Getting started
This walkthrough takes a new server from installation to the console of its first VM. You will install one Host, sign in as its first administrator, create a Shared project called production, create a private Network called app-net, and start a Linux VM called web-01. These are example names; choose names that make sense for your installation.
A Host is the physical server. Its initial Pool contains that one Host, and its local storage repository, or SR, holds the VM disks. The Project gives the VM an owner and a place to grant team access. The private Network connects guest interfaces without exposing them to the physical network. This example stops at a working guest console; publishing an application requires separate network configuration.
Check the requirements
Read requirements before selecting the installation disk. The server must boot in UEFI mode and have hardware virtualization enabled. An IOMMU is optional unless you need PCI or SR-IOV passthrough. Without an IOMMU, the Host runs dom0 in PV mode. Use a UEFI guest image because BIOS guests do not boot in this release.
Prepare a disk whose entire contents may be erased and a local display, BMC console or provider console that will remain available if the management network fails. Record the management interface's MAC address and the addressing supplied by your network administrator. For example, a private installation might use 10.0.0.10/24, gateway 10.0.0.1 and a DNS server assigned by that administrator. Do not copy these addresses onto an unrelated network.
Also choose a Linux image that supports cloud-init and UEFI. Its memory and disk requirements determine the VM's size. The installer checks its own disk layout, not whether the remaining machine can run your intended applications. If the required disk or NIC is absent from the installer, resolve that before confirming any disk changes.
Download and write the ISO
Obtain the release ISO and its published checksum from your release operator. Compare the downloaded image's checksum with that value before preparing the installation medium. A mismatch means the image must not be used; check that the image and checksum belong to the same release.
Follow installation to write the ISO to a USB stick on Linux or macOS. Writing the image erases the selected USB device, so identify it by capacity and device identity before running the command. Alternatively, mount the ISO as virtual media through the bare-metal provider or the server's BMC. Both methods present the same installer to the server.
Select the medium's UEFI boot entry. Keep the console open and check that the installer interview appears. If you only see serial logs, switch to the server's graphical console and tty1 rather than starting a second installer.
Install the first host
Use the interactive procedure in installation. Select the intended disk, a Host name such as hv-01, a timezone and the management NIC. Review any detected DHCP lease; for static addressing, enter the actual address, prefix, gateway and DNS values prepared earlier.
Choose the public profile when management is reachable from untrusted networks. It uses administration port 8443 by default. Keep the release repository supplied by the ISO unless you have independently verified the replacement repository's trust information. For this walkthrough, create a new Pool and leave the first administrator e-mail empty to use setup at first boot.
Read the final plan, especially the target disk, before confirming erasure. Wait until installation finishes, remove or detach the ISO, and boot from the installed disk. Record the management URL printed on the Host console. If installation fails, keep the failing step and diagnostic; repeating a disk wipe does not repair a missing NIC or an incorrect gateway.
Sign in for the first time
Follow first boot to use the one-time setup token displayed on the Host console. Open the printed setup address, verify the server's TLS identity, and enter the token and the new administrator's details. Select Create the administrator, then sign in. The setup token is valid for 24 hours and can be used once.
If you supplied administrator details during installation instead, sign in with those details. There is no default hv password. The hv Account, dom0 root login and guest operating-system login are separate identities; using one password field does not configure the others.
Confirm that the local Pool, Host and SR appear. If the dashboard opens but inventory is missing, use the service checks in first boot before registering another Pool connection. Add a second factor through Settings, Security and retain the recovery codes before continuing to routine administration.
Create the project
Open Projects, choose New project, and enter production as Name. Add a description of the workloads it will contain, review Default pool, and select Create project. The first administrator has the rights needed to create this Shared project. Projects explains membership, visibility and quotas.
Open production and check Utilization. The Project and its Silo must have room for the VM's CPU, memory and storage allocation. A free physical disk alone does not override a quota. Keep this Project selected for the remaining steps so that its image, Network and VM have the intended owner.
If colleagues need access, add them through Project access with the appropriate role. You can finish this first deployment before granting team access; creating the Project does not require giving everyone Fleet administration.
Create the network
In production, open VPCs and select New VPC. Name it app-net, add a description, and choose the same Pool you will use for the image. Review the encapsulation and MTU under Advanced, then select Create VPC. The networking chapter explains the choice and how to check the overlay.
A VPC supplies private layer-2 connectivity. It does not assign IP addresses or provide DHCP, DNS, NAT or internet access. You can open the VM console without any of those guest services. For a later guest-to-guest test, configure unused addresses such as 10.0.0.21/24 and 10.0.0.22/24 inside two guests on this VPC, provided that range fits your design.
Confirm that app-net appears in the Project before proceeding. If creation fails, inspect the operation's diagnostic and Pool connectivity; do not create several replacement Networks while the first result is unclear.
Create the VM
Open the Project's Catalog, select the prepared Linux image and choose Import to project. Follow its Task until it finishes. The server needs access to the image source even though the VM's private Network does not provide internet access. Virtual machines explains Images and the creation fields.
Open VMs, then New VM. Name the VM web-01, select the imported Image, and choose the local Storage repository. Review Boot disk size (GiB): zero retains the image's disks without adding another boot disk. Choose hardware that meets the image's requirements and verify UEFI under Firmware.
Choose app-net in Network interface and web-01 as the cloud-init hostname. Select an SSH key already added to your Account, or use the guest-login configuration appropriate to the image. Review Start VM on create, then select Create VM. If creation succeeds but start fails, use the existing VM's page to investigate; do not create another VM with the same intended purpose.
Open the console and check the guest
On web-01, open Connect, then Graphical console or Serial console as appropriate to the image. Follow the connection guidance in virtual machines. The browser needs JavaScript and a working WebSocket path. A private guest Network does not prevent console access through hv.
Check that the guest reaches its operating-system login. On Linux images where hv configures the default user, that user is normally xen. Opening the console does not itself authenticate you to the guest. A blank graphical display may require the image's serial console; a firmware or disk error needs correction on the VM rather than a change to Project access.
After sign-in, inspect the guest disks and its network configuration. Lack of internet access on app-net alone is expected until you supply an external path. Before placing important data on web-01, configure backups and complete an isolated restore test. A single-Host Pool also needs a planned VM shutdown for platform updates; see updates.