¶ About Templates
Templates serve as foundational building blocks for virtual machine deployment within our IaaS Cloud environment. As reusable configurations, templates allow users to launch instances quickly by selecting from a predefined list of virtual disk images. Each template includes an operating system, optional software, and settings like access controls, ensuring consistency and efficiency across deployments. Additionally, templates are hypervisor-specific, ensuring compatibility with the selected platform. While our IaaS Cloud provides a default template list, administrators and users can create and customize their own templates to expand available options for streamlined instance launches.
¶ Template Overview
Before we dive into the hands-on section of the template chapter, let's take a moment to review our current template offerings. The table below showcases the range of templates available for you to use as needed. We continuously update and enhance this list to align with the needs and preferences of our customers. If you find a template missing from our IaaS Cloud that you'd like to see added, feel free to contact our support team—we’ll be happy to assist.
| IaaS Cloud Template List | ||||
| Template | Version | Hypervisor | Default User | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Debian | 11 Bullseye, 12 Bookworm | KVM | debian | Open-source operating system known for its stability, security, and vast repository of software packages. |
| Ubuntu | 22.04 LTS | KVM | ubuntu | Open-source operating system based on Debian, known for its user-friendliness, regular updates, and strong community support. |
| CentOS | 9 Stream | KVM | cloud-user | Open-source operating system based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux, renowned for its stability, security, and enterprise-level performance. |
| Rocky Linux | 9.4 | KVM | cloud-user | Open-source operating system designed to be a stable, enterprise-ready replacement for CentOS, built for long-term support and community-driven development. |
| AlmaLinux | 9.4 | KVM | almalinux | Open-source operating system, created as a stable, community-supported alternative to CentOS, providing reliable, long-term support for enterprise environments. |
| Windows Server | 2019, 2022 | KVM, VMware | administrator | Proprietary operating system developed by Microsoft, known for its user-friendly interface, extensive software compatibility, and support for both personal and enterprise environments. |
| Sophos Firewall | 2024 | VMware | admin | Network security solution designed to protect organizations from cyber threats, offering advanced features such as intrusion prevention, web filtering, and secure VPN connectivity. |
| innovaphone | 13, 14 | VMware | admin | Unified communications solution that provides businesses with versatile voice over IP (VoIP) systems, enabling seamless integration of telephony, collaboration tools, and multimedia services for enhanced communication efficiency. |
| Watchguard's Firebox | 12.10.3 | KVM | admin | Network security solution that provides robust protection against cyber threats, featuring advanced firewall capabilities, secure VPN access, and centralized management tools for streamlined security management. |
¶ Creating Templates
To start using templates, you'll first need to create one. There are several ways to do this: you can register an template from URL, create a template from a existing virtual machine, or generate one from an instance snapshot. Each method serves different use cases—registering a template allows you to bring in external configurations, creating from a running machine captures the current state of a VM, and using a snapshot provides a point-in-time copy for quick deployment. In the following sections, we’ll guide you through each of these procedures step by step, ensuring you have the flexibility to choose the approach that best suits your needs.
¶ Registering Templates
One way to use your own custom templates, in addition to the pre-installed ones, is to register them. We'll start by uploading the root disk file, which contains the virtual disk image for your new template. To get started, log in to your account with admin privileges and follow these steps:
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Navigate to Images → Templates on the left navigation bar.
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Click on the Register template from URL button in the top row:
If your disk file is relatively small (less than 1 GB), you can use the Upload Template from Local button for a quicker and simpler workflow.
- Here, you have to specify the following parameters:
- URL where the disk file is hosted.
- Name for the template.
- Short Description of the template.
- Zone where the template will be hosted.
The template and your instance later must be in the same zone, so choose the zone where you plan to deploy your VM.
- Hypervisor the template should be using.
- Format of your root disk file.
- OS type that represents the template.
- Optionally, you can define Userdata and other options.
To make your new template accessible to all other users and domains within our IaaS Cloud, simply select the Public option.
- Click OK to register and create the template. The process may take some time, depending on the size of your virtual disk image. Once the status changes to Ready, you're all set and can begin using your template.
¶ Creating Templates from VMs
Another way is to create a template from an existing VM. If you need guidance on deploying an instance, refer to our Creating Instances chapter. Once your VM is set up, follow the next steps to create a template from it:
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Navigate to Storage → Volumes on the left navigation bar.
