How NOT to configure a VM test environment…

August 7, 2009 · Posted in Windows

Step 1: Configure a Virtual Machine and install Windows Server 2003/2008

Step 2: Make a clone of that VM to spawn additional VMs

Step 3: Configure separate Active Directory Domains in 2 of the cloned VMs and attempt to create a Trust between them

Step 4: Fail…

So the first issue is that this cloning process kills Windows Activation in all of the cloned VMs even though I am using a Volume License Key. Also, each clone contains the same SIDs which uniquely identify the OS and users/groups. During the Trust configuration Active Directory detects that the SIDs are the same in each OS and throws a non-descript error which really says nothing about the cause.

The short term fix for this issue is to remove Active Directory from one of the VMs and then use NewSID from SysInternals to generate a new SID for Windows in that VM –> http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb897418.aspx

The real fix, which will also correct the Windows activation issue, is to use SysPrep in the source VM prior to cloning. I knew this in advance, but I am inherently lazy. I’ve even experienced the Active Directory SID issue before in a previous bout of laziness many moons ago, but completely forgot about it.

Ah well, back to the drawing board…

-CB