In this blog, we will see the basic difference between Clone and Template in VMware in the context of the virtual machine.
What is a Clone in VMware?
If you want to save the virtual machine state in case of any temporary backup purpose or before any patching activity, you would take a snapshot of the virtual machine. If you want to make a copy of a virtual machine for separate use, you need a clone.
A clone is a copy of the original parent virtual machine. After the cloning operation is completed, the clone has a separate existence:
- Changes made to a clone do not affect the parent virtual machine.
- Changes made to the parent virtual machine do not appear in a clone.
- A clone MAC address and UUID are different from the parent virtual machine. A clone can be powered on simultaneously with its parent after decloning it.
A VMware template is a golden image Virtual Machine. It helps an administrator to create a virtual machine, a clone, or deploy more virtual machines with a template. A template is a master copy of a virtual machine that can be used to create and provision virtual machines.
Difference between Clone and Template in VMware
| Clone | Template |
|---|---|
| Clone is the exact copy of the existing VM. You can alter the name and configuration during the cloning process. | A template is a master copy of a VM that can be used to create many clones. |
| Clone VM can be powered off and on. | You can not power on/off or edit a template. |
| You can convert a Cloned VM to the VM. | A template offers a more secure way of preserving a virtual machine configuration that you want to deploy many times. |
| Clone VMs are best suited for Tests or DR environments. | The template is good for mass VM deployment in the production environment. |
| You cannot convert back the cloned Virtual Machine. | You can convert the template back to Virtual Machine to update the baseline template with the latest configuration and again convert back to the template to be used for future deployment of VMs. |
| Clone can be created with the VM that is powered on. | You can not create a Template from a VM that is powered on. |
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