Install on a hypervisor
Choose the right delivery for your platform, then follow the per-hypervisor page to import the appliance and reach the dashboard.
- Version: 0.4
- Role: admin_user
The appliance is one .ova file. Importing it, powering it on and opening the dashboard is the
whole procedure on every platform that accepts an OVA; what differs is the import tool and where
the guest's address appears. Pick your platform below.
Which page
| Platform | Page | Delivery |
|---|---|---|
| VMware vSphere, ESXi, Workstation, Fusion | Install on VMware | OVA |
| Proxmox VE | Install on Proxmox VE | OVA, imported from the command line |
| Microsoft Hyper-V | Install on Hyper-V | Converted disk, supplied on request |
| QEMU / KVM with libvirt | Install on KVM and libvirt | OVA or installer ISO |
| Bare metal, or a virtual machine you build yourself | Install from the ISO | Installer ISO |
Warning
VMware and Proxmox are platforms CID222 runs on today; their pages are the procedures we use. The Hyper-V and KVM/libvirt pages are written from vendor documentation and have not been reproduced in our lab, and each says so at the top. On every platform, verify the finished virtual machine against the page's verification section rather than assuming the step detail matches your build.
What every platform needs
Sizing. The OVA is pre-sized at 32 GB RAM and 8 vCPU, which is the supported minimum, so it imports and powers on with no changes. Raise it to your package's recommended profile before the first power-on — see Requirements and sizing.
Firmware. The OVF descriptor sets no EFI flag, so hosts default to BIOS firmware. That is how the image is built and verified. Do not switch the virtual machine to UEFI.
Storage controller. The shipped descriptor declares SATA AHCI. The packaged disk is boot-tested under QEMU on virtio, SATA AHCI, LSI SCSI and VMware pvscsi before any OVA leaves the build, and the guest carries the drivers for all four, so a host that assigns a different controller still boots.
Network adapter. The descriptor declares an E1000 adapter, which is in-kernel everywhere and needs no guest tools at first boot. The guest takes its address by DHCP. On a network with no DHCP server, the OVA has no console path to set a static address, so install from the ISO instead — its manual-network boot entry exists for exactly that case.
Nothing to install on your side. The appliance is managed entirely from a browser. First boot
takes a few minutes while services and the database initialise, and a brief 502 during that
window is normal.
Decide these before you import
| Decision | What happens if you leave it | What to do instead |
|---|---|---|
| Sizing | The appliance runs at 32 GB and 8 vCPU, the supported minimum, and an out-of-memory kill looks like a product fault | Raise memory and processors to your package's profile before the first power-on, so the appliance never boots undersized |
| Firmware | The descriptor sets no EFI flag, so hosts default to BIOS — which is correct | Do not switch the machine to UEFI. It does not boot |
| Disk provisioning | Thin provisioning on a datastore with less free space than the appliance will grow into | Confirm the datastore has the full disk figure free, not the thin-provisioned figure |
| Network | A port group with no DHCP leaves the appliance with a link-local address and no console path to fix it | Attach it to a segment that serves DHCP, or install from the ISO, whose manual-network entry exists for exactly this |
| Second adapter | Only one is declared, and a second one you add takes an address the appliance may advertise | Add a second adapter after the install, not before |
| A snapshot before the wizard | Nothing. The wizard cannot be re-run, so a wrong answer is permanent | Take a snapshot once the appliance reaches the setup wizard and before you answer it |
| Guest tooling | Nothing to install — the appliance is managed from a browser | Do not install hypervisor guest additions. The image carries what it needs |
Warning
Take the pre-wizard snapshot. The first-boot wizard runs once: its bootstrap steps refuse a second call, and the deployment mode, the administrator account and the provider credential are then changed from Settings rather than from the wizard. A snapshot is the only way back to a clean appliance.
Delivery differences that change the procedure
| OVA | Installer ISO | |
|---|---|---|
| Where the images come from | Inside the appliance disk | Downloaded during provisioning, or carried on air-gap media |
| Console | A plain login prompt | A status screen with network and service tools behind a console password |
| Dashboard address | http://<appliance-ip>/ | https://<appliance-ip>/, with a one-time certificate warning |
| Static addressing at install time | Not offered | Offered by a dedicated boot entry |
Limits and known gaps
- Hyper-V cannot import an OVA. There is no conversion procedure for you to run; ask your CID222 contact for a converted disk before the deployment date.
- Proxmox cannot be identified from inside the guest. A default Proxmox guest is indistinguishable from any other QEMU guest, so appliance diagnostics report it as generic KVM unless an operator sets the virtual machine's SMBIOS fields.
- A raw VirtualBox export is not shippable. vSphere rejects its descriptor. The only artefact that ships is the repacked OVA; if you were handed anything else, ask for the current media.
- An OVA on a slow link is the wrong delivery. The image is tens of gigabytes. Where the appliance host has good internet but you do not, the installer ISO downloads the same signed images directly.
Related tasks
- Choose your install path — whether the OVA is the right medium for this site at all.
- Requirements and sizing — what to allocate before you import.
- Network prerequisites — the ports and egress to agree first.
- Install from the ISO — bare metal and DHCP-less segments.
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