ABSTRACT
Th e fi rst thing to do to prepare for the creation of a virtual machine is to determine the purpose or use of the virtual machine. It is important to properly size and scope the virtual machine before blindly creating its confi guration. Additionally, proper planning is important when creating template images, rather than creating a department fi lled with time consuming one-off images that totally negate one of the time saving features of using virtualization. Below are sample questions that should be asked during the preparation stage; however, chapters 6 and 24 go into much further detail to help with this process.
