Controlling boot behavior with cloud-init

Cloud-init is a multi-distribution, open-source package developed by Canonical that handles the early initialization of a server running Linux. The behavior of cloud-init can be configured using customer-supplied user data. User data is supplied via a config file written in cloud-config specific syntax that contains directives on how cloud-init should behave.

More information about cloud-init is available in the cloud-init documentation.

In the Rackspace cloud, cloud-init is responsible for handling some of the server setup actions traditionally performed by the nova-agent. This varies from image to image, but currently cloud-init handles the disk expansion and partitioning for Linux PVHVM images.

See also

Using flavors to create a new cloud server Changing the characteristics of a cloud server Monitoring events on your cloud server Creating a cloud server in a region Handling host-related issues Operating a cloud server with nova-agent Configuring disks for a cloud server Managing access with SSH keys Synchronizing time with NTP Describing a cloud server with metadata: Setting and updating metadata Showing metadata

Understanding flavor classes: Flavor classes for virtual cloud servers Flavor classes for OnMetal cloud servers Choosing a flavor class Checking for regional availability of flavor classes Controlling cloud server initiation: Controlling boot behavior with cloud-init Controlling boot behavior with a config drive Controlling boot behavior with personality

Understanding Cloud Servers introduces key ideas. To learn how to put these ideas to work, start at Actions for Cloud Servers.