How to connect your own ISO image to a virtual server
An ISO image is a file that stores the contents of an optical disc together with its file system. On a MultiHOST virtual server it is used in two cases:
- the operating system you need is not in the list of ready-made templates, and you have to install or reinstall it from your own image;
- the server has to be started in a recovery environment for diagnostics, and the System Rescue CD built into VMmanager 6 is not enough.
You work with the image in the VMmanager panel. It opens from the client area for each virtual server.
VMmanager 6
Uploading your own image
First, prepare a direct link to the file: the image must start downloading immediately, with no page in between. releases.ubuntu.com has links of this kind — the address ends in .iso.
The limits are:
- the file must be no larger than 3.5 GB. A larger image is uploaded and connected by support;
- only one ISO can be connected to a virtual machine at a time.
Network settings for your own system are entered by hand. Take the IP address, netmask, gateway, and DNS from the server card. Connect a full installation image because of that. Netinstall builds install the system over the network and usually cannot set a static IPv4 address, so they do not fit this task.
When the link is ready, open VMmanager 6. In the client area, open Virtual servers, select the server, and click Go on the top toolbar.
On the VMmanager home page, open Virtual machines, select the machine, and click the menu button on the right. Choose Connect ISO image.
Paste the link into the URL field and click Upload and connect.
The panel reboots the virtual machine and starts it with the image attached. While the image is connected, OS reinstallation, recovery mode, password change, and scripts are unavailable.
Booting from the image
The VMmanager 6 home page shows that the image is connected to the server and ready to use.
To continue the installation, open the console with the VNC button and follow the installer from the connected image.
Disconnecting the image after installation
When the work is finished, disconnect the image and reboot the server. Otherwise the installed system will not boot from the disk. In Virtual machines, click Disconnect ISO image and reboot.
The image is then deleted, the server reboots, and it is available for normal use again.
VMmanager 5
Uploading your own image
In the left menu, open Management — ISO images. On the toolbar, click Upload.
The panel asks which server the image belongs to and how to send it: a file from your computer, or a download link.
Panel limits:
- the file must be no larger than 3.5 GB. A larger image is uploaded and connected by support;
- an uploaded image is stored for 25 hours from the moment it was uploaded;
- no more than two such images can be stored at the same time.
The network is set up the same way as in VMmanager 6: use a full image and enter the values from the server card. A netinstall build is usually not suitable here either.
Booting from the image
Open Management — Virtual machines, select the server, and click Stop on the top toolbar.
After the server stops, click Disks, then ISO. Select your image and make sure Boot priority is 1.
Return to Management — Virtual machines, select the server, and click Start.
Installation continues over VNC. In the same section, select the server and click VNC on the toolbar. The client opens in a new browser tab.
If the VNC window opened from VMmanager closes during a reboot, refresh the page. During startup you can press F12 and choose the boot source: the image or the main disk.
A Windows image
A Windows ISO is not connected this way. Windows is installed only from MultiHOST templates and with a MultiHOST license.