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Select the correct ROOT volume type from the list view.
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Click on Create template from volume in the right top action toolbar:
Your virtual instance must be stopped to access the button in the toolbar. If you don't want to or can't stop the machine, skip to the Creating Templates from Snapshot chapter for an alternative method.
- Next, you have to specify the following parameters:
- Name for the template.
- Short Description of the template.
- OS type that represents the template.
- Optionally, you can select to make your template Public and various other options.
- Click OK to begin the creation process. Once the deployment is complete, your new template will appear in the template list.
¶ Creating Templates from Snapshots
Finally, you can create a template from snapshots. This method is similar to the previous one, but it doesn't require stopping your instance—you can create a template directly. For a more detailed explanation of snapshots, refer to our Creating Snapshots chapter. If you already have a snapshot ready, follow these next steps:
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Navigate to Storage → Snapshots on the left navigation bar.
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Select your snapshot from the list view.
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Click on Create template in the right top action toolbar:
- Now, you have to specify the following parameters:
- Name for the template.
- Short Description of the template.
- OS type that represents the template.
- Optionally, you can select to make your template Public and various other options.
- Click OK to begin the creation process. Once the deployment is complete, your new template will appear in the template list.
¶ Working with Templates
¶ Deploying Templates
Once your template is registered and ready, you can create your new instance from it. Follow these steps to proceed:
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Navigate to Compute → Instances on the left navigation bar.
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Click on the Add instance button in the top row:
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First, select the same deployment Zone as the one used for your newly created template in the previous step.
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Next, navigate to the My Templates tab and select your imported template from the list.
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Now, select a compute offering that meets your needs. You can find more information about that in our service offerings.
You always have the option to adjust your service offering later on, easily increasing or decreasing your instance's performance. For a detailed step-by-step guide, skip to the Changing Service Offerings chapter.
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Now, you need to select or create a new Network.
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You can select an SSH key pair, which you must create beforehand. This step is optional, but we highly recommend SSH key pairs for added security and ease of access.
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Click on Advanced mode if you want configure User Data and Affinity Groups.
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Finally, you can configure some last details and give your instance a Name and Group. You can also decide whether your instance should start right after creation or not.
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Click on Launch instance to create your instance.
The instance should be marked as Stopped. If you selected Start instance in the previous step, the virtual machine should shortly switch from Starting to Running. For more information, skip to the chapter Starting & Stopping Instances.
¶ Editing Templates
You can edit and modify most of the parameters you set during the template creation process. To do this, follow these simple steps:
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Navigate to Images → Templates on the left navigation bar.
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Select your template from the list view.
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Clicking on Edit template in the top right toolbar will open the edit window. Here, you can modify the Name, Description, and OS type of your template. Additionally, you can enable options such as Password, Userdata, and other settings as needed:
- Clicking on Update template sharing in the top right toolbar will open the sharing settings. Here, you can select whether your template should be Public, Featured, or Extractable:
- Finally, clicking on Update template permissions in the top right toolbar will open the permission settings. Here, you can share your template with different accounts and projects within your domain.
¶ Downloading Templates
You can also download your created templates. Follow these steps to successfully download your template:
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Navigate to Images → Templates on the left navigation bar.
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Select your template from the list view.
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Click on Download template in the top right toolbar:
If the Download Template button is not visible in your toolbar, you need to update your sharing settings first. Refer to our previous chapter on Editing Templates for a quick guide on how to do this.
- Confirm your intention to download the template by selecting OK, and the download will be prepared. Once the link is ready, you will receive a pop-up notification, and clicking on the link will initiate the download process.
¶ Deleting Templates
Once you no longer require your templates, it's advisable to remove them from the template list. Although VMs created from these templates will continue to operate, you won't be able to instantiate new VMs based on a deleted template. To delete a template, simply follow these steps:
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Navigate to Images → Templates on the left navigation bar.
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Select your template from the list view.
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Click on Zones in the detail view menu and select the specific zone from which you want to delete the template:
If you deployed your template across multiple zones, you must delete it from each zone to completely remove it from the IaaS Cloud. You can either select each zone individually or choose the entire list to execute a bulk delete.
- Confirm your decision to delete the template by clicking OK, and it will be removed shortly thereafter.