[Beta] External Cloud VM Templates

Overview

External Cloud VM Templates let you build environments using virtual machines sourced directly from a public cloud provider (AWS or Azure), instead of CloudShare's own built-in VM template library.

In other words, rather than picking a preconfigured CloudShare VM, you're pulling in the provider's own official machine images and instance types, giving you access to the exact operating systems, versions, and hardware configurations available on that cloud.

This is useful when you need:

• An operating system or version that isn't available in CloudShare's standard template library.
• A specific cloud provider's infrastructure for training, testing, or demo purposes.
• The ability to later save your own configured VM as a reusable custom image (see Creating Custom AMIs for AWS).

Enabling External Cloud VM Templates

Before you can use External Cloud VM Templates, your subscription needs to be connected to a cloud account:

1. Reach out to your CloudShare account manager to request this feature.
2. Provide the AWS or Azure account you'd like to connect, along with any account details your account manager requests (such as account ID and role/permissions) so CloudShare can securely access it.
3. Once your account manager confirms the setup is complete, External Cloud VM Templates will be available as a VM source in the environment creation wizard.

How to Use External Cloud VM Templates

To add an External Cloud VM Template to an environment:

1. Start creating a new environment using the "Custom Environment" method in the environment creation wizard.

2. Choose External Cloud VM Templates as your VM source.

3. Select your cloud provider (AWS or Azure).
   Note: The providers available depend on which cloud accounts are configured for your subscription.

4. Choose the region you want the VM to run in.

   Note: All External Cloud VMs in an environment must come from the same region. If you want to add a VM from a different region, remove your current selection first.

5. Select the machine type (operating system/image) you'd like to use from that provider's available templates. 
   • For AWS, you can choose between:
     • Public AMIs – official images provided by AWS.
     • Custom AMIs – images you've previously saved yourself (see Creating Custom AMIs for details).
   • For Azure, only public images are available
6. Choose a hardware size — Small, Medium, or Large. These simplified sizes map to the underlying provider's instance types, so you don't need to choose from a long list of provider-specific options.
7. Set your network access. Two options are available:
   • Public (allow all inbound) – the VM is reachable from the public internet, useful when you need direct external access to a service running on the machine.
   • Restricted (deny all inbound) – inbound access is denied by default, so the VM is only reachable from within CloudShare, keeping your environment secure unless you explicitly open it up.
8. Repeat these steps to add more VMs, or continue to finish creating your environment.

You can mix VM sources within the same environment — for example, combining External Cloud VM Templates with standard CloudShare VMs, imported VMs, or VMs built from custom AMIs, depending on what your lab or project needs.