Boot your VPS from your own ISO

You can attach any bootable ISO to your D4 VPS by URL and boot the server from it. This works for live rescue tools like GParted, and it also lets you install an operating system we do not offer.

1. Add the ISO to your account

Open your service in the client area and click Log In To Panel under Service actions. In the control panel sidebar, open ISO images and click Add ISO image:

• Name: the name shown in boot menus, like GParted Live.
• Operating system type: Linux or Windows.
• ISO URL: a direct download link to the .iso file.
• Verify SSL/TLS certificate: leave enabled for https URLs.
• ISO checksum method and checksum: optional, md5, sha1, or sha256.

Save, and the image downloads to your account. The card shows its size. ISOs are stored on your account, not on one server, so you only upload them once.

2. Boot the server from it

Open your server in the control panel and go to Boot & Rescue. Choose Boot from ISO Image, pick your ISO, and click Apply. A confirmation appears with a reminder to configure your server's network. It lists every address with its netmask, gateway, and name servers, each with a copy button. Copy these now if you plan to install an OS; the same values are always available on the server's Networking tab. Confirm with OK.

Applying can take a while the first time, because the ISO has to download. A running server is not interrupted. The new boot target only takes effect on the next start. Restart the server from the icons at the top of the page, and it starts from the ISO.

3. Work in the console

A server booted from an ISO is not reachable over SSH, so use the console: Console under Service management in the client area, or the console icon in the control panel. It shows the ISO's own screen, the same view a monitor connected to the machine would show.

4. Install an OS we do not offer

The installer on your ISO writes directly to the server's disk, so you can install anything bootable on it. The order of the steps below matters, so follow it as written:

1. Run the installer in the console and let it use the primary disk.
2. Set the network settings by hand when the installer asks; there is no DHCP on our network. Use the values from the confirmation in step 2 (address, netmask, gateway, and name servers for both IPv4 and IPv6), or copy them from the server's Networking tab.
3. When the installer finishes and asks to reboot, do not accept. Power the server off from the panel instead. A fresh install has no guest tools yet, so Stop can take a few minutes to work; if it never does, use Power Off.
4. Back on Boot & Rescue, select Boot from Disk and apply. The confirmation lists the guest tools commands for common systems, with copy buttons. Copy the set for your system, then start the server.
5. On the running system, install the guest tools so the panel can talk to your server:

$ sudo apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends qemu-guest-agent cloud-init cloud-guest-utils tuned
$ sudo systemctl enable qemu-guest-agent --now
$ sudo systemctl enable cloud-init.service
$ sudo systemctl enable fstrim.timer
$ sudo systemctl enable tuned --now
$ sudo tuned-adm profile virtual-guest

$ sudo dnf install -y qemu-guest-agent cloud-init cloud-utils-growpart
$ sudo systemctl enable qemu-guest-agent --now
$ sudo systemctl enable cloud-init.service
$ sudo systemctl enable fstrim.timer

The confirmation also lists commands for other systems. For anything not shown there, install that platform's qemu guest agent package if it exists. Then power off and start one more time, as the panel says. Without the guest tools, panel features like password reset and clean shutdown will not work on the new OS.

One note on support: we support the platform your server runs on. An operating system you installed yourself is yours to manage.

5. Return to normal boot after live tools

If you only booted a live tool and installed nothing, go back to Boot & Rescue, select Boot from Disk, and apply. Shut the server down with Stop, then power it on with Start. It boots from its disk again.

6. The built-in shortcuts on the same tab

Two shortcuts on Boot & Rescue cover the common repair cases without any ISO of your own. Boot from Rescue ISO starts our repair system for fixing kernel mismatches and corrupted file systems: mount your disk, repair it, and boot back to disk. The Root Password section on the same tab sets a new root password if you lost yours.

Quick reference

Where to go next

Add a rescue ISO to your account now, so it is ready when something breaks. If you installed a custom OS, set up its firewall next. Our firewall guide covers ufw and firewalld, and the same ideas apply to other systems.