Function Overview_Image Management Service

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Function Overview

Creating a Private Image
- An image is a server or disk template that contains an operating system (OS) or service data and necessary application software, such as database software. IMS provides public, private, Marketplace, and shared images.
  
  Image Management Service (IMS) allows you to manage the lifecycle of images. You can create ECSs or BMSs from a public, private, or shared image. You can also create a private image from a cloud server or an external image file to easily migrate workloads to the cloud or on the cloud.
  
  The following figure shows the lifecycle of a private image.
- Creating a System Disk Image
  - A system disk image contains an OS and pre-installed application software. You can do customizations (such as install software and deploy an application environment) on an existing ECS and then use the ECS to create a system disk image. The new ECSs created from the image will all have the same configurations as the customized ECS.
    
    The following figure shows the process of creating an ECS from an image, customizing the ECS, creating a new image from the ECS, and using the new image to create identical ECSs.
    
    Launched regions: all
    
    Creating a System Disk Image from an ECS
- Creating a Data Disk Image
  - A data disk image contains only your service data. You can save service data of an ECS data disk by creating a data disk image. Then, the data disk image can be used to create EVS disks to migrate the service data.
    
    The following figure shows the process of attaching a data disk to an ECS, creating a data disk image from the ECS, and using the image to create data disks.
    
    Launched regions: all
    
    Creating a Data Disk Image from an ECS Data Disk
- Creating a Full-ECS Image
  - You can use an ECS with data disks to create a full-ECS image, which contains an OS, application software, and your service data. The full-ECS image can be used to quickly provision identical ECSs for data migration.
    
    The following figure shows the process of backing up an ECS and creating a full-ECS image from the backup.
    
    Launched regions: all
    
    Creating a Full-ECS Image from an ECS
    
    Creating a Full-ECS Image from a CSBS Backup
    
    Creating a Full-ECS Image from a CBR Backup
- Creating a Private Image Using Packer
  - Packer is an open-source tool that can be used to create custom images. It simplifies private image creation by changing the image creation process into configurable management code. In this way, you can flexibly customize your images.
    
    Launched regions: all
    
    Creating a Private Image Using Packer
Importing a Private Image
- A private image can be created from a running ECS or imported from other systems. You can import system disk images, data disk images, and ISO files.
- Importing a System Disk Image
  - You can import a system disk image from your local PC or other cloud platforms. After an image is imported, you can use it to create new ECSs or reinstall or change the OS of an existing ECS.
    
    The following figure shows the process of importing a system disk image.
    
    Launched regions: all
    
    Creating a System Disk Image from an External Image File
    
    Quickly Importing an Image File
- Importing a Data Disk Image
  - You can import a data disk image from your local PC or other cloud platforms. After a data disk image is imported, you can use it to create EVS disks.
    
    The following figure shows the process of importing a data disk image.
    
    Launched regions: all
    
    Creating a Data Disk Image from an External Image File
- Importing an ISO File
  - An ISO file is a disk image of an optical disc that contains a large number of compressed data files. The ISO file can be used only after it is decompressed using a tool, such as UltraISO.
    
    The following figure shows the process of importing a Windows ISO file.
    
    The following figure shows the process of importing a Linux ISO file.
    
    Launched regions: all
    
    Creating a Windows System Disk Image from an ISO File
    
    Creating a Linux System Disk Image from an ISO File
Creating an ECS from an Image
- After a system disk image or full-ECS image is created, you can click Apply for Server in the row that contains the image to create ECSs.
  
  Launched regions: all
  
  Creating an ECS from an Image
Modifying an Image
- You can modify the following information of an image: name, description, minimum memory, maximum memory, NIC multi-queue, and SR-IOV driver.
  
  Launched regions: all
  
  Modifying Image Information
Sharing Images
- You can share your images with other tenants. The tenants can use the shared images to quickly create identical ECSs or EVS disks.
  
  Assume that A wants to share an image with B. The process is as follows:
  
  To share the same image with D, A can add D as the tenant who can use the image.
  
  When B has deployed services on the instances created from the shared image and does not need the image any longer, B can reject the shared image.
  
  A can stop the sharing of an image with others.
  
