Upload Custom Images - RamNode Cloud VPS Documentation

Yes, you can upload custom images to the cloud platform. This allows you to use pre-configured systems, create templates, or migrate existing virtual machines.

Supported Image Formats

RAW

Uncompressed disk image format

QCOW2

QEMU Copy-On-Write (recommended for space efficiency)

VMDK

VMware virtual disk format

VDI

VirtualBox disk image format

VHD/VHDX

Microsoft Hyper-V format

Preparing Your Image

Before uploading, ensure your image:

Uses virtio drivers for disk and network (for best performance)

Has cloud-init installed if you want to use cloud features (SSH keys, user data, etc.)

Is properly generalized (no unique identifiers, machine-specific configs)

Has a single partition or uses LVM

Is compressed (if using QCOW2) to reduce upload time

Uploading via Cloud Control Panel

Log into the Cloud Control Panel
Navigate to Compute → Images
Click Create Image
Select File as the source
Choose your image file
Specify image details:
- Name
- Format (RAW, QCOW2, etc.)
- Minimum disk size
- Minimum RAM
Click Create Image

Uploading Large Images

For large images (over 2GB), uploading via the web interface can be slow or unreliable. Contact support for assistance with large image uploads. We can provide alternative upload methods such as:

Direct server upload via SCP/SFTP
Import from URL
S3-compatible storage import

Converting Images

If your image is in an unsupported format, you can convert it using qemu-img:

Convert VDI to QCOW2

qemu-img convert -f vdi -O qcow2 input.vdi output.qcow2

Convert VMDK to QCOW2

qemu-img convert -f vmdk -O qcow2 input.vmdk output.qcow2

Convert RAW to QCOW2 (for compression)

qemu-img convert -f raw -O qcow2 -c input.img output.qcow2

Creating Snapshots as Images

You can also create custom images from running instances:

Select your instance
Click Create Snapshot
Once complete, the snapshot appears in your Images list
Use this image to launch new instances

Cloud-Init Configuration

For best integration with the cloud platform, install and configure cloud-init in your image:

Ubuntu/Debian

apt update
apt install cloud-init

CentOS/Rocky/Alma

yum install cloud-init

Best Practices

Minimize Image Size

Remove unnecessary packages and files

Use QCOW2

More efficient than RAW format

Enable virtio

Significant performance improvement

Include cloud-init

Enable cloud platform features

Test Thoroughly

Launch test instances before production

Document Requirements

Note minimum disk and RAM requirements

Troubleshooting

Instance Won't Boot

Check that disk drivers are compatible (virtio recommended)
Verify bootloader is properly configured
Ensure image isn't corrupted
Check VNC console for boot errors

Network Not Working

Install virtio network drivers
Configure DHCP on the network interface
Check that cloud-init networking is enabled

Need Help? Contact our support team if you need assistance uploading or configuring custom images. We can help with large uploads and troubleshooting boot issues.