VMware-Clone VMDK without vCenter

Please refer to the following steps on how to clone a VMDK file (Windows 2012R2 Server with latest patches installed (Syspreped)in vSphere 6.5 Standalone Server without vCenter

1. Create a Virtual Machines with Windows 2012 R2 Server with latest patches installed and sysprep it
2. Provision a New Virtual Machine by removing the hard disk

3. Clone the VMDK from the template to Destination

[root@v1:~] vmkfstools -i /vmfs/volumes/EVO/TEMPLATE-WIN2012R2/TEMPLATE-WIN2012R2.vmdk  /vmfs/volumes/EVO/CITRIX-DDC/CITRIX-DDC.vmdk -d thin
Destination disk format: VMFS thin-provisioned
Cloning disk '/vmfs/volumes/EVO/TEMPLATE-WIN2012R2/TEMPLATE-WIN2012R2.vmdk'...
Clone: 100% done.

vmkfstools -i SOURCE DESTINATION -d thin (Thin Provision)
4. Run “du -alh” to verify that the VMDK disk is thin provisioned

[root@v1:~] du -alh /vmfs/volumes/EVO/CITRIX-DDC/
0       /vmfs/volumes/EVO/CITRIX-DDC/CITRIX-DDC.vmx
0       /vmfs/volumes/EVO/CITRIX-DDC/CITRIX-DDC.vmsd
11.5G   /vmfs/volumes/EVO/CITRIX-DDC/CITRIX-DDC-flat.vmdk
0       /vmfs/volumes/EVO/CITRIX-DDC/CITRIX-DDC.vmdk
11.5G   /vmfs/volumes/EVO/CITRIX-DDC/

1. Add the cloned VMDK file to the VM provisioned early and power on
   

You can login to the new VM with the standard Windows 2012 R2 Images that you prepared now