# Exoscale Installation Plakar Control Plane is distributed for Exoscale as a QCOW2 virtual machine image. The official QCOW2 image can be downloaded from: - [Plakar Control Plane Downloads Page](https://www.plakar.io/download) Unlike marketplace-based deployments such as AWS AMIs, Exoscale instances cannot boot directly from a QCOW2 image. Instead, the image must first be registered as a **Compute custom template**, which can then be used to create instances. ## Preparing the QCOW2 image Start by downloading the Plakar Control Plane QCOW2 image from the downloads page. Before importing the image into Exoscale, generate an MD5 checksum. Exoscale uses this checksum to verify the image during the import process. To generate the checksum locally, run: ```bash md5sum plakar-control-plane.qcow2 ``` Next, make the QCOW2 image available at a publicly accessible URL so Exoscale can download it during the template creation process. You can host the image on any publicly accessible server. Exoscale's Simple Object Storage (SOS) is a convenient option. Upload the QCOW2 image to an SOS bucket, then generate a public URL for the object. > [!NOTE]+ QCOW2 Image URL > > The image URL must be publicly accessible. Exoscale downloads the image > directly when creating the custom template, so the URL cannot require > authentication. ## Hosting the QCOW2 image with Exoscale Simple Object Storage Open the **Storage** section in the Exoscale console and create a new **Simple Object Storage (SOS)** bucket. Choose a zone for the bucket and provide a name. The region does not matter for this purpose. ![Creating an Exoscale SOS bucket](../images/create-exoscale-sos-bucket.png) Once the bucket has been created, open it and click **Upload object**. Upload the QCOW2 image that you downloaded earlier. After the upload completes, open the uploaded object and navigate to the **ACL** tab. Click **ADD CANNED ACL**, then select **PUBLIC-READ**. This makes the object publicly accessible so Exoscale can download it when creating the custom template. ![Object details inside an Exoscale SOS bucket](../images/exoscale-sos.png) You can then copy the object's URL and use it when registering the custom template in Exoscale. ## Creating the custom template Open **Compute → Templates** in the Exoscale console, then click **Add custom template**. Provide a name for the template and select the zone where it will be created. The template can only be used to create instances in the same zone, so choose the zone where you intend to deploy Plakar Control Plane. ![](../images/create-exoscale-compute-template.png) For the image source, provide the public URL of the QCOW2 image that you uploaded earlier, then enter the corresponding MD5 checksum. Set the boot mode to **UEFI**. If you intend to use Exoscale's Application Consistent Snapshots, enable **Application consistent snapshot** when creating the custom template. This option cannot be enabled later unless it is supported by the template. If you want SSH access to the instance, enable **SSH access** and set the **Login username** to `plakar`. SSH access is optional and is not required for a standard installation. Plakar Control Plane is designed to be managed through the web interface. Once the template has been configured, click **Add** to create the template. > [!NOTE]+ SSH Access > > SSH-enabled templates require a public SSH key. If SSH access is enabled, > you'll be able to connect to the instance after deployment using: > > ```bash > ssh plakar@ > ``` > > Replace `` with the public IP address assigned to the > instance. ## Creating the instance Open **Compute → Instances** in the Exoscale console, then click **Add instance**. Provide a name for the instance. Under **Templates**, select **Custom template**, then choose the template created in the previous step. Once a custom template has been selected, the instance is automatically created in the same zone as the template. The zone cannot be changed, so ensure the template was created in the zone where you intend to deploy Plakar Control Plane. ![Creating Exoscale compute instance](../images/create-exoscale-instance-1.png) For a production deployment, Plakar Control Plane is recommended to run with: - **4 vCPUs** - **16 GB RAM** - **1 TB of Block Storage** An **Extra Large** instance from the **Standard** instance type family is suitable for most deployments. The template only requires a small boot disk, so a 10 GB system disk is sufficient. Plakar Control Plane stores its database, logs, and application state on a separate Block Storage volume, which will be attached later. For evaluation or testing, you can reduce the CPU, memory, and storage allocation. ![Allocating resources to a Exoscale instance](../images/exoscale-compute-resource-allocation.png) Configure