VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, and

Manage v8.0
Installation and Configuration Guide

Document Version: 2023-03-17

Copyright © 2023 Network Development Group, Inc.

www.netdevgroup.com

Microsoft® and Windows® are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries.

NETLAB+ is a registered trademark of Network Development Group, Inc.

VMware is a registered trademark of VMware, Inc. Cisco, IOS, Cisco IOS, Networking Academy, CCNA, and CCNP are registered
trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc.
VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, and Manage v8.0 Pod Installation and Configuration Guide

Contents
1 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 3
1.1 Introducing the VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, and Manage v8.0 Pod ..... 3
2 Planning....................................................................................................................... 4
2.1 Pod Creation Workflow ........................................................................................ 4
2.2 Pod Resource Requirements ................................................................................ 5
2.3 ESXi Host Server Requirements............................................................................ 5
2.4 NETLAB+ Requirements ....................................................................................... 5
2.5 NETLAB+ Virtual Machine Infrastructure Setup................................................... 6
2.6 Software Requirements ....................................................................................... 6
2.7 Networking Requirements ................................................................................... 6
3 Software and Licenses ................................................................................................ 7
3.1 Obtaining Windows Software Licenses ................................................................ 7
3.2 Downloading OVF Files......................................................................................... 7
4 Master Pod Configuration........................................................................................... 9
4.1 Deploying Virtual Machine OVF/OVA Files .......................................................... 9
4.1.1 Modify Virtual Machines............................................................................. 10
4.2 NETLAB+ Virtual Machine Inventory Setup........................................................ 13
4.3 Building the Master VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, and Manage v8.0 Pod
14
4.3.1 Enabling Labs in Course Manager ............................................................... 14
4.3.2 Create the Master Pod ................................................................................ 14
4.3.3 Attach Virtual Machines to the Master Pod ............................................... 16
4.3.4 Create Snapshots for the Master Virtual Machines ................................... 17
4.3.5 Set the Revert to Snapshot ......................................................................... 19
4.4 Make changes to the Master Pod ...................................................................... 20
4.4.1 Virtual Machine Credentials ....................................................................... 21
4.4.2 Bring the Master Pod Online ...................................................................... 21
4.4.3 Create Class and Schedule the Master Pod ................................................ 21
4.4.4 Licensing the sa-esxi-01, sa-esxi-02, and sa-vcsa VMs .............. 21
4.4.5 Shut Down the sa-esxi-01, sa-esxi-02, and sa-vcsa VMs ............ 22
4.4.6 Reset the NIC to SAFETY NET ............................................................ 22
4.4.7 Create Snapshot on the Changed Master Virtual Machines ...... 23
4.4.8 End Reservation .......................................................................................... 23
5 Pod Cloning ............................................................................................................... 24
5.1 Linked Clones and Full Clones ............................................................................ 24
5.2 Creating User Pods ............................................................................................. 24
5.3 Copying Your Master Pod to the Second Host ................................................... 26
5.4 Creating User Pods on the Second Host ............................................................ 28
5.5 Assigning Pods to Students, Teams, or Classes .................................................. 28

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VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, and Manage v8.0 Pod Installation and Configuration Guide

1 Introduction

This document provides detailed guidance on performing the installation and

configuration of the VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, and Manage v8.0 pod on the
NETLAB+ VE system.

1.1 Introducing the VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, and Manage v8.0 Pod

The VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, and Manage v8.0 pod is a 100% virtual machine
pod consisting of five virtual machines. Linked together through virtual networking,
these five virtual machines provide the environment for a student or a team to perform
the VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, and Manage v8.0 labs.

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2 Planning

This guide provides specific information pertinent to delivering the VMware vSphere:
Install, Configure, and Manage v8.0 pod. The NETLAB+ Remote PC Guide Series
provides the prerequisite guidance for setting up your VMware infrastructure, including:

 An introduction to virtualization using NETLAB+

 Detailed setup instructions for standing up VMware vCenter and VMware ESXi
 Virtual machine and virtual pod management concepts using NETLAB+

This document assumes that you have set up virtual machine infrastructure in
accordance with the NETLAB+ Remote PC Guide Series. The planning information below
refers to specific sections in the Remote PC Guide when applicable.

2.1 Pod Creation Workflow

The following list is an overview of the pod setup process.

