You can upload images to the cloud storage by following a few simple steps, ensuring the correct formats and settings are in place for a successful upload and easy management.

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Image requirements

Before uploading an image to the storage, check that it meets the required format, driver, and package requirements.

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Supported formats

The uploaded image must be in one of the following formats:
rawUncompressed image format
vhd / vhdxMicrosoft Hyper-V formats
vdiVirtualBox disk image
ploopParallels storage format
qcow2QEMU copy-on-write format
aki / ari / amiAmazon Machine Image formats

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VirtIO drivers

If you upload an image previously downloaded from another cloud, the image should already have VirtIO drivers installed. However, if you have built your own image, please install and configure the VirtIO SCSI drivers.

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cloud-init

If you upload an image previously downloaded from another cloud, the image should already have the cloud-init package installed. However, if you have built your own image, please install and configure the cloud-init package accordingly.

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Upload an image

  1. In the Cloud menu, select the desired project and region.
  2. Go to the Images tab and then proceed to Import via URL.
Gcore Customer Portal - Import an image via URL in the Images section
  1. Select the Resource type:
    • Virtual Instances
    • Bare Metal
    • Virtual GPU Clusters
    • Baremetal GPU Clusters
  2. Enter the image name and specify the URL from where the image will be downloaded.
Enter the image name and URL for uploading
  1. Choose the architecture of the image based on the processor type where it will run: select x86 for traditional CISC processors like Intel or AMD, or ARM for RISC-based processors such as ARM CPUs.
  2. If VM quick start toggle is on, the Virtual Machines will be deployed faster with this image mounted. However, please note that you cannot delete this image if there are active Virtual Machines created from this image.
Standard start vs quick start:
Start typeStandardQuick
TechnologyRBD copy-on-writeRBD copy-on-write
Image dataAll data is copied to a separate volumeImage data is NOT copied when reading or writing new information, i.e. all changes and updates are applied directly to the original image
Formatqcow2raw
Resource usageResource-intensiveLess resources used
Image deletionThe image can be deleted without affecting a Virtual Machine’s operationThe image can be deleted only when there are NO active Virtual Machines created from this image
  1. Specify the permission level for SSH key usage in instances created from this image. You can choose Allow to make SSH key usage optional, Deny to prohibit SSH key usage entirely, or Required to mandate SSH key usage for secure instance access. We recommend using SSH-key authorization for security reasons.
  2. Select the OS pre-installed on the image, like Linux or Windows Server, to suit your deployment needs and ensure smooth operation.
  3. Select firmware type. For Bare Metal servers, UEFI is recommended for proper functionality. For Virtual Machines, the choice depends on your personal preference. The firmware type is determined by the selected product. Virtual Instances and GPU virtual clusters support both UEFI and BIOS, while Bare Metal servers and GPU baremetal clusters are restricted to UEFI for compatibility. Choose UEFI for modern systems or BIOS for legacy setups.
  4. Choose the virtual chipset type between q35 and i440 virtual chipsets based on the OS version, required functionality, and supported virtual devices.
  5. Add tags (optional) to identify images using the “Key” and “Value” principles. Enable this option to add metadata tags to your image, helping you efficiently organize and identify resources.
  6. Click the Upload button. Your image will be uploaded.
Click the Upload button to finalize image import