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Lab 3.a - Generalize and capture a Windows Image

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This lab is part of a series of labs for Mastering the Virtual Machine Offers workshop. You should finish this lab before moving on to the next labs in this course.

Generalize and Capture#

In this module, we will remote into the VM and generalize the Virtual machine

Remote into the Virtual Machine#

  1. On your Azure Portal, navigate to the VM you just created. Click on Connect from the tabs on the left under Settings.
  2. In the RDP blade, select Download RDP file. This will download a copy to your local machine. Double-click the downloaded RDP file.
  3. It will open a popup asking if you recognize the publisher. Click on Connect.
  4. When asked for credentials, make sure to input the username and password you created for the VM.
  5. Accept the certificate and click Yes when prompted.
  6. Voila! You are now inside the VM.
  7. Ensure that the VM doesn't have any pending updates. Search for Check for Updates and install any updates if there are any pending.

Generalize the Virtual Machine#

  1. Open File Explorer inside the VM and navigate to C:\Windows\System32\Sysprep
  2. Run the sysprep application
  3. Check the Generalize checkbox under System cleanup actions

  4. From the Shutdown options dropdown, select Shutdown and click OK

    ⚠️ At this point, your VM will process these commands and in a few minutes will close the application on its own. The VM should NOT be restarted once it is generalized.

Capture the Image#

In this module, we will capture an image from the Generalized VM and store it in a Compute Gallery. We will also define Image definitions within the Compute Gallery for organization.

  1. Navigate to the VM on Azure Portal You will see that the VM has been stopped under VM Status
  2. Click on Capture from the options available on top

Create an Image#

  1. Select a subscription from the dropdown menu
  2. For Resource Group, select the same resource group we created earlier vmworkshop-rg-YOUR_UNIQUE_STRING.
  3. Under Instance details, select the Yes, share it to a gallery as a VM image version radio button
  4. Under Gallery Details, select Create new and give it a name
  5. For Operating system state, select the Generalized radio button
  6. Click the Create new for Target VM image definition and give your definition a name and click OK
  7. Give your image a version name of 0.0.1
  8. Lastly click Review + Create at the bottom. Once validation has passed, click Create.

Post Image Creation Exercise#

In this exercise we will verify that the image is created and ready to be used. 1. In your Azure Portal, search for Compute Gallery using the search bar and select your new Compute Gallery 1. Click on the definition you created 1. You should now see the version number of the image created as well as verify the Provisioning State is Succeeded and Replication Status is Completed.

Congratulations! You have now finished this lab.

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