Add Virtual Machine Templates to Abiquo

Abiquo offers users self-service deployment of VMs from the VM templates in the Apps Library (also called the catalogue). 

This document gives an introduction of how to upload templates into private cloud datacenters and how to import templates from public cloud providers

To manage templates, administrators have the privileges to Access Apps library view and Manage VM templates from Apps library.

Upload templates into private cloud datacenters

In private cloud, VM templates are VM template definitions and one or more disks. 

To add templates in private cloud:

• You can upload an OVA file or a virtual disk file with the user interface upload. 
  • You can only upload one file, so we recommend OVA files, because they can contain multiple disks
  • You can export compatible OVA files from hypervisors, e.g. VMware ESXi 
  • If you upload a virtual disk file
    • To add more disks, you must save the template then edit the template. 
    • You must enter the disk format and deployed size. 
    • If it is an ISO file, you can use it to install an operating system or software. You can also add an extra hard disk for the install.
• For very large templates with one or more disks, you can use the manual upload . 
  • This requires the virtual disk file(s) and an OVF definition. See OVF Reference and Guest operating system definition for VMware
• In private cloud, when you capture a VM that was created outside of Abiquo, its template is NOT automatically stored in the Apps library. To store the template, save the VM disks to create an Abiquo instance template.

Import templates from public cloud providers

In public cloud, VM templates are VM template definitions and provider disks or registry templates.

To add templates in public cloud: 

• You can search for VM templates in public cloud regions and import their VM template definitions into the Apps Library. 
• You can then change how the templates will be presented to your users, for example, by renaming them or changing their icons. Abiquo will maintain a link to deploy the original public cloud template.
• When you onboard a VM from public cloud into the platform, Abiquo will automatically register its template in the Apps library Catalogue.  
  • In vCloud Director, you should create an instance template from the imported VM and Abiquo will automatically link to this new template.

Additional methods of adding templates

There are many ways to create templates in Abiquo, for example, you can:

• upload template or disk files into private cloud datacenters
• import templates from public cloud providers (definitions only, not disks)
• capture or onboard VMs and save their disks as templates
• import templates from private cloud datacenters

These methods are described in this documentation about the Apps library.

For details of other methods to add templates to the datacenter Apps library, please contact Abiquo Support.