1. Obtain the master virtual machine images required for the master pod.
2. Deploy the master virtual machine images to your VMware vCenter Appliance.
a. Deploy virtual machines using Thin Provisioning to reduce storage
consumption.
b. Make necessary adjustments to each virtual machine in the environment.
i. Insert/Verify manual MAC addresses.
ii. Change the default network to SAFETY NET.
iii. Any other configuration changes mentioned in this guide.
3. Import the deployed virtual machines to the NETLAB+ Virtual Machine
Inventory.
4. Activate or license the required software on each virtual machine when
prompted.
5. Take a snapshot of each virtual machine in the master pod labeled
GOLDEN_MASTER after all configurations and licensing have taken effect. The
GOLDEN_MASTER snapshot is used to clone virtual machine images for the user
pods.
6. Use the NETLAB+ Pod Cloning feature to create student pods from the master
pod.
7. If multiple hosts are used in the NETLAB+ environment, make a Full Clone of the
master pod on the initial host (Host A) to the subsequent host (Host B) and so on
using the NETLAB+ Pod Cloning feature.

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2.2 Pod Resource Requirements

The VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, and Manage v8.0 course will consume 141 GB
of storage per each master pod instance.

The following table provides details of the storage requirements for each of the virtual
machines in the pod.

Initial Master Pod Maximum

Virtual Machine OVF/OVA (Thin Provisioned) Allocated
Memory
sa-aio 30.5 GB 40.6 GB 8 GB
sa-esxi-01 10 GB 22.9 GB 16 GB
sa-esxi-02 8.8 GB 20.7 GB 8 GB
sa-student 11.8 GB 26.2 GB 2 GB
sa-vcsa 23.3 GB 30.6 GB 19 GB
Total 84.4 GB 141 GB 53 GB

2.3 ESXi Host Server Requirements

Please refer to the NDG website for specific ESXi host requirements to support virtual
machine delivery: https://www.netdevgroup.com/products/requirements/

The deployment of the VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, and Manage v8.0 pod
requires VMware ESXi version of 6.0 or greater.

The number of active pods that can be used simultaneously depends

on the NETLAB+ product license and the number of VMware ESXi host
servers meeting the hardware requirements specifications.

For current ESXi server requirements and active pod count, refer to the following
URL:
http://www.netdevgroup.com/support/remote_pc.html#vm_host_server_specificati
ons.

2.4 NETLAB+ Requirements

Installation of VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, and Manage v8.0 pods, as described
in this guide, requires that you are running NETLAB+ VE.

Previous versions of NETLAB+ do not support requirements for the VMware

vSphere: Install, Configure, and Manage v8.0 course on the physical host servers.

Please refer to the NETLAB+ Remote PC Guide Series.

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2.5 NETLAB+ Virtual Machine Infrastructure Setup

The NETLAB+ Virtual Machine Infrastructure setup is described in the following

sections of the NETLAB+ Remote PC Guide Series:

 Registering a Virtual Datacenter in NETLAB+

 Adding ESXi hosts in NETLAB+
 Proactive Resource Awareness

It is important to configure Proactive Resource Awareness to maximize

the number of active pods per physical ESXi host.

2.6 Software Requirements

For the purpose of software licensing, each virtual machine is treated as an individual
machine, PC, or server. Please refer to the specific vendor license agreements (and
educational discount programs, if applicable) to determine licensing requirements for
your virtual machines’ software, operating system, and applications.

The minimum virtual infrastructure software required for standing up this pod is in the
following table.

Virtual Infrastructure Requirements

Software Version
vSphere ESXi 6.0
vCenter Server 6.0

Please refer to the Software and Licenses section regarding the software requirements
for virtual machines in the pod.

2.7 Networking Requirements

To accommodate the movement of large VMs, OVF/OVAs, and ISO disk images from one
host to another, gigabit Ethernet or better connectivity is recommended to interconnect
your NETLAB+, vCenter Server system, and ESXi host systems.

The two standard networking models recommended to interconnect your servers are
described in detail in the Networking Models section of the Remote PC Guide Series,
Volume 1 - Introduction and Planning.

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3 Software and Licenses

3.1 Obtaining Windows Software Licenses

Licensing considerations will vary, depending on your school's participation in the

VMware IT Academy Program (VITA) program and/or the VMware Academic
Subscription (VMAS). Guidance on navigating licensing is available on the VMware
Product Licensing VMAS vs. VITA chart.

