
Workstation can create multiple linked clones from the same source because the software creates a snapshot of the source, leaving it intact and unchanged for future use. Not only does this create linked clones in a matter of seconds, it also isn't necessary to copy all data from the source VM. The linked clone process creates a new VM with a delta disk and places changes only related to the source VM. A more efficient method is to use linked clones depending on your needs. VM clone creation also takes some time because the system must copy all data from the source VM. Still, the clone consumes the same amount of storage as the source. The cloned VM has no relation to the source VM. linked clonesĪ full clone is an exact copy of a VM the system duplicates the full data - or hard disk - of the VM and creates two identical and independent VMs. The clone VM wizard not only creates full VM clones but also linked clones. To prevent network conflicts, it's better to use Workstation's VM cloning wizard instead of copying data manually. Choose between the 'I Copied It' or 'I Moved It' option in VMware Workstation. But if you select the I Moved It option, it creates an identical UUID and MAC address, which can potentially cause conflicts on the network, unless you move the VM files rather than copy them. In this case, you should select the I Copied It option because it creates a new UUID and MAC address. In Figure 1, when you power on the VM copy, the system asks whether you've moved or copied the original VM. This can cause problems on your network when you run the original and source VM simultaneously. The issue is it's an exact copy, which means the VM's Universal Unique Identifier (UUID) and MAC address would be identical. In theory, if you copy a VM folder you then have a VM clone. VMs are essentially files within a file system. With a VM snapshot, the original state and new state can't run simultaneously, but a VM clone can. Or if you plan to test a certain setup, you can copy the original VM and it remains intact and functional. If you build a base VM with Windows or Linux once and plan to reuse it, you can copy it into a new VM for a future project.
