> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.xloud.tech/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Create an Instance

> Create a virtual machine using the Dashboard's 4-step wizard or CLI. Select source, flavor, network, and login credentials.

## Overview

Launching an instance creates a virtual machine on an Xloud Compute host. The Dashboard
provides a 4-step wizard that walks you through base configuration, networking, system
settings, and a confirmation review. Once active, the instance can be accessed via SSH,
console, or RDP depending on the guest OS.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Windows VM from ISO" icon="monitor" href="/services/compute/windows-vm-guide" color="#197560">
    ISO boot with VirtIO driver injection, Sysprep, and image creation
  </Card>

  <Card title="Linux VM from ISO" icon="terminal" href="/services/compute/linux-vm-guide" color="#197560">
    Custom Linux installation from ISO with disk setup and image creation
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Note>
  **Prerequisites**

  * An active image in the Xloud Image Service (or an existing bootable volume)
  * A flavor appropriate for your workload
  * At least one network available in your project
  * An SSH key pair for Linux instances, or a configured password for Windows
  * A security group with the required inbound rules
</Note>

***

<iframe className="w-full aspect-video rounded-xl" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OXlBmUSqFK0" title="How to Create a Virtual Machine on Xloud" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowFullScreen />

## Create an Instance

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Dashboard" icon="gauge">
    The Instance Create wizard has 4 steps: **Base Config**, **Network Config**,
    **System Config**, and **Confirm Config**. An **Instance Count** input and
    real-time **quota display** are shown in the footer throughout all steps.

    <Steps titleSize="h3">
      <Step title="Open the Create Instance wizard">
        Navigate to **Compute > Instances** in the sidebar. Click **Create Instance**
        in the top-right corner.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Step 1 — Base Config">
        Configure the boot source, flavor, and storage.

        **Available Zone** (required) — Select the availability zone for host placement.

        <Tip>
          Administrators see an additional **Pin to Host** group that allows selecting
          a specific physical hypervisor (`zone:hostname` format). Regular users see
          only the zone names.
        </Tip>

        **Specification (Flavor)** (required) — Select the virtual hardware profile.
        The flavor table supports filtering by architecture and category:

        | Architecture            | Categories                                                                                  |
        | ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
        | X86 Architecture        | General Purpose, Compute Optimized, Memory Optimized, Big Data, Local SSD, High Clock Speed |
        | Heterogeneous Computing | GPU Compute, Visualization Compute                                                          |
        | Bare Metal              | —                                                                                           |
        | ARM Architecture        | —                                                                                           |

        The table shows columns: Name, CPU, Memory, Internal Network Bandwidth,
        Ephemeral Disk (if applicable), and IOPS (if applicable). Filter by Name,
        CPU, or Memory.

        **Start Source** (required) — Select the boot source type:

        | Source                | Description                                                                                    |
        | --------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
        | **Image**             | Boot from an OS image in the Xloud Image Service                                               |
        | **Instance Snapshot** | Restore from a previously captured instance snapshot                                           |
        | **Bootable Volume**   | Boot from an existing persistent block storage volume (only shown if block storage is enabled) |

        When **Image** is selected, choose the operating system from tabs organized
        by distribution (CentOS, Ubuntu, Fedora, Windows, Debian, CoreOS, Arch, FreeBSD, Others).

        **Boot From Volume** — When source is Image or Instance Snapshot:

        | Option  | Description                                       |
        | ------- | ------------------------------------------------- |
        | **Yes** | Create a new system disk (persistent boot volume) |
        | **No**  | Boot directly from image (ephemeral root disk)    |

        **System Disk** — Shown when Boot From Volume is Yes. Select:

        * **Volume Type** from available storage backends
        * **Size (GiB)** — minimum is determined by the flavor disk size, image minimum
          disk, and image size (whichever is largest)
        * **Delete on Termination** — whether to delete the boot volume when the instance
          is deleted

        **Data Disk** (optional) — Add additional data disks. Click **Add Data Disks** to
        add one or more disks, each with Volume Type, Size, and Delete on Termination
        settings.

        <Note>
          When source is **Bootable Volume**, the instance count is limited to 1 and
          the Data Disk section is shown for additional disks.
        </Note>

        **CD-ROM Source** (optional) — Attach an ISO image or existing volume as a
        CD-ROM device:

        | Option     | Description                                  |
        | ---------- | -------------------------------------------- |
        | **None**   | No CD-ROM attached (default)                 |
        | **Image**  | Select an image to mount as CD-ROM           |
        | **Volume** | Select an existing volume to mount as CD-ROM |
      </Step>

      <Step title="Step 2 — Network Config">
        Configure networking and security.

