Create and manage cloud images

The Images page provides a list of your images, as well as information and actions you can perform.

Steps

1. 1
   Using the menu on the left, navigate to Compute > Images.
2. 2
   A list of Helpful Articles is displayed at the top of the page.
3. 3
   The Delete Images button allows you to delete existing private images.
4. 4
   The Images table shows a list of your current images and associated information in each column.

• Name: Name of the image.
• Type: The file type of the image (image or snapshot).
• Status: Whether the image is active for use.
• Visibility: The access permission for the image (Public or Private).
• Protected: Whether the image is protected from deletion.
• Disk Format: Format of the image.
• Size: Provisioned size (in GiB).

Read through the sections below for step-by-step guides on each action.

The overview displays information and metadata about an image. 

Steps

1. 1
   Using the menu on the left, navigate to Compute > Images.
2. 2
   In the Image table, find the image you want to view.
3. 3
   Click on the Name (blue, hyperlinked text).
4. 4
   The overview page will display.

Images that are incomplete or misconfigured may fail to boot or may not be accessible after launch.

Before uploading a custom image, check the following:

Use a supported format: RAW or ISO.

• A RAW image must contain a fully installed, bootable operating system.
• An ISO image is installation media and requires manual installation onto a separate bootable volume.

Make sure the image is within your project image-storage limits:

• Uploaded images must not exceed your project’s image storage limits.
• If the image size exceeds your available limits, the upload will fail.
• See more on project limits

Configure the operating system for xneelo Cloud before upload.

SSH requirements (Linux):

• SSH server (sshd) must be installed.
• SSH must be enabled to start on boot.
• This enables remote connection via SSH.

DHCP requirements:

• The primary network interface must obtain an IP address via DHCP.
• Do not configure a static IP address inside the image.
• Static IP configuration inside the OS will prevent proper network assignment in xneelo Cloud.

Cloud-init requirements (Linux):

• cloud-init must be installed and enabled.
• This enables SSH key injection, password configuration, instance configuration during launch.
• Without cloud-init, certain instance setup features will not function correctly.

Windows image requirements:

• Cloudbase-Init should be installed and configured for SSH key injection, password configuration, and instance setup.
• VirtIO drivers must be installed. Without these drivers, the instance may not detect disk or network devices.

This allows you to upload your own image file to create a private image in your cloud project.

Steps

1. 1
   Using the menu on the left, navigate to Compute > Images.
2. 2
   Click Create Image.
3. 3
   In the Image Details section:

• Enter an Image name.
• (Optional) Enter an Image description.

1. 4
   In the Image Source section:

• Click Choose File and select your image file.
• Select the Format (RAW or ISO).

1. 5
   Click Create Image to upload and create the image.

Once the upload is complete, the image will appear in your Images list as a private image.

If you have created an ISO image, follow the steps below to set up an ISO image.

If an upload fails, check:

• Your available image storage quota.
• Your available volume quota (if uploading from a volume).
• That the file format matches the selected format.
• That the file is not corrupted.

ISO files are installation media. They are not ready-to-use cloud images.

To use an ISO image in xneelo Cloud,  first create a temporary instance from the ISO and install the operating system onto a separate bootable volume. The temporary instance is only used as the installer environment.

The final instance should be created from the installed bootable volume, not from the ISO.

ISO installation flow

Upload ISO → create temporary instance → create and attach a bootable volume → install the operating system → create the final instance from the installed volume

Before you start

Installing an operating system from an ISO is completed through the instance console in the Cloud dashboard.

SSH access is usually not available during installation because the instance is running from installer media rather than a fully installed operating system.

Depending on the ISO, you may need to:

• Use the ISO’s default console credentials; or
• Set an administrator or root password during installation.

Make sure the volume you create is large enough for the operating system you want to install.

Steps

1. 1
   Upload the ISO image:

• Upload the ISO using the steps under Create an image (upload) above.
• When creating the image, select ISO as the format.

