subnets.

 

I keep forgetting that you keep unusual hours, flex. I popped into Certforums not expecting to find anyone active at your time of night (still around 8:30 p.m. my time zone). Man I long for the days when I could seemingly get by on just a few hours sleep. Got a funky day ahead of me tomorrow.

 

Yeah, it's strange, but time is irrelevant to a degree, because I have no commitments in terms thst bind me to a certain time.

I feel like walking round to the shop now to get a paper but just reminded myself that it's the middle of the night, lol