I know this has been asked and Ive found many solutions that work, I just wondered if people can suggest which is best for my setup?
I am running a training center in which theres various courses, I've setup a Default Windows 10 VM for each course so for example a HTML course only has web browsers, notepad ++, WAMP/IIS, etc setup. I plan on cloning the default VM to each PC so the trainee will then work on that and i remove after every course, whats the best way to clone for my purpose.
Ive done the Export and Import method and that seems to work but not sure if thats best method, it seems easy so if theres no issue with this way i can use it or will this have UUID issues? Theres also a clone method in the snapshots ive been told would work better but not sure why.
Note: I will be cloning the VM to different spec & model machines (they can all handle the VM specs just heard this can cause issues if host is different?)
Any help appreciated
Best way to clone?
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scottgus1
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- Joined: 30. Dec 2009, 20:14
- Primary OS: MS Windows 10
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Re: Best way to clone?
Export, Import and cloning will all have activation issues.
As long as you will have only one copy of the guest on each lab PC, you can use this tutorial Moving a VM. It's also good when read as "Backing Up a VM". Different host types shouldn't be a problem, but the CPU type is seen by the guest OS and may at least require a hardware-change recognition and reboot.
Don't use snapshots. Snapshots make a guest more delicate and do not work as backups. They are similar to Windows' System Restore points: they are point-in-past-time markers, not extractable, useless without the base system in place, but easier to corrupt because the files are accessible on the host drive. They do not store "files", like a backup folder would. Virtualbox snapshots store changed disk sectors, which may or may not contain the entire file. They should only be used on guests you're experimenting with and with data you wouldn't mind losing. (The forums are replete with users destroying their important data because they did something wrong with a snapshot.)
As long as you will have only one copy of the guest on each lab PC, you can use this tutorial Moving a VM. It's also good when read as "Backing Up a VM". Different host types shouldn't be a problem, but the CPU type is seen by the guest OS and may at least require a hardware-change recognition and reboot.
Don't use snapshots. Snapshots make a guest more delicate and do not work as backups. They are similar to Windows' System Restore points: they are point-in-past-time markers, not extractable, useless without the base system in place, but easier to corrupt because the files are accessible on the host drive. They do not store "files", like a backup folder would. Virtualbox snapshots store changed disk sectors, which may or may not contain the entire file. They should only be used on guests you're experimenting with and with data you wouldn't mind losing. (The forums are replete with users destroying their important data because they did something wrong with a snapshot.)