Knowledgebase

Creating Standard Windows Server and Linux Golden Templates

Instant automated deployment relies on templates configured with guest customization agents for automated IP and root password injection.

A. Windows Server Templates (2016, 2019, 2022):

1. Install Windows Server in a new VM and install latest VMware Tools.
2. Install Cloudbase-Init or use standard Sysprep for automated administrator password assignment.
3. Set Remote Desktop (RDP) to enabled and allow TCP port 3389 in Windows Firewall.
4. Run Sysprep to generalize the installation:

   C:\Windows\System32\Sysprep\sysprep.exe /generalize /oobe /shutdown

B. Linux Golden Templates (Ubuntu 22.04/24.04, Debian 12, AlmaLinux 9):

1. Install your chosen distribution with minimal server packages.
2. Install open-vm-tools and cloud-init:

   apt-get install -y open-vm-tools cloud-init

3. Enable root SSH login in /etc/ssh/sshd_config:

   PermitRootLogin yes
   PasswordAuthentication yes

4. Clear machine ID and temporary files before shut down:

   truncate -s 0 /etc/machine-id
   rm -f /var/lib/dbus/machine-id
   cloud-init clean
   history -c && poweroff