Patent ID: 8621462
Filing Date: 2013-12-31
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. An apparatus comprising: a computer system comprising at least one computer with a processor and a memory coupled to the processor; a virtual appliance, imported into the memory, for deployment on a virtual machine where the virtual appliance has a plurality of customization properties with corresponding customization values, wherein the customization properties include at least one of CPU properties, memory properties, storage properties, network properties and software specific properties; a customizer that assists a user to customize the virtual appliance, the customizer residing in the memory, wherein the customizer determines a customization provider to provide a customization value for each of the plurality of customization properties; wherein the customizer retrieves the customization values for each of the plurality of customization properties from the determined source customization provider; wherein the virtual appliance is saved with the customization values in a virtual appliance repository; wherein the steps of retrieving customization properties of the virtual appliance and determining the source customization provider for the identified customization properties includes accessing the memory having a customization table with customization properties for the virtual appliance and corresponding source customization providers for the customization properties; and wherein the customization values include number of central processing units, size of memory, an internet protocol address, and a username of a user of the virtual machine.