In your VDC it is possible to save a vApp as a template so that it can be used to quickly bring up new vApp that are clones of the original. This can be useful if you build a base line version of VMs in a vApp that you will want to create clones of and then customise further, as it will greatly reduce the setup time required when making new vApps.
Step 1: Create a catalog for the new template
Once you have logged into your VDC, click on Content Hub in the top menu. Then click Catalogs in the left hand menu, and New at the top of the catalogs.
If the storage profile is not specified, then the default storage policy on the first VDC in the org will be used.
It may be more useful to select a specific datastore. Because disk I/O is not as important for a catalog of templates, it is recommended to use a slower tier of storage for your catalogues, saving your faster storage for your production VMs.
To select a specific Storage policy for the new catalog tick Pre-provision on specific storage policy. Then select the ORG VDC that the storage policy is assigned too, and select the storage policy you wish to use. In the example below, we have selected our Tier 2 Storage rather than the default Tier 0 for this VDC.
Click OK to create the new catalog.
Step 2: Create a template from a vApp
Next, you will need to turn a vApp into a template, which will be saved in the catalog we have made previously. Click on Data Centers in the top menu, then select the VDC that has the vApp you are looking to save as a template.
Within vApps -> Actions -> Create Template:
Next, select the catalog made prior, in our case this is My vApp Catalogs, and name the new template.
Customize VM Settings affects the VM creation from the template, allowing you to adjust some of the settings for the VMs within the vApp. If you won't need to adjust any settings when instantiating a new vApp from the template, then you may select Make Identical Copy. Generally, some VM customisation are required when instantiating a vApp from a template, so if in doubt, Customize VM Settings is the safest option.
Click OK to begin the template creation process, which you will see at the bottom of the page:
Step 3: Create a new vApp from the template
Once it is done, you can instantiate a new vApp from the from the template you have just created. Within vApps click New -> Import from vCenter.
Make sure to select the template that we made prior, in this case ours is Example Template:
