In this IT department I manage all Windows PCs, including virtual machines, with Group Policy, WSUS, and System Center Config Manager. In this mix are two domain-joined Macintosh PCs that are about to get a dose of Fusion so they can run certain Windows-only applications.
I want the Windows VMs that will end up running on the Macs to self-maintain like the stand-alone PCs do, and for that to happen they need to run all the time, or at least run as long as the power's on. I found an example for an early version of Fusion for starting a VM on startup:
http://communities.vmware.com/docs/DOC-6263?tstart=8910
And I do mean "startup" and not "logon." The Macs are multi-user machines and I instruct everyone, including the Mac users, to log off when they end their workdays so the machines can self-maintain.
Is there a better solution for auto-starting a VM on Fusion than the 2008 example above? I can use that solution if need be, though I want the Mac users to be able to open the Windows VM console instead of using VNC so they have proper DirectX and audio support. Everything I've read so far suggests Fusion stops any running VMs when the Mac user logs off; it's not like VMware Workstation or Server, where a VM can launch on host startup and a user can open and close a console to a VM as needed.
One Mac runs Lion (10.7) and is up to date. The other will get replaced with a new one that will run the current Mountain Lion (10.8). Both Windows VMs will run Windows 7 Pro SP1, from an image that already works with ESXi 5.1 VMs.
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