the remaining instance options as needed for your environment. If your environment requires outbound traffic to pass through a proxy, configure it as described in the [Proxy Configuration](#proxy-configuration) section. If SSH access was enabled when creating the custom template, select the SSH key pair to authorize for the instance. Leave **Public IP Assignment** enabled so the instance receives a public IPv4 address that can be used to access Plakar Control Plane after deployment. If you're deploying Plakar Control Plane behind a private network, you can disable public IP assignment instead. You can also assign one or more **Security Groups** to the instance. This can be configured now or after the instance has been created. The recommended security group configuration is covered in the [Security Groups](#security-groups) section. If the custom template was created with **Application consistent snapshot** support enabled, you can also enable it for the instance. This is optional and only required if you intend to use Exoscale's application-consistent snapshot feature. Before creating the instance, disable **Auto start**. This allows you to attach the additional Block Storage volume before Plakar Control Plane boots for the first time. Once configured, click **Create instance**. ## Creating the Block Storage volume Open **Compute → Block Storage** in the Exoscale console, then click **Create Block Storage**. Provide a name for the volume, select the same zone as the instance, and create it as a **Blank volume**. A recommended size of **1024 GB** is suitable for most deployments. Block Storage volumes can only be attached to instances in the same zone. This volume stores the Plakar Control Plane database, logs, and all application state. Backups themselves are stored wherever you configure using [apps](../../apps). ![Creating an Exoscale Block Storage volume](../images/create-exoscale-block-storage.png) Once the volume has been created, open **Compute → Instances** and select the Plakar Control Plane instance. Under **Block Storage Volumes**, click **Attach volume**, then select the Block Storage volume that you created. ![Attaching an Exoscale Block Storage volume](../images/attach-exoscale-block-storage.png) ## Proxy Configuration If your network requires outbound traffic to go through a proxy, you can configure it through the instance's **User data** before the instance is created. - `http` is the only required field. If your proxy handles both HTTP and HTTPS traffic on the same endpoint, `https` can be omitted and defaults to the value of `http`. - `no_proxy` is optional and is rarely needed. ![Adding proxy configuration to Exoscale User data](../images/exoscale-user-data.png) ## Security Groups The networking configuration below is intended for a basic deployment setup. In production environments, networking and access control should be adapted to match your infrastructure and security requirements. For example: - Exposing Plakar Control Plane through a load balancer with HTTPS/TLS certificates - Restricting access through a VPN or private network - Limiting inbound traffic to trusted IP ranges - Using internal-only networking Create a security group that allows inbound TCP traffic on port `80` to access the Plakar Control Plane web interface. If SSH access was enabled when creating the custom template, also allow inbound TCP traffic on port `22`. The allowed source can be: - Your public IP address - Your organization gateway or VPN address - `0.0.0.0/0` for temporary testing access By default, Exoscale allows all outbound traffic, so no additional egress rules are required. Once the security group has been created, open the Plakar Control Plane instance and navigate to the **Security Groups** tab. Attach the security group to the instance. > [!WARNING]+ > > Using `0.0.0.0/0` allows access from any IP address and should only be used > for testing or temporary deployments. ## Starting the instance After the Block Storage volume has been attached, start the instance from the Exoscale console. Plakar Control Plane will detect and initialize the attached Block Storage volume during its first boot. ## Accessing Plakar Control Plane After the instance has started, the Block Storage volume has been attached, and the security group has been configured, Plakar Control Plane can be accessed from your browser using: ```txt http:// ``` Where `` is the public IPv4 address assigned to the instance. For first-time installations, you will be guided through the enrollment process to: - Register the instance with Plakar services for licensing and billing - Create the initial administrator account See the [enrollment](../../enrollment) documentation for more details.