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InfrastructureCloud VMs

Custom images

In addition to IBEE-curated OS templates, you can deploy a Cloud VM from a custom image — your own ISO, a snapshot you’ve taken from another VM, or a backup recovery point.

This is the right path for:

  • Golden images — standardize a build (web server, ML toolchain, security agent) and clone it across many VMs.
  • Disaster recovery — restore a VM from a previous recovery point.
  • Niche operating systems — boot from an ISO not in the template catalog (see the console limitation below).

Sources

The Operating System picker on the Deploy page exposes three custom-image tabs:

ISOs

Boot the VM from an ISO you added under Tools → ISOs. The ISOs tab lists the ISOs available to your account.

Interactive installs need a console, which isn’t available in the portal yet. A VM booted from an installer ISO waits for you to step through the installer, and browser console access is still Coming soon. Until it ships, use a template, or a snapshot or backup of a VM you’ve already built.

See ISOs for adding ISOs and attaching or detaching them.

Snapshots

Manual recovery points captured from another VM (Create a snapshot). When you select a snapshot:

  • The root disk is cloned to a new disk on the new VM.
  • Any captured data volumes from the snapshot set are also restored and auto-attached to the new VM.
  • For data volumes, mount instructions are surfaced in the snapshot detail view (Restore a snapshot).

Use snapshots when you need an exact, point-in-time clone — including filesystem state — and you control when the snapshot was taken.

Backups

Scheduled recovery points produced by the automated backups feature. Deploying from the Backups tab uses the captured root disk only. To restore the root and attached data disks together, open the source VM’s Backups tab and choose Create New VM instead. See Restore from backup.

When to choose each source

SourceBest forNotes
ISOOS not in template catalog; clean install with custom partitioningNeeds an interactive console, which isn’t available in the portal yet.
SnapshotCloning a known-good build to many VMs; pre-cutover migration testingYou control the timing and scope (root only, all volumes, or selective).
BackupDisaster recovery; rolling back to a recent automated pointSchedule-driven; convenient because it runs without action.

Deployment flow

  1. Open Infrastructure → Cloud VMs and click Deploy VM.
  2. Pick the Location and Plan as usual.
  3. Under Operating System, switch to ISOs, Snapshots, or Backups.
  4. Pick the source from the list. The bottom bar updates to show the selected image.
  5. Continue with SSH Keys, Network Configuration, Billing, and VM Details, then click Deploy.

See Create a VM for every field.

Bring-your-own-image checklist

If you build an image yourself, verify before booting:

  • virtio drivers for disk and network are present (Linux) or installed (Windows). KVM uses virtio-blk / virtio-net by default.
  • cloud-init (Linux) is installed and enabled — needed for SSH key injection and hostname configuration.
  • DHCP client is enabled on the primary NIC — public IPs are assigned via DHCP.
  • qemu-guest-agent is installed if you want guest filesystem metrics.
  • The bootloader points at the right disk (/dev/vda for the root disk on KVM).

If any of these are missing, the VM may boot but be unreachable, or fail to come up at all. Browser console access isn’t available yet, so check the Activity feed and the VM’s firewall group, or rebuild from a known-good snapshot.