VMware vCloud Director Cookbook

Making the VM BIOS ID (UUID) unique

The UUID of VMs in vCloud is not unique. In this recipe we will see how to change this.

Getting ready

We need a vCloud environment where we have the need for a unique UUID (see the How it works... section).

How to do it...

1. Shut down your vCloud environment (all cells).
2. Log in to your database.
3. Create a backup of the database.
4. Run the following SQL statement:

   update config set value = '0' where cat='vcloud' and name='backend.cloneBiosUuidOnVmCopy';
   

5. Start your vCloud environment.

How it works...

When you deploy a vApp from a vApp template, the VMs will have the same UUID. The UUID of a VM is stored in the .vmx file of the VM. When vCloud creates a copy of the VM, it will keep the UUID. This is normally not a problem. However, ...