Originally posted on: http://geekswithblogs.net/hroggero/archive/2014/05/21/microsoft-azure-news-capturing-vm-images.aspx

If you have a Virtual Machine (VM) in Microsoft Azure that has a specific configuration, it used to be difficult to clone that VM. You had to sysprep the VM, and clone the data disks. This was slow, prone to errors, and stopped you from being productive.

No more!

A new option, called Capture, allows you to easily select a VM, running or not. The capture will copy the OS disk and data disks and create a new image out of it automatically for you. This means you can now easily clone an entire VM without affecting productivity.  To capture a VM, simply browse to your Virtual Machines in the Microsoft Azure management website, select the VM you want to clone, and click on the Capture button at the bottom. A window will come up asking to name your image. It took less than 1 minute for me to build a clone of my server.

And because it is stored as an image, I can easily create a new VM with it. So that’s what I did… And that took about 5 minutes total.  That’s amazing…  To create a new VM from your image, click on the NEW icon (bottom left), select Compute/Virtual Machine/From Gallery, and select My Images from the left menu when selecting an Image. You will find your newly created image. Because this is a clone, you will not be prompted for a new login; the user id/password is the same.

About Herve Roggero

Herve Roggero, Microsoft Azure MVP, @hroggero, is the founder of Blue Syntax Consulting (http://www.bluesyntaxconsulting.com). Herve's experience includes software development, architecture, database administration and senior management with both global corporations and startup companies. Herve holds multiple certifications, including an MCDBA, MCSE, MCSD. He also holds a Master's degree in Business Administration from Indiana University. Herve is the co-author of "PRO SQL Azure" and “PRO SQL Server 2012 Practices” from Apress, a PluralSight author, and runs the Azure Florida Association.