Based on the deployment of the pod, administrators may choose to

update the licenses on their already deployed master pods or they
may choose to download updated OVAs from CSSIA.org which will
already include updated licensed virtual machines for the next
licensing renewal cycle.

1. Follow the link provided to you by VMware when you registered in the VMware
Academic Subscription. This will take you to the academic software store.
2. Sign in with your registered login.
3. Click on Faculty/Staff at the top followed by VMware and then Software to see
the available downloads. You must be an authorized Faculty/Staff user. For
more information, contact the VMware Academy contact at your school.
4. Click on VMware vSphere 8.x Enterprise Plus. This is the first of three software
items you will obtain from your school’s webstore.
5. Click on Add to Cart.
6. Click on Continue Shopping.
7. Click on VMware vCenter Server 8.x Standard.
8. Click on Add to Cart.
9. Click on Check Out to continue.
10. Read and accept the EULA.
11. On the confirmation page, click on Proceed With Order.
12. On the receipt page, record the serial numbers found under Items.

3.2 Downloading OVF Files

The virtual machines are made available as Open Virtualization Format (OVF) or Open
Virtualization Archive (OVA) files. These files are available for download from CSSIA.

To request access to the preconfigured virtual machine templates from CSSIA:

1. Go to the CSSIA Resources page: https://www.cssia.org/cssiaresources/

2. Select CSSIA VM Image Sharing Agreement.
3. Complete and submit your access request by following the instructions on the
request form.
4. CSSIA will provide, via email, password-protected download links. Access to the
download links is provided only to customers who are current with their

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NETLAB+ support contract and are participants in the appropriate partner

programs (i.e., Cisco Networking Academy, VMware IT Academy, Red Hat
Academy, and/or Palo Alto Networks).
5. Once all virtual machines have been downloaded, they can be deployed
following the steps in the appropriate pod installation guide. Each virtual
machine is deployed individually.

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4 Master Pod Configuration

4.1 Deploying Virtual Machine OVF/OVA Files

Deploy on your host server the pod virtual machine OVF/OVA files you have
downloaded.

1. Navigate to your vSphere Client using your management workstation, ensure

that your downloaded OVA/OVF files are accessible on this machine, and then
connect to your vCenter Server.
2. From the vSphere Client interface, navigate to Hosts and Clusters.
3. Right-click on the target ESXi Host Server and select Deploy OVF Template.
4. In the Deploy OVF Template window, on the Select source step, select the Local
File radio button and click Browse.
5. Locate and select one of the VMs for the pod, click Open.

VM Name VM OS Virtual Machine OVA Name

sa-aio Linux VMware_ICMv8_FM.saAIO
sa-esxi-01 ESXi 8.0 VMware_ICMv8_FM.saESXi01
sa-esxi-02 ESXi 8.0 VMware_ICMv8_FM.saESXi02
sa-student Linux VMware_ICMv8_FM.saStudent
sa-vcsa Linux VMware_ICMv8_FM.saVCSA

Only one VM can be selected using this wizard. The process will have
to be repeated for the remaining VMs.

6. Verify that the VM information populates next to the Browse button and click
Next.
7. On the Review details step, make sure to fill the checkbox for Accept extra
configuration options (if present) and click Next.
8. On the Select name and folder step, change the name of the virtual machine to
something that is easy to manage. You can use the names provided in the list
below as names for the virtual machines if you do not have a set naming
convention. Select the appropriate datacenter and click Next.

VM Name VM OS Virtual Machine Deployment Name

sa-aio Linux VMware_ICMv8_Master.saAIO
sa-esxi-01 ESXi 8.0 VMware_ICMv8_Master.saESXi01
sa-esxi-02 ESXi 8.0 VMware_ICMv8_Master.saESXi02
sa-student Linux VMware_ICMv8_Master.saStudent
sa-vcsa Linux VMware_ICMv8_Master.saVCSA

9. On the Select Storage step, choose the appropriate storage device and make
sure that Thin Provision is selected. Click Next.

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10. In the Setup networks section, select SAFETY NET as the destination and click
Next.

If SAFETY NET is not available, refer to the Create a Safe Staging

Network section in the Remote PC Guide Series – Volume 2.

