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How to capture a Linux image for upload preparation

Applies to: ✔️ Linux VMs

This article provides step-by-step instructions for capturing a Linux image to prepare it for upload to Azure.

Prerequisites

Before proceeding, ensure the following prerequisites are met:

  • Access to the Linux machine whose disk you want to image.
  • Azure CLI installed on your local machine.
  • An Azure account with appropriate permissions to upload images.

Steps to capture a Linux image

  1. Prepare the Linux VM for imaging, including stopping unnecessary services and cleaning up temporary files:

    sudo systemctl stop <service-name>
sudo apt-get clean
sudo rm -rf /tmp/*

  2. Create an image of the disk using the dd command:

    sudo dd if=/dev/sdX of=/path/to/output/image.img bs=4M

    Note

    Replace /dev/sdX with the appropriate disk identifier.

  3. Compress the disk image to save space and reduce upload time:

    gzip /path/to/output/image.img

  4. Install the Azure CLI on your local machine if it's not installed:

    curl -sL https://aka.ms/InstallAzureCLIDeb | sudo bash

  5. Sign in to Azure using the Azure CLI:

    az login

  6. Create a resource group where you'll store the image (if needed):

    az group create --name <ResourceGroupName> --location <Location>

  7. Create a storage account to upload the image:

    az storage account create --name <StorageAccountName> --resource-group <ResourceGroupName> --location <Location> --sku Standard_LRS

  8. Create a storage container within the storage account:

    az storage container create --account-name <StorageAccountName> --name <ContainerName>

  9. Upload the compressed disk image to the storage container:

    az storage blob upload --account-name <StorageAccountName> --container-name <ContainerName> --name image.img.gz --file /path/to/output/image.img.gz

  10. Create a managed disk from the uploaded VHD:

    az disk create --resource-group <ResourceGroupName> --name <DiskName> --source https://<StorageAccountName>.blob.core.windows.net/<ContainerName>/image.img.gz

  11. Create an image from the managed disk:

    az image create --resource-group <ResourceGroupName> --name <ImageName> --source <DiskName>

  12. Verify that the image has been created successfully:

    az image show --resource-group <ResourceGroupName> --name <ImageName>

You have now created a Linux image from an on-premises disk and uploaded it to Azure. You can use this image to create new VMs in your Azure environment.

Contact us for help

If you have questions or need help, create a support request, or ask Azure community support. You can also submit product feedback to Azure feedback community.