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Description

This article serves as an introduction to OS (Operating System) Images and Client Images, including:

What is an Image?

In most cases, Cloud Servers are created from an Image. An Image represents a virtual server or appliance in vSphere that is in a stopped state and acts as a "template" for a Cloud Server deployment. The resulting Cloud Server will have local "disks" that provide an exact match of the content of the disks on the Image, as the server provisioning simply copies the Image and then makes adjustments based on the Server Deployment request.

All Images appear under the Images and Applications Dashboard in CloudControl. However, there are two types of images that support different deployment methodologies:

  1. Standard images support the Guest OS Customization process, which allows users to deploy a server from the image that is a copy of the original but has certain customizations so that the resulting server is immediately usable without having to console into the server and make adjustments to
    1. NIC IP addressing that matches the VLANs onto which the server is being deployed
    2. DNS and Gateway entires
    3. Updates to the root / administrative password 
  2. Non-Guest OS Customization (NGOC) image support only the uncustomized deployment process, which results in an exact clone of the Image, without any such adjustments. This method is common with virtual appliances but can be used with any virtual server.

You can identify a Non-Guest OS Image by the presence of a "plug" in the upper left-hand corner of the image:

For more information, see

OS Images vs. Client Images

OS Images

OS ("Operating System") Images are provided by CloudControl and preconfigured with a supported Operating System (see Supported Operating Systems for details). Most, but not all, OS Images are Standard Guest OS Customization images. User cannot edit or make changes to OS Images as they are controlled by the system. However, aspects of the virtual hardware parameters such as CPU and RAM can be modified on an OS Image during the Cloud Server Deployment process.

Availability of OS Images may vary between CloudControl locations and/or Cloud Providers. When using the CloudControl API with OS Images, be aware the id of the OS Image will change from time to time as newly patched or updated versions of the OS Image are released. OS Images may also be removed from the system as they fall out of support with the OS vendor. 

Some OS Images include Priced Software, which means that use of the OS Images includes additional Software Units usage charges. These images often include additional software packages in addition to the operating system. Licensing may or may not be included in such images. Priced Software cannot be modified or removed from an OS Image.

For more details on Priced Software, see Introduction to Cloud ("Priced") Software

Client Images

Client Images belong to a specific CloudControl organization rather than being managed by the system. They are available to all users within an organization. Users incur Standard Storage Hours for Client Images based on the size of the disks on the Client Image. For more details, see Introduction to Usage Reporting.

You can create a Client Image in several ways:

  1. Users can create a Client Image based on a Cloud Server as described in How to Clone a Cloud Server to Create a Client Image. 
  2. Users can import a Client Image in an OVF Package format as described in How to Import an OVF Package as a Client Image
  3. Client Images can be copied either between locations or between Geographic Regions as described in:
    1. How to Copy a Client Image between Different Geographic Regions
    2. How to Copy a Client Image between Locations in the Same Geographic Region

Aspects of a Client Image such as the name, description, default CPU/RAM, and other settings can be changed by Users as described in How to Manage Client and Long-Term Retention Images.

Advanced Virtualization Settings

Advanced Virtualization Settings are a series of obscure vSphere configuration settings supported by CloudControl primarily for use in SAP private cloud environments. When such settings exist on an Image, they may prevent Server Deployment unless the location in which you're attempting to deploy the Server supports the settings. For more details, see Introduction to Advanced Virtualization Settings.


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