How to Set Up Virtual Machine Self-Service

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Through virtual machine self-service, you can allow users to create, operate, and manage their own virtual machines independently within a controlled environment. Self-service users work with their virtual machines via a Web site, the Virtual Machine Manager Self-Service Portal. Access to their virtual machines is provided through the Virtual Machine Remote Control (VMRC) client of Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2. For more information, see About Virtual Machine Self-Service.

Note

For information about using the Virtual Machine Manager Self-Service Portal, see Virtual Machine Self-Service Help, which you can open from the Self-Service Portal or on the VMM server. To open the English version of the Help file, on the system drive, open Program Files\Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2007\wwwroot\EN-US\VMSSHelp.htm, where "EN-US" identifies the folder containing the English version.

The following procedure provides an overview of tasks that are performed to set up virtual machine self-service, with links to procedures for performing the tasks.

To set up virtual machine self-service

  1. To set up the Virtual Machine Self-Service Portal, perform the following tasks:

    1. Install the Virtual Machine Manager Self-Service Portal on a Web server. For information, see "How to Install Virtual Machine Self-Service Portal" in Virtual Machine Manager Setup Help.
    2. Update Virtual Machine Manager settings to identify the Web server. For more information, see How to Add and Remove Self-Service Web Servers.

  2. Create a host group to use for virtual machine self-service, and move hosts into the host group. For information, see How to Create a Host Group.

  3. To enable self-service users to connect to their virtual machines, enable and configure Virtual Machine Remote Control (VMRC) in Virtual Server on each of the hosts. For more information, see "Configuring Virtual Machine Remote Control" in the Virtual Server 2005 Administrator's Guide (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=88874).

  4. Create virtual machine templates for self-service users to use to create their virtual machines. For information, see How to Create a Virtual Machine Template.

  5. To grant users or groups permissions for virtual machines on the hosts and assign templates for them to use to create their virtual machines, create self-service policies for the host group. For information, see How to Create a Self-Service Policy.

  6. Specify the e-mail address of the administrator who will support self-service users. The Self-Service Portal includes an action for contacting the administrator. For information, see How to Specify the Administrative Contact for Self-Service Users.

  7. If self-service users will use virtual machines that you created, create the virtual machines, configure them for virtual machine self-service, and deploy the virtual machines on a host in the host group that you use for self-service. For more information, see How to Configure a Virtual Machine for Self-Service.

  8. Send instructions for using self-service to the users:

    1. Provide the Web address of the Virtual Machine Manager Self-Service Portal in one of the following formats:
      Web server (if the Web site has a dedicated TCP port): http://<WebServerName>:<PortNumber>
      Host header (if the TCP port is shared with other Web sites): http://<Host Header Name>
    2. If the users' virtual machines will be in a workgroup rather than a domain, provide the local Administrator password for them to use to access their virtual machines.
    3. If you register your own CA-signed certificate for encrypting VMRC communication, instruct users to accept the certificate for encrypting their VMRC sessions when prompted.
    4. If shared ownership will be in effect for users, explain the effects of shared ownership on their virtual machines and their virtual machine quotas.

See Also

Concepts

About Virtual Machine Remote Control (VMRC)
About Virtual Machine Self-Service
Virtual Machine Self-Service