11. In the Ready to complete section, make sure Power on after deployment is
unchecked and confirm the settings. Click Finish.
12. vCenter will begin deploying the virtual machine. This may take some time,
depending on the speed of your connection, HDDs, etc. Repeat the previous
steps for each remaining virtual machine in the master pod.

4.1.1 Modify Virtual Machines

Once the virtual machines are imported onto the host, verify the configurations. The
following steps will guide you through the process.

1. In the vSphere Client interface, right-click on the imported virtual machine and
select Edit Settings.
2. For all the virtual machines, manually assign the MAC addresses for each NIC.
The table below identifies the MAC addresses per NIC.

Virtual Machine NIC MAC

sa-aio 1 00:50:56:99:5D:B5
2 00:50:56:99:01:b0
3 00:50:56:99:4b:11
sa-esxi-01 1 00:50:56:82:f4:08
2 00:50:56:8a:46:26
3 00:50:56:8a:5d:23
4 00:50:56:99:83:df
sa-esxi-02 1 00:50:56:8a:d1:b0
2 00:50:56:8a:96:c6
3 00:50:56:8a:44:c4
4 00:50:56:99:86:1c
sa-student 1 00:50:56:99:39:7c
sa-vcsa 1 00:50:56:99:bc:f1

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3. While in the Edit Settings window, click on the VM Options tab and expand the
VMware Tools section. Check the checkbox for Synchronize guest time with
host/Synchronize at startup and resume to enable the feature. Click OK to save
the configuration.

4. Repeat the previous steps for each of the remaining virtual machines in the
master pod.

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4.2 NETLAB+ Virtual Machine Inventory Setup

This section will guide you in adding your templates to the Virtual Machine Inventory of
your NETLAB+ VE system.

1. Log in to your NETLAB+ VE system using the administrator account.

2. Select the Virtual Machine Infrastructure icon.

3. Click the Virtual Machine Inventory icon.

4. Click the Import Virtual Machines button located at the bottom of the list.

5. Select the appropriate datacenter from the list where your master VMs reside.
6. Select the checkbox next to the virtual machines you had just deployed and click
Import Selected Virtual Machines.

7. When the Configure VMs window loads, you can set your virtual machine
parameters.

a. Check the dropdown box for the correct operating system for each
imported virtual machine.
b. Change Role to Master for each VM.
c. Add any comments for each virtual machine in the last column.

It is advised to leave the Version and Build numbers for reference

when requesting NDG support.

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d. Verify your settings and click Import (X) Virtual Machines (notice the
number in parenthesis is dynamic, depending on the amount of VMs
selected).

e. Verify all Import Statuses report back with OK and then click on the
Dismiss button.
f. Verify that your virtual machines show up in the inventory.

For additional information, please refer to the NETLAB+ VE Administrator Guide.

4.3 Building the Master VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, and Manage v8.0
Pod

This section will assist you in adding the VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, and
Manage v8.0 pod to your NETLAB+ system.

4.3.1 Enabling Labs in Course Manager

Please refer to the Course Manager section of the NETLAB+ VE Administrator Guide on
how to enable content. Please install the VMware vSphere Install, Configure, Manage
8.0 course.

4.3.2 Create the Master Pod

1. Log into NETLAB+ VE with the administrator account.

2. Select the Pods icon.

3. Create a new pod by scrolling to the bottom and clicking the Create New Pod
button.

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4. Then, click on the VMware vSphere ICM 8.0 pod entry from the list of installed
pod types.

5. On the New Pod window, input a value into the Pod ID and Pod Name fields.
Click Next.

The Pod ID determines the order in which the pods will appear in the
scheduler. It is best practice to use a block of sequential ID numbers
for the Pod Id that allows for the number of pods you are going to
install.

The Pod Name identifies the pod and is unique per pod. Here we
used the name of the lab set or course in a shortened form along
with a host identifier (H120), the type and number of the pod
(M1000).

6. To finalize the wizard, click OK.

For additional information, please refer to the NETLAB+ VE Administrator Guide.

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4.3.3 Attach Virtual Machines to the Master Pod

Update the master pod to associate the virtual machines with the newly created pod.