        **Networks** (required if no ports selected) — Select one or more networks
        from the available list. Networks without subnets are disabled.

        After selecting networks, a **Virtual LAN** section appears for each
        selected network with:

        | Field          | Description                                                 |
        | -------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- |
        | **Network**    | Auto-populated from selection                               |
        | **Subnet**     | Dropdown of subnets in the selected network                 |
        | **IP Type**    | Automatically Assigned Address or Manually Assigned Address |
        | **IP Address** | Manual IPv4 or IPv6 input (only when IP Type is manual)     |

        <Warning>
          If you specify a manual IP address AND set the instance count to more than 1,
          the wizard will block submission — manual IPs cannot be used with batch creation.
        </Warning>

        **Ports** (required if no networks selected) — Alternatively, select pre-created
        ports (only ports with status `DOWN` are shown). At least one network or port
        must be selected.

        **Security Group** (required when shown) — Select one or more security groups.
        This field is hidden if any selected network or port has port security disabled.

        <Note>
          The security group rules apply to all virtual network interfaces of the instance,
          not just the primary interface.
        </Note>
      </Step>

      <Step title="Step 3 — System Config">
        Configure the instance name, login credentials, and advanced options.

        **Name** (required) — The instance display name. When launching multiple
        instances (count > 1), instances are named `{name}-1`, `{name}-2`, etc.

        **Login Type** (required) — Choose the authentication method:

        | Type         | Description                                                                      |
        | ------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
        | **Keypair**  | Select an existing SSH key pair or create a new one. Disabled for Windows images |
        | **Password** | Set a login username and password. Required for Windows images                   |

        When **Keypair** is selected, choose from the key pair table or click
        **Create Keypair** to generate a new one.

        When **Password** is selected:

        * **Login Name** — Auto-populated from the image's `os_admin_user` property
          if available, otherwise enter manually
        * **Login Password** — Must meet password complexity requirements
        * **Confirm Password** — Must match the login password

        <Warning>
          For Windows images, the Keypair option is automatically disabled.
          Password login is the only option for Windows instances.
        </Warning>

        **Advanced Options** — Click to expand additional settings:

        | Field             | Visibility | Description                                                                                                      |
        | ----------------- | ---------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
        | **Physical Node** | Admin only | Smart Scheduling (default) or Manually Specify a hypervisor                                                      |
        | **Server Group**  | All users  | Select an existing server group for affinity/anti-affinity placement                                             |
        | **User Data**     | All users  | Cloud-init script (text area with file upload, ASCII only, max 1000 characters)                                  |
        | **Virtual TPM**   | All users  | Attach a virtual TPM device (requires Xloud KMS). See [vTPM and Secure Boot](/services/compute/vtpm-secure-boot) |
        | **Secure Boot**   | All users  | Require UEFI Secure Boot (requires Xloud KMS). See [vTPM and Secure Boot](/services/compute/vtpm-secure-boot)    |

        <Info>
          **Virtual TPM** and **Secure Boot** both require the **Xloud Key Management**
          service to be enabled on the cluster — both checkboxes are disabled otherwise.
          Full walkthrough: [vTPM and Secure Boot](/services/compute/vtpm-secure-boot).
        </Info>
      </Step>

      <Step title="Step 4 — Confirm Config">
        Review all settings before launching. The confirmation page shows a read-only
        summary organized into three sections:

        * **Base Config** — Source, system disk, data disks, availability zone, flavor, project
        * **Network Config** — Virtual LANs with subnet/IP assignments, selected ports, security groups
        * **System Config** — Instance name, login type, physical node, server group

        Click any section heading to navigate back to that step for corrections.

        The footer shows the **Instance Count** and real-time **quota usage**:

        | Quota                 | Tracked                                                  |
        | --------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------- |
        | Instance              | Count against instance limit                             |
        | CPU                   | vCPUs x count against cores limit                        |
        | Memory (GiB)          | RAM x count against RAM limit                            |
        | Volume                | New volumes against volume limit                         |
        | Volume Capacity (GiB) | Total new volume size against storage limit              |
        | Server Group Member   | Members against group limit (when server group selected) |

        <Warning>
          If any quota would be exceeded, a red badge is displayed and the Confirm
          button is disabled. Free up resources or contact your administrator to
          increase quotas.
        </Warning>

        Click **Confirm** to launch the instance.

