Instant Clone Virtual Machines

The instant clone operation creates a running virtual machine that continues running from the current state of the source virtual machine. There is no delay to power on the cloned virtual machine.

An instant clone virtual machine is a kind of linked clone with these characteristics:

• The clone starts out powered on and running.
• The clone replicates the running state of the source virtual machine.
• The clone shares memory pages with the source virtual machine as long as they remain unmodified.

The instant clone operation facilitates rapid deployment of virtual machines for low-latency response to peak computing demand. It also uses memory and disk space as efficiently as possible.

Because the clone replicates the running state of the source virtual machine, it usually requires customization of some network properties in the guest operating system to eliminate conflicts with the source. An instant clone virtual machine may also require new backings for some dedicated virtual devices, such as ISO files that back virtual optical drives.