1. Select the VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, and Manage v8.0 master pod
from the pod list.

2. Click on the Action dropdown next to the virtual machine you are about to
assign and select Attach VM.

3. Select the corresponding virtual machine from the inventory list.

4. Click OK to confirm the VM attachment and repeat the previous steps for the
remaining virtual machines.

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4.3.4 Create Snapshots for the Master Virtual Machines

In order to proceed with pod cloning, snapshots must be created on each of the pod’s
virtual machines.

Verify that all VMs are powered off before taking snapshots.

1. Make sure to view the VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, and Manage v8.0
master pod you just assigned machines to. In the pod view, click on the
dropdown menu option underneath the Action column for a specific VM and
select Snapshots.

2. In the Snapshot Manager window, click on the Take button. This will take a
snapshot of the current state of the virtual machine.

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Any changes made after this will require a new snapshot or those
changes will not reflect in the reset state of the pod or its clones.

3. In the Take Snapshot window, type GOLDEN_MASTER into the Name text field, or
you may choose another naming convention as long as it is consistent for easy
management. Click OK.

It is recommended to use GOLDEN_MASTER as the snapshot name

when working with normalized pod types.

4. In the Snapshot Manager window, notice the snapshot is created. Click the
Dismiss button.

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At this point it is good to verify that you have only one snapshot on
the virtual machine. Multiple snapshots increase the likelihood of
having problems, especially if the snapshots are named the same.
Also, the more snapshots a virtual machine has, the slower the
performance and the more drive space is used.

5. Repeat the previous steps for the remaining virtual machines.

4.3.5 Set the Revert to Snapshot

1. Make sure to view the VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, and Manage v8.0
master pod you just created snapshots for. In the pod view, click on the
dropdown menu option underneath the Action column and select Settings.

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2. In the virtual machine’s Settings window, click on the Revert to Snapshot

dropdown and select GOLDEN_MASTER and then click the Submit button.

This sets the snapshot on the virtual machine that will get reverted to
each time the pod is scheduled.

3. Click OK to confirm.
4. Return to the pod view page and repeat the previous steps for the remaining
virtual machines.

4.4 Make changes to the Master Pod

Some pods have software that needs to be altered on the host machine before it can be
used properly. This normally happens when software requires licenses to function.

If there are changes that need to be made to the master pod prior to link cloning, either
student pods or full cloning other master pods on other hosts, you will need to follow
this set of instructions to ready your master pod.

For the VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, and Manage v8.0 master pod, you will need
to license the sa-esxi-01, sa-esxi-02, and sa-vcsa VMs. This process consists of:

 Scheduling the master pod

 Licensing the sa-esxi-01, sa-esxi-02, and sa-vcsa VMs

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 Shutting down the sa-esxi-01, sa-esxi-02, and sa-vcsa VMs

 Resetting the network interface cards to SAFETY NET
 Taking a new GOLDEN_MASTER snapshot for the sa-esxi-01, sa-esxi-02, and sa-
vcsa VMs
 Ending the reservation

4.4.1 Virtual Machine Credentials

For your reference, the following table provides a list of the credentials for the systems
in the pod:

Machine User name Password

sa-aio root NDGlabpass123!
sa-esxi-01 root NDGlabpass123!
sa-esxi-02 root NDGlabpass123!
sa-student sysadmin NDGlabpass123!
sa-vcsa [email protected] NDGlabpass123!

4.4.2 Bring the Master Pod Online

1. In the pod view, click the drop arrow under State and select Online.

4.4.3 Create Class and Schedule the Master Pod

Create a class as identified in the Add Classes section of the NETLAB+ VE Instructor
Guide then schedule the Master Pod to license the sa-esxi-01, sa-esxi-02, and sa-vcsa
virtual machines (if available, choose the “No Lab: Launch Cyber Range” from the list of
labs as this selection will boot up all VMs available in the pod, otherwise, just choose
any lab).

When scheduling the Master Pod, it is important to schedule the pod

for enough time to complete the following steps.

4.4.4 Licensing the sa-esxi-01, sa-esxi-02, and sa-vcsa VMs

1. Launch the sa-student virtual machine to access the graphical login screen.
2. Log in as sysadmin using the password NDGlabpass123!.

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3. Launch the Mozilla Firefox web browser by either clicking on the icon shortcut
found on the bottom toolbar or by navigating to Start Menu > Internet > Firefox
Web Browser.
4. Notice the homepage is automatically configured to load the URL address of the
VMware vCenter Server Appliance (sa-vcsa virtual machine). Click on the Launch
vSphere Client button to launch the HTML5-based vSphere client.

