---
title: "Installing vNIOS Virtual Appliance"
canonical: "https://docs.infoblox.com/space/NMHIG/35753668/Installing%20vNIOS%20Virtual%20Appliance"
format: markdown
---
You can install the vNIOS virtual appliance on Windows Server 2022 using the Hyper-V Manager as described in this topic. Sections covered in this topic are:

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Installing vNIOS Using Hyper-V Manager

> ⚠️ **Note:** 
> ⚠️ 
> ⚠️ If the default virtual hard disk size is insufficient to accommodate your vNIOS image, you must expand the disk before starting the appliance. Since only a resizable image is provided, it is recommended to use a 500 GB disk for Trinzic X6 Series appliances. To resize the disk, refer to the *[Resizing the Disk of vNIOS Images Using Hyper-V Manager](#resizing_disk_vnios_hyperv)* section. Disk resizing must be completed prior to powering on the VM.

To install vNIOS virtual appliance using Hyper-V Manager, complete the following steps:

1. Open Hyper-V Manager.
2. From the **Actions** menu, select **New** -> **Virtual Machine...**.
3. In the *New Virtual Machine Wizard* dialog box, complete the following:
  1. On the **Before You Begin** tab, read the notes about the wizard, and then click **Next**.
  2. On the **Specify Name and Location** tab, provide a name for the virtual machine in the **Name** field, and then click **Next**.
  3. On the **Specify Generation** tab, select **Generation 1** as the generation of the virtual machine.
  4. On the **Assign Memory** tab, specify the memory. You can refer to tables in *[vNIOS for Microsoft Hyper-V X6 Series](https://docs.infoblox.com/space/vniosspec/1488551999/vNIOS+for+Microsoft+Hyper-V+X6+Series)* and *[vNIOS for Microsoft Hyper-V X5 Series](https://docs.infoblox.com/space/vniosspec/1488650362/vNIOS+for+Microsoft+Hyper-V+X5+Series)* topics<span style="color: #0000ff"> </span>to specify an appropriate memory. Click **Next**.
  5. On the **Configure Networking** tab, from the **Connection** drop-down list, select the network adapter that you want to use for that virtual machine, and then click **Next**.
  6. On the **Connect Virtual Hard Disk** tab:
    1. Select **Use an existing virtual hard disk**.
    2. Click **Browse** and locate the extracted VHD file, and then click **Open**.
    3. Click **Next**.
  7. On the **Summary** tab, view the configuration details.
  8. Click **Finish **to create the VM.  
<span style="color: #111111">It may take a while to install the vNIOS virtual appliance on the Windows server.</span>
4. <span style="color: #111111">After a successful installation of the vNIOS appliance, before starting the appliance, you must add at least four virtual network adapters with 8 GB of memory.</span>  
<span style="color: #111111">To add a network adapter:</span>
  1. From Hyper-V Manager, select the vNIOS instance and click **Settings** at the bottom-right side of the Hyper-V Manager Interface, or click **Settings** from the **Action** menu.
  2. In the *Settings* wizard, select **Hardware** -> **Add Hardware** -> **Network Adapter**, and then click **Add**.
    
  3. Under *Network Adapter*, in the **Virtual switch** drop-down list, choose a virtual network that the virtual appliance will use for communication through this network adapter.
  4. Click **Apply** and then click **OK**.
  5. Repeat the steps to add more network adapters.

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Resizing the Disk of vNIOS Images Using Hyper-V Manager

You can expand the virtual hard disk of a vNIOS image after initial deployment to accommodate larger storage requirements. Perform the following steps before powering on the VM. Once the VM boots with the resized disk, the appliance will automatically recognize the expanded capacity.

1. Install the vNIOS VM as described in the *[Installing vNIOS Using Hyper-V Manager](#install_vnios_hyperv)* section. Do not start the VM after deployment.
2. From Hyper-V Manager, select the vNIOS instance and click **Settings** at the bottom-right of the interface, or click **Settings** from the **Action** menu.
3. In the **Settings** dialog box, navigate to **IDE Controller 0** → **Hard Drive**.
4. Click **Edit** next to the **Virtual Hard Disk** field. This launches the **Edit Virtual Hard Disk Wizard**.
5. On the **Choose Action** tab, select **Expand**, and then click **Next**.
6. On the **Configure Disk** tab, enter **500** in the **New size** field (GB), and then click **Next**.
7. Review the summary on the **Complete the wizard** tab, and then click **Finish**.
8. Continue with any remaining deployment steps, such as adding network adapters or attaching a Cloud-init ISO, as applicable.
9. Start the VM as described in the *[Starting the vNIOS Appliance using Hyper-V Manager](#Startvniosusinghyperv)* section.

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Provisioning Infoblox vNIOS for Hyper-V using Cloud-init 

To provision vNIOS for Hyper-V using Cloud-init, you must configure the user-data file as follows:

1. Open your Linux terminal and create a directory, for example `test`.
2. Navigate to the `test` directory and create two YAML files `meta-data` and `user-data`.
3. In the `meta-data` file, enter the required Instance ID in the following format.

