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Creating a Virtual Machine

Virtual machines are created from templates. This page walks through the creation wizard, from selecting a template to configuring the VM and starting it.

Select a Template​

  1. Open your deployment in the Gallium Console.
  2. Navigate to the Virtual Machines section and click Create Virtual Machine.
  3. Choose a template from the library.

Templates will be downloaded on demand when first used.

Settings​

Identification​

  • VM Name — a name to identify the virtual machine (required).
  • Description — an optional description.

CPU and Memory​

  • Virtual CPU Cores — select the number of virtual CPU cores from the dropdown.
  • Memory — set the memory allocation in GB. The minimum is determined by the template.

Disks​

The template provides one or more pre-configured disks. You can resize template disks to be larger than the default, and add additional virtual disks.

  • Template disks are listed with their default size. Increase the size if your workload requires more space.
  • Click Add Virtual Disk to create additional disks. Each additional disk requires a name and size in GB.
  • Select the Disk Pool where virtual disks will be stored. The default disk pool is pre-selected.
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The Console shows the required storage and available capacity for the selected disk pool. If the required storage exceeds available capacity, a warning is displayed and the VM may fail to provision.

Network Interfaces​

Select which Network each network adapter connects to. At least one network interface must be configured. Up to four network interfaces can be added.

Linux Cloud Config​

For Linux templates that support cloud-init, the Configuration section lets you set up users, packages, and scripts that will be applied when the VM first boots.

Users​

A default user is provided by the template. You can set a Password and add SSH Keys for the default user.

Click Add User to create additional users. Each user has:

  • Username
  • Permissions — No Sudo Access or Full Sudo Access
  • Password (optional)
  • SSH Keys (optional)

Packages & Updates​

  • Install Guest Agent — installs the guest agent service inside the VM (enabled by default). The guest agent reports IP addresses and operating system information back to the Console.
  • Auto Upgrade Packages — automatically updates system packages on first boot.
  • Additional Packages — a list of extra packages to install.

Custom commands to execute on first boot. Use this for any additional setup that isn't covered by the Users or Packages sections.

Windows Config​

For Windows templates, the Configuration section provides fields for an Autounattend answer file and a first-run PowerShell script. Both files are written to a configuration drive (a virtual USB drive) that is attached to the VM at creation time and read by Windows during setup and first boot.

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The Autounattend XML and First Run PowerShell fields are encrypted in your browser before being submitted. The encrypted payload is sent directly to the target Hypervisor, where it is decrypted only when the configuration drive is built. The file is not stored in the Gallium Console.

Autounattend XML​

The contents of an Autounattend.xml answer file used to automate Windows Setup. Windows reads this file during installation to configure settings such as the computer name, product key, locale and keyboard layout, local accounts, and which roles or features to install.

First Run PowerShell​

A PowerShell script you can call from your answer file to run post-installation.

Startup & Recovery​

  • Start VM immediately upon creation — when enabled, the VM will boot as soon as it is created.
  • Automatically restart VM if a Hypervisor goes offline — enables high availability. If the server running this VM goes offline, the VM will be automatically restarted on another server in the cluster.

Once you have reviewed all settings, click Create to provision the virtual machine.