1. 2
   Create a temporary instance from the ISO:

• Create a new instance and select the uploaded ISO as the source.
• Set a default password for the default user, see default password of cloud instances (Linux)
• This temporary instance is used to boot into the operating system installer.
• Once the instance has been created, open its console in the Cloud dashboard.
• The ISO should boot into its installer or console environment.
• Depending on the ISO, you may:
  • Be taken directly into the installer;
  • Need to use the ISO’s default console credentials; or
  • Need to set an administrator or root password during installation.

1. 3
   Create a volume for the operating system:

• Create a separate volume to use as the installation target for the operating system.
• Make sure the volume is large enough for the operating system installation.
• Once the volume has been created:
  • Navigate to Storage > Volumes
  • Find the new volume
  • In the Actions column, select Edit Volume
  • Update the Bootable setting so that the volume can later be used to launch an instance

1. 4
   Attach the volume to the temporary instance:

• In the Actions column for the volume, select Manage Attachments.
• Attach the volume to the temporary ISO instance.
• The instance will now have:
  • The ISO installation media; and
  • The separate volume that will become the operating system disk.

1. 5
   Install the operating system :

• Open the temporary instance’s console.
• Follow the operating system’s installation process.
• When asked where to install the operating system:
  • Select the attached volume; and
  • Do not select the ISO/source disk.
• During installation, make sure the operating system is configured according to the requirements in Requirements for creating images above.
• This may include network, access and cloud initialisation requirements.

1. 6
   Complete the installation:

• Once the operating system installation is complete, confirm that the installation has finished successfully.
• Shut down the temporary instance.
• Detach the volume that now contains the installed operating system.
• The volume is now your installed boot source.

1. 7
   Create the final instance:

• Create a new instance.
• Select the installed bootable volume as the source and complete the remaining instance configuration.
• Launch the instance.
• The new instance should now boot from the operating system installed on the volume rather than from the ISO.

1. 8
   Confirm the new instance works correctly:

• Open the console for the new instance and confirm that the operating system starts as expected.
• You may still need to complete operating-system-level configuration such as:
  • Network settings;
  • Password settings;
  • Firewall rules; or
  • SSH access.
• Restart the instance once after installation and confirm that it boots successfully from the installed volume.Optional: Create a reusable private image:
  
• If you want to use the same installed operating system for future instances, you can create a private image from the installed volume.
• This allows you to reuse the configured operating system without repeating the ISO installation process.
• Follow the steps to create a private image from a volume

This allows you to create a private image from an existing volume.

Follow the steps here.

This allows you to create a private image from a snapshot of an existing instance.

This is useful for:

• Duplicating configurations
• Migrating workloads
• Scaling environments

Follow the steps here.

This will create a new instance using an image as the boot source.

Steps

1. 1
   Using the menu on the left, navigate to Compute > Images.
2. 2
   Find the image that you want to use.
3. 3
   Select the Launch button. The Create Instance dialog will appear.
4. 4
   Complete the remaining fields in the dialog and follow the steps here.

This creates a new storage volume using an image as the source.

Steps

1. 1
   Using the menu on the left, navigate to Compute > Images.
2. 2
   Find the image that you want to use.
3. 3
   In the Actions column, select the down ▼ button. A drop-down menu will appear.
4. 4
   Select the Create Volume option. The Create Volume dialog will appear.
5. 5
   In the Name field provide a name for the new volume. Names are not unique identifiers; multiple volumes may have the same name.
6. 6
   In the Description field specify what this volume will be used for.
7. 7
   In the Type field select the volume type you want to use, either:

• Standard
• Premium

1. 8
   In the Size (GiB) field, enter the size of the volume you want to create.

• This must be an integer.
• This must be within the volume size limits.

1. 9
   Click on the Create Volume button to confirm the action.
2. 10
   To view and access the new volume, navigate to Storage > Volumes.

Deleting an image permanently removes it from the platform. Deleted images cannot be recovered.

You can only delete private images that you have created.

Steps

1. 1
   Using the menu on the left, navigate to Compute > Images.
2. 2
   Find the image that you want to delete.
3. 3
   Select the Delete Image button. The Confirm Delete Image dialog will appear.
4. 4
   Click the Delete Image button to confirm the action.

If your custom image does not boot or work as expected, use the checks below to identify common configuration issues.