Why do my cloned VMs keep disappearing from the portal?Solved

Oh man, the classic “Identity Collision”. We have all been there.

Basically, because you enrolled the Master VM before cloning it, all your clones have the exact same Hexnode Agent ID and UDID. To the Hexnode server, they all look like the exact same computer, so they are just constantly overwriting each other’s data. We call it “Console Flapping.”

You need to change your image strategy. The agent should never be on the Golden Image itself.

Ah, that makes sense. So, I have to uninstall the agent on the Master and re-clone?

Exactly. The best practice (we use the “Golden Image Strategy”) is:

1. Build your Master VM with all your apps and updates.
2. Do NOT install the Hexnode agent.
3. Shut it down and make your clones.
4. Use a startup script or a Provisioning Package (PPKG) to install the agent after the clone boots up for the first time.

Since the agent installs on the fresh clone, it generates a unique ID based on that specific VM’s hardware, and they’ll all show up separately.

Okay, I can do that. But what if I need the agent on the master for some reason? Like if I want to pre-configure some policies?

If you absolutely must clone an enrolled machine (Strategy B), you must “generalize” it first. You’d have to uninstall the agent and make sure all the registry keys and Agent IDs are wiped clean before you shut it down to clone.

Honestly, though? Stick to @pepijn method. It’s way cleaner and less prone to errors. Just use a PPKG file to enroll them automatically when the new VMs spin up.

Got it. I’m going to wipe the master, remove the agent, and try the PPKG method for the clones. Thanks for saving my sanity!