You can change the order in which virtual machines and nested vApps within a vApp start up and shut down. You can also specify the delays and actions performed at startup and shutdown.

Prerequisites

Required privilege: vApp.vApp application configuration on the vApp.

Procedure

  1. Right-click a vApp in the inventory and click Edit Settings.
  2. Select a virtual machine and select its order group.

    Virtual machines and vApps in the same group are started before the objects in the next group. The first group of virtual machines to power on is Group 1, followed by Group 2, Group 3, and so forth. The reverse order is used for shutdown.

    Option Description
    vSphere Client
    1. Click the Start Order tab.
    2. Select a virtual machine from the list.
    3. From the Group drop-down menu, select a group for the virtual machine.
    vSphere Web Client
    1. In the Authoring section, expand Start order.
    2. Select a virtual machine and click the up or down arrow to move the virtual machine in the startup order.
  3. (Optional) Select the startup action for the virtual machine.
    The default is Power On. Select None to power on the virtual machine manually.
  4. (Optional) Specify when the startup action is to happen.
    • Enter a time delay in seconds for the startup action.
    • Select Continue when VMware Tools are ready to perform the startup action when VMware Tools has started.
  5. (Optional) Select the shutdown action for the virtual machine.
    The default shutdown action is Power Off. You can also select Guest Shutdown to shut down the guest OS and leave the virtual machine running, Suspend, or None.
  6. (Optional) Enter a time delay in seconds for the shutdown action.
  7. Click OK.