Creating a template for Server 2012 R2 – Part 1

I have borrowed items from http://www.boche.net/blog/index.php/2012/08/16/microsoft-windows-server-2012-tips/ to create this post. I encourage you to take a moment to check out that post.

This is the step by step document that I used to build my 2012 and 2012 R2 VMs.

VM values will start at:

Hardware:	Value:
Memory	4 GB
CPU’s	1
Video card	Auto-detect video settings
VMCI device	None
SCSI Controller 0	VMware Paravirtual
Hard disk 1	40 GB, Thin
CD/DVD Drive 1	Client Device
Floppy Drive 1	Removed (when done)
Network Adapter 1	VMXNET3
General Options	OS: Microsoft Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2
VMware Tools	Default Settings
Virtual Machine Version	9

Creating the VM

1. In vCenter click “File” then “New” then “Virtual Machine”
2. Choose the “Custom” radio button and then “Next”.
3. Name the SM and choose the folder location.
   
4. Choose the datastore for the VM and then click “Next”.
   
5. Make sure that the “Virtual Machine Version: 8” radio button is selected. (5.1 is using version 9 so I am not sure why this can’t be selected here. We will change this later.
   
6. Select the “Windows” radio button and then choose “Microsoft Windows Server 2012 (64-bit).
   
7. Take the default of 1 virtual socket and 1 core per virtual socket.
8. Take the default of 4GB memory and click “Next”
   
9. Choose your Network and change the adapter to “VMXNET 3” then click “Next”.
   
10. Change the SCSI controller to “VMware Paravirtual” and then click “Next”.
11. Select the “Create new virtual disk” radio button and then “Next”.
12. Take the default of 40GB and click “Next”.
13. Take the default virtual device node. For the system partition you want this to be SCSI 0:0. Click “Next”.
    
14. On the summary screen click the “Edit the virtual machine settings before completion” box and then click “Continue”.
15. Click on the Video Card and then change the radio button to “Auto-detect settings”.
    
16. Click on the CD/DVD and then choose the datastore location that you have the 2012 R2 install ISO. Make sure under Device Status that “Connect at power on” is checked. Now click “Finish”.
17. Right click on your newly created VM and click “Edit Settings”.
    
18. Click on the Floppy drive 1 and choose the “Use existing floppy image in datastore” radio button. Then click “Browse”. At the bottom of the datastores you should see a folder called “vmimages”. Double click this folder. (For some reason until the VM is created this folder does not show up and that is why we had to create the VM and then go back into the settings to change this).
    
19. Double click on the “floppies” folder.
    
20. Choose the “pvscsi-Windows2008.flp” and then “OK”.
    
21. The Floppy drive 1 settings should look like this and then click “OK”.
    
22. On the list of VMs click the one you are building and then click the “Power On” button.
    
23. Now click the “Open Console” button.
    
24. The VM should boot into the 2012 R2 setup screen. Choose your language and then “Next”.
    
25. Click “Install”.
    
26. Choose the version of server that you are using. We use the Datacenter here. Then click “Next”.
    
27. Agree to give up your first born to Microsoft by clicking the “I accept the license terms” box and then click “Next”.
    
28. Choose “Custom: Install Windows only (advanced).
    
29. Uh oh, there is no location to install Windows. Luckily you configured the floppy drive 1 earlier right? Click the “Load Driver” button.
    
30. Click “Browse”.
    
31. Look for the Floppy Disk Drive and then double click “amd64”.
    
32. Select the “VMware PVSCSI Controller (A:\amd64\pvscsi.inf) and click “Next”.
    
33. Hey look there is our drive!! Click “Next”.
    
34. Windows should now be installing.
    
35. Enter a password for your admin account. Do not lose this password!
    
36. You should have the login screen now.