"Connect At Power On" is disabled when deploying a virtual machine from a template using a customization specification.

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi
• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

When applying a customization specification during a deployment from a virtual machine template, the virtual machine is deployed with "Connect At Power On" disabled.

• The "Connect At Power On" option on the virtual machine template is enabled.

• If a customization specification is not used, the virtual machine is deployed with "Connect At Power On" enabled.

Environment

VMware vSphere ESXi
VMware vCenter Server

Cause

It is expected behavior for "Connect At Power On" to be disabled when a customization specification is applied.
When deploying with a customization specification, the 'ethernet0.startConnected = "FALSE"' option is added to the vmx file.
This disables "Connect At Power On" to prevent IP address and hostname conflicts during the initial boot, allowing the customization to be executed in a secure and isolated setup environment.

Resolution

Once the customization is successfully completed, it will automatically be changed to 'ethernet0.startConnected = "TRUE"', and "Connect At Power On" will become enabled.

Additional Information

Japanese KB: カスタマイズ仕様を利用して仮想マシンをテンプレートからデプロイすると、「パワーオン時に接続」が無効化される。