Configure the Virtual Machine Power States in the VMware Host Client

Changing virtual machine power states is useful when you do maintenance on the host. You can use the system default settings for the virtual machine power controls, or you can configure the controls to interact with the guest operating system. For example, you can configure the Power off control to power off the virtual machine or shut down the guest operating system.

You can modify many virtual machine configurations while the virtual machine is running, but you might need to change the virtual machine power state for some configurations.

You cannot configure a Power on () action. This action powers on a virtual machine that is stopped, or starts a virtual machine and runs a script if the virtual machine is suspended and VMware Tools is installed and available. If VMware Tools is not installed, it starts the suspended virtual machine and does not run a script.

Prerequisites

• Verify that you have privileges to perform the intended power operation on the virtual machine.
• To set optional power functions, install VMware Tools on the virtual machine.
• Power off the virtual machine before editing the VMware Tools options.

Procedure

1. Click Virtual Machines in the VMware Host Client inventory.
2. Right-click a virtual machine from the list and select Edit settings from the drop-down menu.
3. On the VM Options tab, expand VMware Tools.
4. Select an option for the virtual machine Power off () control from the drop-down menu.

   Option	Description
   Power Off	Immediately stops the virtual machine. A Power Off action shuts down the guest operating system or powers off the virtual machine. A message indicates that the guest operating system might not shut down properly. Use this power off option only when necessary.
   Shut Down Guest	Uses VMware Tools to initiate an orderly system shut down of the virtual machine. Soft power operations are possible only if the tools are installed in the guest operating system.
   System Default	Follows system settings. The current value of the system settings appears in parentheses.

5. Select an option for the Suspend () control from the drop-down menu.

   Option	Description
   Suspend	Pauses all virtual machine activity. When VMware Tools is installed and available, a suspend action runs a script and suspends the virtual machine. If VMware Tools is not installed, a Suspend action suspends the virtual machine without running a script.
   Put Guest on Standby	Puts the guest operating system on standby. This option stops all processes, but all virtual devices remain connected to the virtual machine.
   System Default	Follows system settings. The current value of the system settings appears in parentheses.

6. Select an option for the Reset () control from the drop-down menu.

   Option	Description
   Reset	Shuts down and restarts the guest operating system without powering off the virtual machine. If VMware Tools is not installed, a Reset action resets the virtual machine.
   Restart Guest	Uses VMware Tools to initiate an orderly restart. Soft power operations are possible only if the tools are installed in the guest operating system.
   Default	Follows system settings. The current value of the system settings appears in parentheses.

7. Click Save.