At the end of this guide we'll have a fresh installation of Ubuntu. We'll take a snapshot and we'll be able to resume or redo our VM anytime from this point in time.
We start by powering up the newly created virtual machine. The Ubuntu install should load:
Note From the previous screen and going forward is very possible that you'll see some different UI and wording as it varies across Ubuntu variants. Mostly I proceed with the examples to provide some guidance for most standard installations.
Now I choose to install Ubuntu. It starts with Keyboard layout that I adjust to my current hardware and/or preference:
Note Ensure that you apply your own preferences to avoid friction down the road.
Hit Continue. Now for Updates and other software:
I recommend the selection presented here. Hit Continue.
Hit Install Now and:
Hit Continue. Remaining options (Timezone, User Info and Install) adjust according to your needs.
Warning Shutdown to ensure you can clone from the fresh install snapshot.
We are all done in regards to installing the operating system. Before we continue let's take a snapshot:
Note The 1st snapshot might take a while if the virtual disk is large and all the size is allocated as defined in the VM configuration. We can continue to use the VM during this process.
Also possible that background snapshots(reddit) might be the culprit. You can disabled them by going to VMware Preferences, Priority tab and untick Take snapshots in the background when possible followed by shutdown the VM and start it again..
Next we can set up and customize our Ubuntu installation.
Note So far we've done the least interesting part of the setup because of so many manual actions. From this point forward I'll relying more in automation assisted by scripts. Regardless I'll try to keep record of both ste-by-step instructions and script-based approach so that we can learn as well about the internals of the various configurations we make along the way.