Automate VM first boot with configuration drive for cloud-init

To work with first-boot automation, create a VM by selecting a template with automation configured. Your administrator may have already added a default bootstrap script and variables.

To connect to your VM in public cloud, you must have your SSH public key in your user account. To add an SSH public key, see https://abiquo.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/doc/pages/311370233.

To configure a VM for first boot automation:

Go to myCloud and edit a VM
Go to General
Enter the VM Name. Some hypervisors require unique VM names, so the platform may rename your VM if the name already exists
Optionally, before you deploy, enter a Fully qualified domain name (FQDN). If you don’t enter one, the platform may define one based on the configuration options
In private cloud, VCD, AWS, and Azure, the platform will send you the initial password for your VM if the if the Guest initial password checkbox is selected
VM General configuration for guest setup
Go to Variables. Optionally, enter or edit Keys and/or Values
Configuration of VM variables for guest setup
If you are using Cloud-init or similar, you can enter a startup script or configuration. Go to Bootstrap script. Enter a configuration definition for cloud-init or another compatible script. It can use the VM Variables. The following example is adapted from: https://cloudinit.readthedocs.io/en/latest/topics/examples.html
Click Save

The platform saves the bootstrap script configuration and variables in the VM metadata.

You can also manage cloud-init metadata using the Abiquo API. See Manage virtual machine metadata via API

When you deploy the VM, the template's guest setup process will run and it will configure the VM according to your guest setup options and definition.