OnApp provides separate documents to explain how to create Windows and Linux templates from scratch, rather than from existing VS templates. Please refer to the Miscellaneous Documentation for details.

Install/Update Templates

The Template server URL has to be set at Control Panel > Admin > Settings > Configuration > Backups/Templates tab as a prerequisite for installing/upgrading templates.

VMware vCenter templates are not installed using the template server. For information on installing VMware templates, refer to the Create and Manage vApp Templates section.

OnApp template manager allows you to update the system templates which are already installed to your cloud and download new templates available on a template server.

The OnApp template library includes over 100 VS templates based on various 32-bit and 64-bit flavours of Windows and Linux operating systems. OnApp customers can also access a large number of JumpBox virtual Compute resources and deploy them as templates in OnApp. 

Only customers with a Paid license have access to the complete template library, and special deals with JumpBox.

Installing Templates


To download and install a template from a remote template server: 

  1. Go to your Control Panel > Cloud > Templates menu.
  2. Click the System Templates tab. The page that loads will list all the templates installed to your cloud.
  3. Click the Available tab.
  4. You will see the list of all templates available for installation. You can scroll through the list of templates with the Previous/Next buttons at the bottom of the screen.
  5. Click the plus button next to a required template to install.

Upgrading Templates

Template manager allows you to update the installed templates from the template server.

To update a template:

  1. Go to your Control Panel > Cloud > Templates menu.
  2. Click the System Templates tab.
  3. On the page that appears, the Updates tab will show the list of templates with more recent version than you have installed.
  4. Click the plus button next to a required update to install.
If you update an existing template (by downloading a more recent version) it will not update existing VSs built on the previous version. Only new VSs, or those that are rebuilt, will use the new template.
Installations

You can see the status of the active downloads and cancel/restart them.

For this:

  1. Go to the Control Panel > Cloud > Templates menu.
  2. Click the System Templates tab.The page that loads will list all the templates installed to your cloud.
  3. Click the Installations tab.
  4. You will see the list of all templates that are currently being installed to your Cloud with their details and status.
  5. Click the Properties icon next to a required template to restart or delete the template installation/update.

Where Templates Are Stored

Depending on the configuration of your cloud, new templates are stored at different locations.

No backup servers and ssh_file_transfer option is disabled

In this configuration, the templates will be uploaded to all сompute resources. If this template already exists somewhere, the action is skipped. In such case NFS or any other sharing service should be enabled between сompute resources.

No backup servers and ssh_file_transfer option  is enabled

The template is uploaded to this ssh_file_transfer server only.

There are backup servers and ssh_file_transfer option is disabled

The templates are uploaded to all backup servers. The action is skipped if such a template already exists. In this configuration ensure that some sharing service is between backup servers. Provisioning is performed at backup servers only. If there is more than one backup server in the cloud, the user is prompted to choose to which BS a template will be stored.

There are backup servers and ssh_file_transfer is enabled

The templates are uploaded to this ssh_file_fransfer server only. 

High Availability is configured for the Cloud

In this configuration, make sure to store templates at Database&Transactions server or any other server with shared NFS service, so that both Control Panels could access the templates directory.

While creating a virtual server from a template, make sure that the template is located on a backup server that is attached to the compute resource on which you wish to built the VS, otherwise, the creation of the VS will fail.

Create Custom Templates

You can create custom templates by making a backup of an existing virtual server and saving it as a template for future use. To create a custom template:

  1. Create a new virtual server and configure it as you would like for your template.
  2. Click the Actions icon next to this virtual server, then choose Backups.
  3. In the list of backups, click Convert to Template next to the backup you want to convert.
  4. Click OK to proceed.
  5. On the next screen, enter the following:
    • A label for your template.
    • The minimum memory size: make sure the minimum memory size takes into account the settings for the template on which the VS was built, plus any modifications you may have made to the template before making the backup.
    • The minimum disk size: ensure the value is based on the template settings and any possible modifications you may have made, e.g. installing additional software.
    • Click the Convert Backup button.
  6. The backup will be scheduled for creation. When conversion is complete, it will be then listed on the Templates > Templates List > User Templates tab, from where you can edit it.
  • If templates limit has been exceeded, you will get the following error message: "You have reached your template creation limit".
  • During the custom Windows template creation the Admin account is created anew.
  • To select a preferred licensing type (KMS, MAK, own) for a Windows virtual server built on a custom template you need to add this custom template to My Template Groups and associate the desired licensing type with such group.
  • When updating a custom template (by converting a more recent backup of a VS, for example), existing VSs built on previous versions will not be updated. Only new VSs, or those that are rebuilt, will use the new template.


See also:

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