Example: 

`instance-id: iid-local01`

`local-hostname: ubuntu-hyperv`

4. In the `user-data` file, enter the required user-data fields in the following format.

Example: 

`#infoblox-config`  
`temp_license: nios IB-V825 enterprise dns dhcp`  
`remote_console_enabled: y`

You must use the exact directory names and file names specified in the preceding steps.  
For more information about supported cloud-init settings, see *[cloud-init Configuration in vNIOS for Microsoft Hyper-V](https://infoblox-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/NMHIG/pages/1930002552)*.

5. Enter the following command from the `test` directory to package the files into an ISO image:

`genisoimage -output <file name>.iso -volid cidata -joliet -rock <names of the files created above>`  
  
Example:  
`genisoimage -output elastic.iso -volid cidata -joliet -rock user-data meta-data`

Note that this command creates the ISO image in the same path where the command executes.

6. Configure a vNIOS virtual appliance on Windows Server as described in section *[Installing vNIOS Using Hyper-V Manager](#install_vnios_hyperv)*.
7. From **Hyper-V manager,** select the vNIOS instance and click **Settings **on the bottom-right side of the Hyper-V Manager Interface. Alternatively, click **Settings** from the **Action** menu.
8. In the *Settings* wizard, select **IDE Controller 1** -> **DVD Drive**.
9. Select the **Image File** option and upload the ISO file created in step 5.
10. Click **Apply, **and then click **OK**.
11. Start the vNIOS instance as described in the *[Starting the vNIOS Appliance using Hyper-V Manager](https://infoblox-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/NMHIG/pages/35753668)* section.

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Deploying vNIOS Reporting Instances

To deploy a vNIOS reporting instance on the IB-V805, IB-V1405, IB-V5005, and IB-V2205 appliances, you must configure two disk images (.vhd and .vhdx).  
Complete the following to configure a vNIOS reporting instance:

1. Configure a vNIOS virtual appliance on the Windows Server as described in section *[Installing vNIOS Using Hyper-V Manager](#install_vnios_hyperv)*.
2. Under **Virtual Machines**, select the virtual machine that you have configured (using step 1), and then click **Settings**.
3. In the *Settings* dialog box, click **Add Hardware**, and then select **SCSI Controller** on the *Add Hardware* page. Click **Add** to add a SCSI controller to the virtual machine.
4. In **SCSI Controller**, click **Hard Drive**, and then click **Add**. A hard drive is added to the SCSI controller.
5. Select **Virtual hard disk**, and then click **New** to start the *New Virtual Hard Disk* wizard.
6. On the **Before You Begin** tab, click **Choose Disk Format**.
7. On the **Choose Disk Format** tab, accept the default VHDX. Click **Next**.
8. On the **Choose Disk Type** tab, accept the default **Dynamic Expanding**. Click **Next**.
9. On the **Specify Name and Location** tab, complete the following:
  - Enter the name of your shared virtual hard disk.
  - Click **Browse** and navigate to your shared storage location, and then click **Select Folder**. Click **Next**.
10. On the **Before You Begin** tab, click **Next**.
11. In the **Size** field, specify the maximum size allowed for the virtual hard disk files in gigabytes (GB). Infoblox strongly recommends that you set the disk size above 5 GB. Note that configuring a value that is less than 5 GB might cause performance issues.
12. Review the configuration settings on the **Summary** tab. Optionally, to change settings, click **Previous**.
  *Configuration Summary*  
> Macro (inline-media-image)
13. Click **Finish**.

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Starting the vNIOS Appliance using Hyper-V Manager

1. Select the vNIOS instance from the Hyper-V Manager.
2. From the **Action** menu, click **Start** or right-click the vNIOS instance, and then click **Start**.  
Note that after you start the virtual appliance, it may take a few minutes for the CLI prompt to appear while the appliance initializes.
  *Starting vNIOS from Hyper-V Manager*

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**Shutting** **Down** **the** **vNIOS** **Appliance** **using** **Hyper-V** **Manager**

1. Select the vNIOS instance from the Hyper-V Manager.
2. Complete one of the following:
  - From the **Action** menu, click **Shut** **Down** or **Turn** **Off**.
  - Right-click the vNIOS instance, and then click **Shut** **Down** or **Turn** **Off**.
  - (Optional) If you want to suspend the current execution, click **Pause** and to return to the condition that it was in when its state was paused, click **Resume**.

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Starting the vNIOS Appliance using SCVMM

1. Select the vNIOS instance from SCVMM.
2. From the **Action** menu, point to virtual machine and click **Start** or right-click the vNIOS instance, and then click **Start**.  
Note that after you start the virtual appliance, it may take a few minutes for the CLI prompt to appear while the appliance initializes.

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Shutting Down the vNIOS Appliance using SCVMM

1. Select the vNIOS instance from SCVMM.
2. Do one of the following:
  - From the **Action** menu, click **Shut** **Down** or **Save** **State**.
  - Right-click the vNIOS instance, and then click **Shut** **Down** or **Turn** **Off**.
  - (Optional) If you want to suspend the current execution, click **Pause** and to return to the condition that it was in when its state was paused, click **Start**.