Machine Creation for Hyper-V
Although there is not a Machine Creation for Hyper-V connector configuration, you can use the Hyper-V connector configuration to configure the credentials and storage location the appliance needs to publish layered images to a specific machine creation location within your MS Hyper-V environment.
Each connector configuration is set up to access a specific storage location in your environment. Since you need the images in a location convenient to the systems you are provisioning, there is a good chance that you need more than one connector configuration for publishing to machine creation.
Notes:
This connector configuration is for publishing layered images only. You cannot package layers using this configuration. For packaging layers, use an MS Hyper-V connector configuration.
When creating an image template for publishing to Machine Creation for Hyper-V, you must select the Sysprep type generalized offline.
A Personal vDisk is not supported for machine creation. The published desktop images are non-persistent. You can only use a Personal vDisk when publishing to MS Hyper-V.
For more about connectors and connector configurations, see Connector configurations.
Before you start
The first time you create an image template for publishing layered images to machine creation, you need to add a Hyper-V connector configuration for that location.
App Layering requirements
The App Layering Agent is required to use a Machine Creation for Hyper-V connector. The agent must be:
- Installed on the server where you want to publish layered images. For details, see Install the App Layering agent in the App Layering installation topic.
- Registered with the App Layering appliance. For details, see Register with the App Layering appliance manually in the App Layering installation topic.
Machine Creation and MS Hyper-V requirements
This section lays out the information you need to create a Machine Creation for Hyper-V connector.
Virtual machine template
Before you start, configure a virtual machine template that the connector configuration can use to clone a virtual machine with the desired hardware settings (memory, CPUs, and video settings). Using a template ensures the following:
- The published image is in a ready-to-use virtual machine.
- The image is shut down.
- A snapshot is taken.
MS Hyper-V credentials and location
The information you need for the Hyper-V connector configuration includes:
-
Hyper-V Configuration
- Agent - App Layering Agent from the list of agents registered with the appliance.
- User Name - Agent user name.
- Password - Agent Password.
-
Virtual Machine Settings
- Template VM (Optional) - A template that can be used to clone a Hyper-V virtual machine with the desired hardware settings (memory, CPUs, and video settings). You can specify the host, datastore, and network for configuring the resulting virtual machines. The template must have at least one network card attached, and it must not have any disks attached. Otherwise, you receive an error when attempting to validate or save the configuration.
- Number of CPUs - Number of CPUs to use for creating a Packaging Machine or publishing a layered image. The default value is 4 CPUs.
- Memory (Mb) - Amount of memory allocated for creating the Packaging Machine or the layered image Machine. The default value is 8192 Mb.
- Network - Network switch. You can select from a list of network switches known by the agent.
-
Storage Settings
- Remote path to storage, for example server virtual machines - UNC path to the File Share being used for layering and publishing.
- Local path to storage, for example C:\Virtual Machines - Location where the disks and Packaging Machines are created. This value must be the same as the location specified in the UNC path.
- Use the Agent Credentials check box - If checked, the agent credentials are used as the File Share credentials. Otherwise, you must specify the credentials used to connect to the File Share.
- User Name and Password (if different than use the Agent Credentials) - These values are only required if you’ve chosen not to use the Agent credentials.
-
Layer Disk Cache Size in GB (optional) - Amount of File Share space (in gigabytes) to use for caching layer disks. A value of:
- 0 disables layer caching.
- 1+ enables layer caching and specifies the amount of space to allow for caching layer disks on the File Share. keep copies of boot disks and packaging disks and reuses these disks to create packaging machines. The reuse of these boot disks and packaging disks reduces the time it takes to package an App layer.
Create a Hyper-V connector configuration for Machine Creation
To use the Hyper-V connector for publishing to machine creation in Hyper-V:
- Click the Connectors page.
- Click Add Connector Configuration, which opens a small dialog box.
- Select the Microsoft Hyper-V Connector Type. Then click New to open the connector configuration page.
- Complete the fields on the connector configuration page. For guidance, see the field definitions in the requirements section above.
- Click the TEST button to verify that the appliance can access the location specified using the credentials supplied.
- Click SAVE, and verify that the new connector configuration is listed on the Connector tab.