ESX(i) AutoStart virtual machines: how to change the VM startup/shutdown settings (via: VMware Communities)
Posted by jpluimers on 2013/11/15
Since it usually is a one-off setting, I find it hard to remember how to configure the startup/shutdown behaviour of VM guests in an ESX(i)/vSphere environment.
Adding to the confusion is that this is a setting on your host, not on guest VMs.
Luckiliy, Jase McCarty and others explained this on the VMware communities, which I sligly edited:
Look under the configuration tab, at “Virtual Machine Startup/Shutdown”.
Choose Properties. You can configure the startup/shutdown here.
…
In the VMware Infrastructure Client (on newer installs this is called VMware vSphere Client) I client you’ll want to select the host.
Then click on the Configuration Tab and you should see Virtual Machine Startup/Shutdown.
Select that and then click on Properties (this is on the upper right corer, not intuitive).
…
Hi Im using ESXi 4.0 and vSphere client, but the “Edit” button is grayed out or not active in the VM Startup/Shutdown propertiessystem settings. Is this license issue, does ESXi 4.0 doesnt support autostart of virtual machine anymore?
…
Click on the Move Up button to move a virtual machine to Automatic Startup or Any Order.
The trick is twofold:
- there are 3 sections (a bit hidden in the documentation: Automatic Startup, Any Order and Manual Startup – Manual Startup is default)
- the Move Up and Move Down buttons move VM guests not only within a section, but also across sections.
Click on the screenshot below to see a larger version.
–jeroen
via VMware Communities: ESXi AutoStart virtual machines?.
Startup/Shutown behaviour is configured on the VMware ESX(i)/vSphere host, not guest
The Wiert Corner - irregular stream of stuff 
Leave a Reply