Template is used for provisioning of VM's in VMware. Provisioning is inbuilt feature in VMInfra 3.0. Technically Template is a VM which cannot be powered ON. Templates/VMDK can be stored in Monolithic form or sparse file format.

What is monolithic or spare file format ?

lets take a example:  If you create a monolithic file format of 16 GB, totally 16 GB is claimed  at one go, But if you create sparse file format 16GB will be consumed as and when it is utilized. Templates can be stored in NFS/SVC Console/VMFS

Templates can be created in two ways

• Clone to template - Original VM is retained.
• Convert to template - converts VM to template

DEPLOY VM FROM TEMPLATE

 Connect to Virtual center via VI client

Change the view to VM and Templates

Right click the template and select deploy this VM from this template.

Wizard will ask you VM's Name and Host on which you want to put this VM

Next select resource pool

Last you get option to customize OS.

You can select YES /NO depending upon your choices.

1) Select Template

2) Select Datacenter and ESX Host

UPDATING TEMPLATES:

In case you need to include latest Hotfix/Patches into templates, you easily do it. In order to achieve this task. Select template and select convert to virtual machine. Once VM is powered ON, apply patches and etc. Convert the same VM back to template.