CloudShare enables you to import a prepared ISO file and connect to it from any VM in your environment.
An ISO file stores a complete CD or DVD image, which means that you can run software or read data from a virtual CD drive. CloudShare also supports booting automatically from a virtual CD when needed.
Importing an ISO file allows you to either attach it to a VM to install applications from it, or boot to it and install an entire OS from scratch.
Installing Aspera Connect
In order to import an ISO drive, you will first need to ensure that Aspera Connect is installed. Before you can import assets (i.e., a VM or an ISO file) to your VM, you will need to install IBM Aspera components on both your web browser and computer.
See Installing Aspera Connect for additional information.
The Import Process
You can import and manage ISO files from the Assets Import menu.
- Select Assets Import > Import ISO File. The Import New ISO File dialog is displayed.
- Click Browse ISO Files and select the ISO file to upload from the file browser that is displayed. The name of the selected file will appear in the ISO File Name field, and its size will appear in the ISO File Size (MB) field. Note that there is a maximum length of 47 characters for the file name.
- Optionally, you can add helpful details about the new import to the ISO File Description text box.
- From the Associated Projects drop-down, select one or more CloudShare projects that will be able to use the ISO file. Any environment that uses an associated project will be able to connect to the imported ISO drive.
- Click Import. The dialog will close and the IBM Aspera Connect pop-up dialog will be displayed, showing the progress of the import:
You can control the progress of your current ISO file import using the buttons located to the right of the progress bar.
The import process is asynchronous, so you can continue working on other CloudShare activities while the import is running. A notification will be displayed when the import completes successfully.
You can also see the status of the current ISO file upload, along with a complete list of ISO files imported to the account, on the ISO Files page.