Install all baseline applications you may want to include in your template. Turn off Windows Defender Firewall (can be later turned on via group policy or a PowerShell script)ĭisable Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration (ESC) (can be later turned on via group policy or a PowerShell script)įrom PowerShell, install Chocolatey Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process -Force ::SecurityProtocol = ::SecurityProtocol -bor 3072 iex ((New-Object ).DownloadString('')) None of the following steps are mandatory but should be considered for a Windows template:ĭisable user account control (can be later turned on via group policy or a PowerShell script) Power on the VM and start the Windows Server installation.īefore converting the VM to a template, several actions are required.Ĭhange PowerShell execution policy to Bypass by running the Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy Bypass command in PowerShell (can be later tuned on via group policy or a PowerShell script).Īllow WinRM communication to the OS by running the allow_winrm PowerShell script. Point to the Windows Server ISO file location. Make sure to select Microsoft Windows Server 2016 or later (64-bit) as the guest OS.

It also does not review either VMware or Windows best practices.ĭownload the latest Windows Server ISO fileĪlthough it can be used locally, for faster deployment it's recommended to upload the file to a vSphere datastore or to vCenter content library.Ĭreating Windows Server 2019 VM template Deploying and installing Windows Server

This guide assumes that you have some VMware vSphere familiarity and you have knowledge on how to install Windows Server.

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