Portability of Custom Images on VPC

Introducing an IBM Cloud VPC beta feature that allows you to export a custom image to an IBM Cloud Object Storage bucket.

Until now, using a custom image to deploy new virtual server instances in IBM Cloud VPC was constrained to the single region where the image was created initially. Previously, you could import a custom image to VPC that you customized on-premises, but there was no way to export a custom image.

The lack of export capabilities made it difficult to use the same custom image in different regions, and manual tasks were required to accomplish that goal. The single-region limitation increased the amount of time required to perform tasks involving multiple regions.

Export capabilities unleashed

On February 9, 2023, IBM Cloud VPC introduced a beta feature that allows you to export a custom image to an IBM Cloud Object Storage bucket. This new enhancement brings multiple benefits, including flexibility, consistency, and cost and time savings. The following use cases leverage the ability to export custom images:

Copy a custom image to another region: By using the export feature and then the import feature, you can perform the task in a few clicks. For more information, see Exporting a custom image to IBM Cloud Object Storage.
Back up an image for disaster recovery: By exporting a custom image to an IBM Cloud Object Storage bucket, you can create a backup of your virtual server instance that can be used to quickly restore your environment, should the need arise.
Share an image and collaborate: By exporting a custom image, you can share it with others, so new instances can be created using the image stored in an IBM Cloud Object Storage bucket.

Get the most of this new enhancement

You can start exploring this new enhancement and enjoy the benefits of exporting custom images to IBM Cloud Object Storage buckets:

Flexibility: Move a custom image freely between different environments, such as multiple regions, a backup repository or a shared location for others to consume.
Consistency: The exported custom image ensures that new instances that are created in different regions will be configured the same as the original instance.
Cost/time savings: The export feature streamlines the task of moving a custom image to a new region, potentially saving you time and money.

Get started

The beta offering of the export custom image feature is available through an allow-list only. If you wish to be added to the trial, reach out to Jerry Parra.

Author

Gerardo Parramonroy

Cloud Product Manager driving Virtual servers for VPC offering