Clone a VM
In STRATUM, cloning follows the same model as container images: promote a configured VM into a reusable Arsenal image, then deploy new VMs from that image.
From running VM to reusable image
STRATUM does not treat a clone as a live copy of another running VM. Think of a Docker container: prepare its filesystem, commit it to an image, and start new containers from that image. STRATUM applies that idea to virtual machines.
Prepare and configure a VM, stop it, and use Promote a VM to Arsenal to create a versioned VM image in an Arsenal Template family. Each newly deployed VM uses the selected baseline while maintaining its own writable runtime state.
The reusable image is the baseline; the newly deployed VMs are separate instances. Promotion captures the prepared VM disk state for future deployments, not a live memory snapshot.
Clone a configured VM
Prepare the source VM
Install the operating system and software, apply your configuration, and confirm the workload is ready to be reused. Stop the VM before promotion.
Promote into Arsenal
Choose the VM's Promote action, select the destination Arsenal template or image identity, and create a version. Use a recognizable template name and version so the baseline can be selected later.
Verify the image version
In Arsenal VM Images, confirm that the promoted version appears under the expected template family.
Deploy additional VM instances
In Mission Planner, deploy a new VM based on that Arsenal template/image version. Repeat for as many independent VM instances as needed, with distinct identities and appropriate resource assignments.
Verify each clone
Boot the new VM, confirm its applications and storage, and adjust unique guest settings such as hostnames, network addresses, or identities as required by your environment.
Distribute cloned VMs across storage workers
For a large deployment, deploying many VMs from just one template does not automatically spread the template's backing storage across multiple storage workers. When you want distinct storage placement, promote the prepared VM into multiple Arsenal templates with different names, then distribute those images across separate storage bins in STRATUM Storage Fabric.
In Storage Fabric, drag each template image to its target storage worker, then select BAKE to commit the staged placement. Wait for the bake to complete. Deploy VM instances from the template/version associated with the desired storage bin. Plan storage capacity and fabric connectivity for the resulting workload count.
Promotion creates reusable image versions. Storage Fabric controls where the backing image content resides. Neither step duplicates a running VM's live execution state.