Hi,
I noticed recently that when you deploy a vApp with a Linux VM (CentOS 6.2 for example) and use customization the CD stays connected to customize-guest.iso in the VM's directory (same place as the vmx file) once the VM is done successfully powering on and customization is sucessful (as evidenced by change of IP and hostname for example).
From within the VM the user can mount this CD and access the customization scripts etc. I don't think this is a big problem, as there is no sensitive information in there as far as I can tell, but it is not the expected behaviour. I would expect all the customization related stuff to be cleaned up and disconnected once it is completed (following best practice to keed CD not connected ) .
Now here is where it becomes interesting. Consider the following scenario:
i) deploy a vApp from a catalog template with a Linux VM that gets customized (call this vApp-orig). Once powered on, the VM in vApp-orig will have the customize-guest.iso connected.
ii) capture vApp-orig into a catalog as a 'Make identical copy' template (call this vApp-catalog). Note that the VM in vApp-catalog will still have CD connected to customize-guest.iso in the vApp-orig directory.
iii) deploy a vApp from vApp-catalog template (call this vApp-running). Note that the VM in vApp-running will have its CD connected to the customize-guest.iso in its parent's parent's (grandparent's?!) directory. This could even be on a different datastore!
iv) If you now delete the grandparent you will be left with a directory with just customize-guest.iso in it (and possibly delta files if you are using fast provisioning).
Note that if you open the console to the VM and connect the CDROM to 'None' the CDROM gets disconnected and set to 'Client Device'.
Anyone else noticed this strange behaviour?
Comments?
Cheers,
Milos