How to Capture an Image of a Virtual Machine Running Linux

You can use images from the Image Gallery to easily create virtual machines, or you can capture and use your own images to create customized virtual machines. An image is a virtual hard disk (.vhd) file that is used as a template for creating a virtual machine. An image is a template because it doesn’t have specific settings like a configured virtual machine, such as the computer name and user account settings. If you want to create multiple virtual machines that are set up the same way, you can capture an image of a configured virtual machine and use that image as a template.

1. Connect to the virtual machine by using the steps listed in How to Log on to a Virtual Machine Running Linux.

2. In the SSH window, type the following command, and then enter the password for the account that you created on the virtual machine:

   sudo waagent –deprovision

   

3. Type y to continue.

   

4. Type Exit to close the SSH client.

5. In the Management Portal, select the virtual machine, and then click Shutdown.

   

6. Click Yes to acknowledge that you will continue to be billed for the virtual machine when it is not running.

7. When the virtual machine is stopped, on the command bar, click Capture.

   

   The Capture Virtual Machine dialog box appears.

   

8. In Image Name, enter the name for the new image.

9. All Linux images must be deprovisioned by running the waagent command with the –deprovision option. Click I have run the de-provision command on the Virtual Machine to indicate that the operating system is prepared to be an image.

10. Click the check mark to capture the image.

    The new image is now available under Images. The virtual machine is deleted after the image is captured.

    

    When you create a virtual machine by using the From Gallery method, you can use the image that you captured by clicking My Images on the Select the virtual machine operating system page.