How to: Set the Properties of a Virtual Machine or Template

You can change the properties of a virtual machine or a template in Microsoft Test Manager. You can change properties when you do the following:

• Import a virtual machine or template from System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM). In the Library tab, click Virtual Machines and Templates, and then click Import. For more information, see How to: Import a Virtual Machine or a Template from SCVMM.

• Edit a virtual machine or template in the team project library. In the Library tab, click Virtual Machines and Templates, select the virtual machine or template and then click Open.

• Edit a template that is stored in an environment in the library. In the Library tab, click Environments, select the environment and then click Open. You change the properties of a virtual machine or template in the Machines and Machine properties pages.

• Create a new stored virtual machine or template from a virtual machine in a deployed environment. In the Lab tab, select the environment and then select the virtual machine. Then click Store in library. Notice that you must prepare the virtual machine for use as a stored virtual machine or template before you can store it. For more information, see How to: How to: Create a Virtual Machine or Template from an Environment.

Virtual Machine and Template Properties

The properties of a virtual machine or template are organized in the following groups:

Name and location

Hardware profile

OS profile (template only)

Machine tags

Name and location properties

Property name	Description
Name	The user-friendly (human-readable) name of the virtual machine or template. Two virtual machines or templates cannot have the same name in a single environment. Otherwise, duplicate names are allowed. A best practice is to provide a unique name for each instances of a virtual machine or template. Notice that the virtual machine or template name is not the same as the computer name.
Path	Specifies the library share and virtual machine or a template name in SCVMM when importing a template from SCVMM or creating a template from a virtual machine in a deployed environment. Path is a read-only property when you edit a virtual machine or a template in the team project library and is not available when you edit a virtual machine or a template in a stored environment.
Description	Additional user-friendly information a that describes the virtual machine or the template. The description might include information such as the operating system, the software that has been installed, the intended purpose, and information that you must have in order to connect to the virtual machine deployed from the template.
Default role	Indicates the installed components and functionality of the virtual machine or template that are used to configure Test Manager test cases. Database Server: Indicates that the virtual machine or the template has a database server installed in it. Web Server: Indicates that the virtual machine or the template has a Web server installed in it. Server: Any other generic server, possibly with multiple server-side software components and roles. Desktop Client: Indicates that the virtual machine or the template has a client operating system installed on it and may be used as the client machine in a multi-machine environment. Web Client: Indicates that the virtual machine or the template has a client operating system along with a browser installed on it, and may be used as a Web client in a multi-machine environment. Domain Controller: Indicates that the virtual machine or template has a domain controller installed on it. Your own role: If the previous roles do not suit your need, you can define your own roles for virtual machines or templates. To do this, open the virtual machine or template, and type the custom role string in Default role text box. Note   These roles are just indications of what is installed in a virtual machine or in a template, or indications of the intended use when the environments were created. Lab Management does not automatically verify that the virtual machines or the templates have the necessary software, nor install the software automatically to fulfill these roles.
Project library share	Specifies the SCVMM library share location when you create a template from a virtual machine in a deployed environment. Otherwise, Project library share is not available.

Hardware profile

Property	Description
Memory	Specifies the amount of memory to assign to virtual machines created from the virtual machine or template.

OS profile (Template only)

Note

When you import a template from SCVMM, the secured administrator password and product key in the template are removed. You must re-enter this information.

Property name	Description
Operating system	Specifies the operating system installed on the template. The value must match the operating system that is installed on the template because the customization that occurs when the template is converted to a virtual machine depends on the type and version of the operating system.
Identity information	Specifies how the computer name is created when a virtual machine is created from the template : To have Lab Management generate a unique name, set Computer name to *. To be prompted for a computer name when the template is deployed, clear the Computer name text box.
Product key	Specifies the Window product key that is used to authenticate the operating system of the template. Make sure that the product key that you enter is valid for the version of the operating system in the virtual machine.
Time zone	Specifies the time zone used by virtual machines that are created from the template.
Domain / Workgroup	Specifies whether a virtual machine created from the template is joined to a Workgroup or to an Active Directory domain. To specify a workgroup machine, click Workgroup and enter a name for the workgroup. To specify a domain, click Domain (FQDN) and then enter the fully qualified name of the domain. Then enter the account name and password of a user who has the permissions to join to the domain.
[GUIRunOnce] Commands	Specifies the scripts that are executed on a virtual machine that are created from the template when a user logs into that virtual machine for the first time.

Machine tags

You can associate custom name-value properties for a virtual machine or a template. For example, you can use machine tags to associate each virtual machine or template with the following:

• Updates and applications installed in the virtual machine.

• Language or locale of the operating system.

• Any additional information that is present in SCVMM but not exposed through Lab Management, for example, information about network cards on the virtual machine or the number of disks.

See Also

Concepts

How to: View or Modify a Virtual Machine or a Template

Creating Virtual Environments