  Launched regions: all
  
  Sharing Specified Images
  
  Replicating a Shared Image
  
  Adding Tenants Who Can Use Shared Images
  
  Rejecting Accepted Images
  
  Stopping Sharing Images
  
  FAQs
Exporting Images
- You can export private images to your OBS bucket and download them to your local PC for backup.
  
  By exporting an image of a cloud server from the cloud platform, you can reproduce the cloud server and its running environments in on-promises clusters or private clouds. The following figure shows the process of exporting an image.
  The following images cannot be exported:
  
  Public image
  
  Full-ECS image
  
  ISO image
  
  Private image created from a Windows or SUSE public image
  
  Private image created from a Marketplace image
  Launched regions: all
  
  Exporting Images
  
  FAQs
Encrypting Images
- You can create encrypted images through KMS envelope encryption to improve data security.
  
  Encrypted images can be created from external image files or encrypted ECSs.
  
  Launched regions: all
  
  How Do HUAWEI CLOUD Services Use KMS to Encrypt Data?
  
  Creating Encrypted Images
  
  FAQs
Replicating Images
- You can replicate images within a region or across regions.
  
  • Replicating images within a region: This function allows you to convert encrypted and unencrypted images into each other or enable some advanced features (such as fast instance provisioning).
  • Replicating images across regions: This function allows you to deploy the same application environments in other regions.
- Replicating Images Within a Region
  - You can convert encrypted and unencrypted images into each other or enable some advanced features (such as quick instance provisioning) by replicating an image within a region.
    
    Launched regions: all
    
    Replicating Images Within a Region
- Replicating Images Across Regions
  - An image is a regional resource. If you want to use a private image in another region, you can replicate it to the target region.
    
    Cross-region replication is applicable to cross-region server deployment or data backup. It is often used together with image sharing for cross-region, cross-account image replication.
    
    Launched regions:
    • System and Data disk images cannot be replicated to other regions in AP-Bangkok, AP-Singapore, and L A-Sao Paulo1.
    • Cross-region replication of full-ECS images is available only in the CN North-Beijing1, CN East-Shanghai1, CN East-Shanghai2, CN North-Beijing4, and CN South-Guangzhou regions.
    
    Replicating Images Across Regions
    
    FAQs
Tagging an Image
- You can tag your private images for easy management and search.
  
  A maximum of 10 tags can be added for a private image when you create the image or add them on the details page of the image after it is created.
  
  Launched regions: all
  
  Tagging an Image
Exporting Image Information
- You can export information about the public and private images in a region in CSV format, facilitating local maintenance and query.
  
  Launched regions: all
  
  Exporting Image Information
Converting the Image Format
- You can import an image file in VMDK, VHD, QCOW2, RAW, VHDX, QED, VDI, QCOW, ZVHD2, or ZVHD format to HUAWEI CLOUD. Image files in other formats need to be converted to any of these formats before being imported. You can use the open-source tool qemu-img or self-developed tool qemu-img-hw to convert the image format.
  
  qemu-img supports the mutual conversion of formats VHD, VMDK, QCOW2, RAW, VHDX, QCOW, VDI, and QED, but cannot covert an image to ZVHD or ZVHD2 format. To convert an image file to any of the two formats, use qemu-img-hw.
  
  Launched regions: all
  
  Converting the Image Format Using qemu-img
  
  Converting the Image Format Using qemu-img-hw
Deleting a Private Image
- You can delete images that are no longer used. Deleting an image does not affect the ECSs or EVS disks created from the image.
  
  Launched regions: all
  
  Deleting Images
  
  FAQs
Auditing Key Operations
- Cloud Trace Service (CTS) records operations on cloud resources in your account. You can use the logs to perform security analysis, track resource changes, audit compliance, and locate faults.
  
  Once CTS is enabled, it starts recording IMS operations. You can view the operation records of the last 7 days on the CTS management console.
  
  Launched regions: all
  
  Key Operations Supported by CTS
  
  Auditing Logs
API
- IMS provides REST APIs that support HTTPS methods. You can call these APIs to create, register, replicate, and share images.
  
  Launched regions: all
  
  Overview
SDK
- IMS provides Java, Python, Go, and .NET SDKs to facilitate your secondary development.
  
  Launched regions: all
  
  IMS SDK