        <Check>
          The instance appears in the list with status **Build**, transitioning to
          **Active** within seconds to minutes depending on image size and host
          availability.
        </Check>
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="CLI" icon="terminal">
    <Steps titleSize="h3">
      <Step title="Authenticate">
        ```bash title="Load credentials" theme={null}
        source openrc.sh
        ```
      </Step>

      <Step title="Gather required identifiers">
        <CodeGroup>
          ```bash title="List active images" theme={null}
          openstack image list --status active
          ```

          ```bash title="List available flavors" theme={null}
          openstack flavor list
          ```

          ```bash title="List project networks" theme={null}
          openstack network list
          ```

          ```bash title="List key pairs" theme={null}
          openstack keypair list
          ```

          ```bash title="List security groups" theme={null}
          openstack security group list
          ```
        </CodeGroup>
      </Step>

      <Step title="Launch the instance">
        ```bash title="Create an instance from image" theme={null}
        openstack server create \
          --image <IMAGE_ID> \
          --flavor <FLAVOR_NAME> \
          --network <NETWORK_ID> \
          --key-name <KEYPAIR_NAME> \
          --security-group <SECURITY_GROUP> \
          --availability-zone <ZONE_NAME> \
          my-instance
        ```

        <CodeGroup>
          ```bash title="Boot from volume" theme={null}
          openstack server create \
            --volume <VOLUME_ID> \
            --flavor <FLAVOR_NAME> \
            --network <NETWORK_ID> \
            --key-name <KEYPAIR_NAME> \
            my-instance
          ```

          ```bash title="Boot from image with new volume" theme={null}
          openstack server create \
            --image <IMAGE_ID> \
            --boot-from-volume 50 \
            --flavor <FLAVOR_NAME> \
            --network <NETWORK_ID> \
            --key-name <KEYPAIR_NAME> \
            my-instance
          ```

          ```bash title="Launch with user data" theme={null}
          openstack server create \
            --image <IMAGE_ID> \
            --flavor <FLAVOR_NAME> \
            --network <NETWORK_ID> \
            --key-name <KEYPAIR_NAME> \
            --user-data /path/to/init.sh \
            my-instance
          ```

          ```bash title="Launch in a server group" theme={null}
          openstack server create \
            --image <IMAGE_ID> \
            --flavor <FLAVOR_NAME> \
            --network <NETWORK_ID> \
            --key-name <KEYPAIR_NAME> \
            --hint group=<SERVER_GROUP_ID> \
            my-instance
          ```

          ```bash title="Launch multiple instances" theme={null}
          openstack server create \
            --image <IMAGE_ID> \
            --flavor <FLAVOR_NAME> \
            --network <NETWORK_ID> \
            --key-name <KEYPAIR_NAME> \
            --min 3 --max 3 \
            my-instance
          ```
        </CodeGroup>
      </Step>

      <Step title="Verify the instance is active">
        ```bash title="Check instance status" theme={null}
        openstack server show my-instance -c status -c addresses
        ```

        <Check>
          `status` shows `ACTIVE` and `addresses` lists the assigned IP. The instance
          is ready to accept connections.
        </Check>
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

***

## Post-Launch Verification

After the instance reaches `ACTIVE` status, confirm it is fully operational:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Dashboard" icon="gauge">
    <Steps titleSize="h3">
      <Step title="Open the instance detail">
        Navigate to **Compute > Instances** and click the instance name. The detail
        page shows 8 tabs: Detail, Volumes, Instance Snapshots, Interfaces, Floating IPs,
        Security Groups, Action Logs, and Logs.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Check console output">
        Click the **Logs** tab to view the serial console output. A successful boot
        shows login prompts or cloud-init completion messages.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Open the console">
        Click the **Console** action (the first row action) to open a VNC console
        in a new browser tab.
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="CLI" icon="terminal">
    ```bash title="Check instance details" theme={null}
    openstack server show my-instance \
      -c status -c addresses -c "OS-EXT-AZ:availability_zone"
    ```

    ```bash title="View console log" theme={null}
    openstack console log show my-instance | tail -30
    ```

    ```bash title="Get VNC console URL" theme={null}
    openstack console url show my-instance
    ```

    <Check>
      Console log shows OS boot completion. Status is `ACTIVE`. IP address is present.
    </Check>
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

***

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Security Groups" href="/services/compute/security-groups" color="#197560">
    Create and manage firewall rules to control traffic to your instances
  </Card>

  <Card title="Manage IP Addresses" href="/services/compute/manage-ips" color="#197560">
    Allocate and associate floating IPs for external instance access
  </Card>

  <Card title="Resize an Instance" href="/services/compute/resize-instance" color="#197560">
    Change the flavor of a running instance to adjust vCPU and RAM
  </Card>

  <Card title="Server Groups" href="/services/compute/server-groups" color="#197560">
    Control instance placement with affinity and anti-affinity policies
  </Card>
</CardGroup>