How to change template(windows) and update linked clones

[beginner1393]

Hello,
I created a virtual machine for Windows 10 and built template from it(after sysprep ...) . After that, I built 20 linked clone from the template.
I added another hard drive to all 20 virtual machines and all the important files is stored on this second drive.
Now I want to update Windows 10 template and make changes to it, I do that and re-create the template(with new id). But how do I connect those 20 linked virtual machines to the new template?!! I want to make Windows changes for all 20 virtual machines (replace the first hard drive) but do not delete the second hard drive I added to the virtual machines(linked clones).

please guide me Thanks

 

[bbgeek17]

Once a clone is created from a template in Proxmox - its completely independent from the template at VM level. Regardless of the changes you make to the template - the clone will not change.
There may be some space optimization if you are using linked-clones, but thats not user visible. If you want your 20 VMs to incorporate changes you made to template - you have to re-create them.

If you want to be able to dynamically update the VMs you either have to use cloud-init or many of the windows specific tools, like "policy/GPO/etc".

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Ultra low latency all-NVME shared storage for Proxmox - https://www.blockbridge.com/proxmox

 

[beginner1393]

Once a clone is created from a template in Proxmox - its completely independent from the template at VM level. Regardless of the changes you make to the template - the clone will not change.
There may be some space optimization if you are using linked-clones, but thats not user visible. If you want your 20 VMs to incorporate changes you made to template - you have to re-create them.

If you want to be able to dynamically update the VMs you either have to use cloud-init or many of the windows specific tools, like "policy/GPO/etc".

---

Ultra low latency all-NVME shared storage for Proxmox - https://www.blockbridge.com/proxmox

Thanks for the reply and guidance.These 20 VMs are related to users and are not servers (Windows 10) ... Users have Linux operating system on their systems and connect to their virtual machine through Spice(Like DaaS). But after any change in Windows 10 operating system, such as installing new versions of software, etc., I have to delete all 20 virtual machines (the second hard drive will not be removed) and re-create 20 virtual machines from the template(Linked clone) and the hard drive Second, attribute each to them. This is a bit difficult and complicated ...

 

[lifeboy]

I'm surprised to learn that a linked clone cannot be updated by updating the template the clone is linked to. Why is this? Is there a technical reason that one of the dev's here could explain. If it where possible to update a template and let the linked clone act modification it would be a powerful tool. Without that, it's just a deployment assistance tool, nothing more.

Depending on how linked-clones are created, is may be possible to add this code. Or am I misunderstanding what could be done?

 

[lifeboy]

I'm surprised to learn that a linked clone cannot be updated by updating the template the clone is linked to. Why is this? Is there a technical reason that one of the dev's here could explain. If it where possible to update a template and let the linked clone act modification it would be a powerful tool. Without that, it's just a deployment assistance tool, nothing more.

Depending on how linked-clones are created, is may be possible to add this code. Or am I misunderstanding what could be done?

I just thought about it a little more (and read up somewhat) and understand that the linked clone is based on a snapshot of the template. So once a snapshot is made, all changes go to the clone. If the template is changed, the clone still refers to the snapshot and does not include the changes.

Is there any system that anyone knows about that allows a master template / clone configuration where one can update template and then clone is then updated automatically as well?

 

[bbgeek17]

In windows that system is called GPO, Ansible and the like in Linux, InTune and similar in the cloud.

There are two approaches :
- Clones are treated as completely disposable. They are destroyed after every use and re-created on demand, so any updates in templates are active.
- Clones are long lived and treated as independent VMs. The updates are done via the same method you would update the template.

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Blockbridge: Ultra low latency all-NVME shared storage for Proxmox - https://www.blockbridge.com/proxmox