If you cannot successfully load the VMware Getting Started webpage,

then please wait an additional 3-4 minutes and refresh the page to
continue. During this time, the vCSA is still booting up and requires
extra time to initialize.

5. In the User name text field, type [email protected] and in the

Password text field, type s3cretP@$$. Click on Login.
6. Once you are logged into the VMware vSphere Client, click on the Menu icon
then click on Administration.
7. Under Administration in the navigator pane, click on Licenses.
8. Click Add New Licenses to open the New Licenses window.
9. Enter all the provided vITA infrastructure license keys in the text area box
provided and then click Next.
10. On the Edit license names step, name the licenses accordingly and click Next.
11. On the Ready to complete step, review the information and click Finish.
12. To assign the VMware vCenter Server key, click on the Assets tab followed by
ensuring that the vCenter Server Systems button is selected.
13. Check the checkbox for sa-vcsa.vclass.local and select Assign License.
14. In the Assign License window, select the appropriate license and click OK.
15. To assign the VMware ESXi key, click on the Hosts button.
16. Check the checkboxes for the sa-esxi-01 and sa-esxi-02 entries and select Assign
License.
17. In the Assign License window, select the appropriate license and click OK.

4.4.5 Shut Down the sa-esxi-01, sa-esxi-02, and sa-vcsa VMs

1. Once the vCenter and Hosts are licensed, gracefully power down the virtual
machines in the following order:
a. sa-vcsa (wait for the virtual machine to be completely powered down
before continuing to the others)
b. sa-esxi-01
c. sa-esxi-02

4.4.6 Reset the NIC to SAFETY NET

1. Outside the NETLAB+ web interface, navigate to your vSphere Client using your
management workstation, and then connect to your vCenter Server.

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2. From the vSphere Client dashboard, select Hosts and Clusters.

3. Select your host under the NETLAB datacenter.
4. Locate the sa-esxi-01 virtual machine. Right-click on the virtual machine and
select Edit settings.
5. Change Network adapter 1-4 to SAFETY NET.
6. Click OK to confirm settings.
7. Repeat these instructions for the sa-esxi-2 and sa-vcsa virtual machines; making
sure that all adapters are set to SAFETY NET.

4.4.7 Create Snapshot on the Changed Master Virtual Machines

1. Right-click on the sa-esxi-01 virtual machine and select Snapshots-> Manage

Snapshots…
2. Click Delete to delete the current snapshot. Remember the name of this
snapshot, as the new snapshot will need to have the exact same name.
3. Click Yes on the Confirm Delete window.
4. Click Close on the Manage Snapshots window.
5. Right-click on the sa-esxi-01 virtual machine and select Snapshots-> Take
Snapshot…
6. In the Take Snapshot window, type GOLDEN_MASTER or whatever prior snapshot
name the virtual machine had. Click OK to take the snapshot.
7. Repeat these instructions for the sa-esxi-02 and sa-vcsa machines.

4.4.8 End Reservation

You may now end the reservation of the master pod.

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5 Pod Cloning

This section will help you create multiple student pods. The following sections describe
the NETLAB+ pod cloning feature used to create student pods on one or two host
systems.

5.1 Linked Clones and Full Clones

NETLAB+ can create linked clones or full clones.

A linked clone (or linked virtual machine) is a virtual machine that shares virtual disks
with the parent (or master) virtual machine in an ongoing manner. This conserves disk
space and allows multiple virtual machines to use the same software installation.
Linked clones can be created very quickly because most of the disk is shared with the
parent VM.

A full clone is an independent copy of a virtual machine that shares nothing with the
parent virtual machine after the cloning operation. The ongoing operation of a full
clone is entirely separate from the parent virtual machine.

5.2 Creating User Pods

The following section describes how to create user pods on the same VMware Host
system that holds your master pod's virtual machines. In this scenario, we will create
linked virtual machines using the NETLAB+ pod cloning utility.

1. Log in to NETLAB+ VE with the administrator account.

2. Select the Pods icon.

3. Click on your master pod.

4. Make sure the pod is offline by selecting Take Pod Offline.
5. Click the Clone Pod button to create a new pod, based on the settings and
snapshots of this pod.

