XenCenter

Creating New Templates

May 9, 2024

Contributed by:

You can create custom templates in several different ways in XenCenter:

By copying an existing template; see Copying VMs and templates.
By converting an existing VM into a new template.
By saving a copy of a VM snapshot as a new template.
By importing a template that has previously been exported from an existing template or VM snapshot as an XVA file.

To convert an existing VM into a template

When you create a template using this method, the VM’s disks are copied to the new template and the original VM no longer exists. A VM that is currently in a vApp cannot be converted into a template.

Shut down the VM as described in Shutdown a VM.
In the Resources pane, select the VM, right-click and then select Convert to Template.
Click Convert to confirm. You can view the conversion progress in the status bar at the bottom of the XenCenter window and on the Events view under Notifications.

When conversion is complete, the VM disappears from the Resources pane and reappears as a new custom template. The new custom template can then be used to create VMs in the same way as any other template.

To save a copy of a snapshot as a new template

On the Snapshots tab, select the snapshot, right-click and then select Create Template from Snapshot on the shortcut menu.
Enter the name of the new template and then click OK.

After the template is successfully created, it appears as a custom template in the Resources pane and on the Templates page in the New VM wizard.

To import a template from an XVA file

VM templates and snapshots that have been exported as XVA files can be imported into XenCenter using Import wizard:

On the File menu, select Import
Select the XVA file containing the template on the first page of the wizard
Follow the same steps as when importing a VM from XVA

For more information, see Import VMs from XVA.

The import progress is displayed on the status bar at the bottom of the XenCenter window and also on the Events view under Notifications. The import process can take some time, depending on the size of the template and the speed and bandwidth of the network connection between XenCenter and the server. When the newly imported template is available, it appears in the Resources pane as a custom template. The new template has the same configuration properties as the original exported template. To change its configuration properties, use the template’s Properties window.

The official version of this content is in English. Some of the Cloud Software Group documentation content is machine translated for your convenience only. Cloud Software Group has no control over machine-translated content, which may contain errors, inaccuracies or unsuitable language. No warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, is made as to the accuracy, reliability, suitability, or correctness of any translations made from the English original into any other language, or that your Cloud Software Group product or service conforms to any machine translated content, and any warranty provided under the applicable end user license agreement or terms of service, or any other agreement with Cloud Software Group, that the product or service conforms with any documentation shall not apply to the extent that such documentation has been machine translated. Cloud Software Group will not be held responsible for any damage or issues that may arise from using machine-translated content.

Was this helpful

Creating New Templates

May 9, 2024

Contributed by:

May 9, 2024

Contributed by:

Creating New Templates

To convert an existing VM into a template

To save a copy of a snapshot as a new template

To import a template from an XVA file

In this article