Using Differencing Disk and Sysprep Image to Create Hyper-V Guest on Windows Server 2008 R2 By Dan Stolts

Video Source: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/Gg269420

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Using a Sysprep image gives us the capability to create any number of servers with the base install done once.  In this short video, we walk step-by-step through the process of creating the machine in Hyper-V and attaching the disk as a differencing disk.  We will also look at the process to create the sysprep image.

Using a Sysprep image gives us the capability to create any number of servers with the base install done once.  You can make a copy of the image to use as the boot drive of a new machine with an expandable or fixed disk.  However, you can also use a differencing disk with this image. If you use a differencing disk you can build multiple machines with the same parent sysprep image. I use this technology constantly in my demonstration environments. I have about 30 guest machines on my laptop.  Without differencing technology, I would need to have the 6-7gb that the OS takes up duplicated all 30 times.  Instead of doing that, I have many of the machines pointing to the parent sysprep image and I only need that one file with the OS for all of them.  Other situations that work well with this technology are for setting up training machines, development environments or any other environment where you want to optimize space.  In addition to optimizing space, this technology very significantly reduces the time to get a server up and running.  With a Sysprep image, I can get a server up and running in about 7 minutes from start to finish. {no kidding}

**Simple Steps:

**1) Create the Sysprep Image if you do not have it

Install the OS on a Hyper-V Guest.

Open Command Prompt and run Sysprep…

CD %WINDIR%system32sysprep

sysprep.exe /generalize /shutdown

2) Create the Virtual Machine

3) Create the Virtual HD for the machine (using differencing disk)

4) Boot the new machine and walk through the “First Run” steps of the OS

}Detailed Blog Post:

[Using Differencing Disk and Sysprep Image to Create Hyper-V Guest on Windows Server 2008 R2 By Dan Stolts](/b/danstolts/archive/2011/01/13/using-differencing-disk-and-sysprep-image-to-create-hyper-v-guest-on-windows-server-2008-r2-by-dan-stolts.aspx)

}Sysprep Technical Reference [http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd744263(WS.10).aspx](http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd744263(WS.10).aspx)

}What is Sysprep

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd799240(WS.10).aspx.aspx)

}How Sysprep Works

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd744512(WS.10).aspx

}SysprepSupport for Server Roles

http.aspx)://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd744581(WS.10).aspx

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