6. Input a new ID value into the New Pod ID field. It is advised to keep the pods in
numerical order. If the pod IDs are not in numerical order, they will not show up
in the scheduler in numerical order. Click Next.

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7. Enter a name for the cloned pod into the New Pod Name field. For example,
VMware_ICMv8_H120_S1001. Click Next.

The Pod Name identifies the pod and is unique per pod. Here we used
the name of the lab set or course in a shortened form along with a
host identifier (H120), the type and number of the pod (S1001).

8. When the action has finished processing, you are presented with a settings
screen. Notice each VM has its own tab. Go through each tab and verify the
following:

Source Virtual Machine:

a. From Snapshot should be set to the GOLDEN_MASTER snapshot you
created previously.

Target Virtual Machine:

a. For Type, verify that Linked is selected.
b. For Role, verify that the Normal role is selected.
c. For Take Snapshot, verify that GOLDEN_MASTER is inputted.
d. For Copy BIOS UUID, only choose this option if you wish to preserve the
sources VM’s BIOS UUID for the targeted clone VM (when this option is
checked, it can help with keeping licensing intact such as Microsoft
Windows Licensing/Activation).

9. When you are done changing settings, click Clone Pod. This should complete
within a minute as we are creating linked virtual machines.

10. When the pod clone process is finished, click OK.

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11. If you want to dedicate this pod to a particular class, team, or student, use the
Pod ACLs feature. For details, see the NETLAB+ VE Instructor Guide.
12. Click the Online Button on the Pod Management page to make the pod
available.

The user pod can now be reserved. When the reservation becomes active, NETLAB+ will
automatically configure virtual machines and virtual networking for your new pod.

The GOLDEN_MASTER snapshot is the starting point for all pods. We

recommend that you reserve the 1st pod and conduct some labs to
make sure the snapshot images work correctly. If there are defects,
make corrections to the images to the master pod and retake the
GOLDEN_MASTER snapshot before creating additional pods.

5.3 Copying Your Master Pod to the Second Host

For this task, we will use the pod cloning utility to copy our master pod to the second
host.

1. Log in to NETLAB+ with the administrator account.

2. Select the Pods icon.

3. Click on the master pod.

4. Make sure the pod is offline by selecting Take Pod Offline.
5. Click the Clone button to create a new pod, based on the settings of this pod.

6. Input a new ID value into the New Pod ID field. It is advised to keep the pods in
numerical order. If the pod IDs are not in numerical order, they will not show up
in the scheduler in numerical order. Click Next.

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VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, and Manage v8.0 Pod Installation and Configuration Guide

7. Enter a name for the cloned pod into the New Pod Name field. For example,
VMware_ICMv8_H130_M1000. Click Next.

The Pod Name identifies the pod and is unique per pod. Here we used
the name of the lab set or course in a shortened form along with a
host identifier (H130), the type and number of the pod (M1000).

8. When the action has finished processing, you are presented with a settings
screen. Notice each VM has its own tab. Go through each tab and verify the
following:

Source Virtual Machine:

a. From Snapshot should be set to the GOLDEN_MASTER snapshot you
created previously.

Target Virtual Machine:

a. For Type, verify that Full is selected.
b. For Role, verify that the Master role is selected.
c. For Take Snapshot, verify that GOLDEN_MASTER is inputted.
d. For Runtime Host, select the second host system (which should be
different than the system you are cloning from).
e. For Copy BIOS UUID, only choose this option if you wish to preserve the
sources VM’s BIOS UUID for the targeted clone VM (when this option is
checked, it can help with keeping licensing intact such as Microsoft
Windows Licensing/Activation).

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9. When you are done changing settings, click Clone Pod. This may take up to 30
minutes as full copies are being made. You may navigate away from the cloning
progress screen, and then later return to the pod to check progress.

10. When the pod clone process is finished, click OK.

11. It is likely that you will need to reactivate the licensing on any Windows VMs in
the Master pod on the second (third, etc.) host. Please test the master pod prior
to cloning student pods.

5.4 Creating User Pods on the Second Host

To create user pods on the second host, repeat the steps to create user pods on the first
host (see Creating User Pods), substituting the second master pod (created in the
previous section) as the cloning source.

5.5 Assigning Pods to Students, Teams, or Classes

Please refer to the NETLAB+ VE Instructor Guide for details on using the Pod ACLs
feature.

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