Operating Virtual Machines

Use the actions described in the following table to operate virtual machines in Virtual Machines view.

Action Description

Start

Starts a stopped or paused virtual machine.

Stop

Stops a virtual machine and does not save any state information. This action has the same effect on the virtual machine as does pulling the plug on a physical computer.

Pause

Stops a virtual machine without discarding memory.

Save state

Saves the current state of the virtual machine and stops the virtual machine from running. When the virtual machine is restored from the saved state, it returns to the condition that it was in when its state was saved.

Warning

Do not save state on a virtual machine configured as a domain controller. Problems might occur with replication because you can revert the virtual machine to an earlier state.

Discard saved state

Discards the state information for the virtual machine and leaves the virtual machine turned off.

Shut down

Shuts down the guest operating system on the virtual machine. This action is available only when Virtual Machine Additions is installed on the virtual machine.

Connect to virtual machine

Log on to the guest operating system of the virtual machine by using Virtual Machine Remote Control (VMRC). VMM attempts to connect to a running virtual machine that you select in the results pane and adds a thumbnail of the connection—the desktop of the virtual machine—to the virtual machine details. To open a larger connection window so you can log on to the virtual machine, you can either double-click the thumbnail or click Connect to virtual machine in the Actions pane. For more information, see How to Connect to a Virtual Machine.

See Also

Concepts

Managing Virtual Machines

Other Resources

How to Connect to a Virtual Machine