I'm running VMWare vSphere Client Version 5.5.0.
I'm logged in as an administrative user.
I want to clone a VM (or turn it into a template.) All the documentation says "Right click on the VM name in Inventory, then select Clone"
Unfortunately when I right click on the VM name I get
Power
Guest
Snapshot
Open Console
Edit Settings
Upgrade Virtual Hardware
Add Permission
Report Performance
Rename
Open in New Window
Remove from Inventory
Delete from Disk
As you can see "Clone" is not one of the options. I've looked under all the menus and tabs I can find, with no luck.
What am I missing?
Side note: I was able to "manually" clone the VM by browsing the data store, creating a new directory, copying the contents of the old directory, and renaming the vmx file, then adding the new vmx to inventory, but this is not a very good work-around because among other things, the copied vmdk files were no longer sparse which used up most of the free disk space on the host device!
Best Answer
Unless you're connected to a vCenter, cloning is not an option for the version you're using.