Console

To import a machine image to Compute Engine using the Google Cloud console, usethe following steps.

1. Open the Migrate to Virtual Machines page in the Google Cloud console.

   Go to the Migrate to Virtual Machines page

2. Select theMachine Image Imports tab.

3. ClickCreate a machine image.

4. Define the characteristics of the image. The following table lists theparameters that you can set for your machine image.

   Section title	Field name	Description
   General	Name	The name of the machine image that you want to create. For moreinformation on the naming rules, seeNaming convention.
   	Machine image import ID	An ID that represents the machine image import resource. When youimport a machine image to Compute Engine, Migrate to Virtual Machines firstcreates a machine image import resource. The machine image importresource represents the machine image import job. You can use theMachine Image import ID to get the link to the machine image that wasimported as part of the machine image import process.
   	Source file input	The file from which you want to import the machine image. ClickBrowse to view the list of buckets in your currentproject, and select the file from which you want to import the machineimage. If you want to import a machine image from a bucket from another project,you must enter the path in the formatbucket/folder/file. To getthe path of an object inside a bucket, seeView object metadata. When you copy the path, make sure that you don't copythegs:// prefix. Note that you can only import machine images from.ova and.ovf files.
   	Region	The region in which you want to create the machine image. For a listof supported regions, seeRegions and zones.
   	Target project	The target project in which you want to create the machine image. Ifyou've not already added a target project, do so using the instructionsgiven inAdd a target project.
   	Auto-select Compute Engine machine type	Automatically selects the machine type from the source file. Thisoption is enabled by default. If you want to manually select the machinetype series and machine type, click this field to the off position.
   	Machine type series	Select the machine type series for the machine image. This field isvisible only when theAuto-select GCE machine type option is disabled.Note that the machine type series available for selection is dependent onthe region you've selected. For more information, seePredefined machine types.
   	Machine type	Select the machine type.
   	Description	(Optional) Add a description for the machine image.
   	Skip OS adaptation	To skip OS adaptation, click theSkip OS adaptationtoggle to the on position. To function properly on Google Cloud, VMs created from imported machineimages require changes to be made to their configuration. These changesare referred to asOS adaptations. Migrate to Virtual Machines performsOS adaptations automatically in the machine image import process. For moreinformation, seeAdapt VM instances to run on Google Cloud.
   	Generalize	To generalize the machine image, click theGeneralizetoggle to the on position. When you create an instance from a machineimage, Windows adds some unique information to the instance. Generalize isa process that removes this information so that you can create multipleinstances from the same machine image.
   Licenses	License type	Compute Engine supports pay as you go (PAYG) licenses and bring yourown licenses (BYOL) for your deployed VMs. The default license type for amigrated VM is assigned by Migrate to Virtual Machines based on the migratedoperating system, as described inSupported operating systems. If your operating system supports multiple license types, you can overridethe default license type to explicitly specify a license type of PAYG orBYOL. Note: Some operating system types,such as CentOS and Debian, don't support a license. Other operatingsystems only support one type of license. Attempting to set an unsupportedlicense type causes an error when you attempt to import the machine image.
   Additional licenses	Additional licenses	You can add up to 10 additional licenses to the VM instance createdfrom the imported machine image using a valid URL format. For example, youcan add additional licenses using the following URL format: https://www.googleapis.com/compute/beta/projects/windows-sql-cloud/global/licenses/sql-server-2012-enterprise
   	Labels	To organize your project, add labels as key-value pairs to yourresources. SeeOrganize resources using labels.
   Encryption	Google-managed encryption key	Choose this option to use Google-owned and Google-managed encryption key to encryptyour data during the import process. For more information, seeencrypts data when it is at rest.
   	Customer managed encryption key	Choose this option to use customer-managed encryption keys (CMEK) toencrypt your data during the import process, and the data of the imagecreated by the import process. If you have specific compliance orregulatory requirements related to the keys that protect your data, youcan useCMEK to encrypt and decrypt your data.These encryption keys are created, managed, and owned by you. For moreinformation, seeProtect resources by using Cloud KMS keys. When you add a CMEK, you must grant permissions as described in thefollowing table. Role Permissions required Description Cloud VM Migration Service Account roles/vmmigration.serviceAgent Grant this permission to the Compute Engine service account to encrypt data of the machine image created during the import process. Compute Engine Service Agent roles/compute.serviceAgent Grant this permission to the Migrate to Virtual Machines service agent to encrypt the data during the import process.

5. SelectCreate.

gcloud

To import a machine image to Compute Engine using the Google Cloud CLI,use the following request.

gcloud compute migration machine-image-imports createIMAGE_NAME \--source-file=SOURCE_FILE \--location=REGION_ID \--target-project=projects/HOST_PROJECT_ID/locations/global/targetProjects/TARGET_PROJECT

Replace the following:

• IMAGE_NAME: the name of the machine image that youwant to create. For more information on the naming rules, seeNaming convention.
• SOURCE_FILE: the file from which you want toimport the machine image. Enter the path in the formatgs://bucket/folder/file.To get the path of an object inside a bucket, seeView object metadata.Note that you can only import images from.ovf and.ova files.
• REGION_ID: the region in which you want the machineimage import process to run. The machine image is created in the closestmulti-region. If you want the machine image to be created in a region,verify thatsingleRegionStorage is set to true. For a list ofsupported regions, seeRegions and Zones.
• HOST_PROJECT_ID: the name of the host projectfrom which you want to migrate the machine image.
• TARGET_PROJECT: the target project in which youwant to create the machine image. If you've not already added a targetproject, do so using the instructions given inAdd a target project.

For more information, seegcloud migration vms machine-image-imports

REST API

To import a machine image to Compute Engine using the REST API, use thefollowing steps.

1. Create a machine image import resource using the following request.

   POST https://vmmigration.googleapis.com/v1/projects/HOST_PROJECT_ID/locations/REGION_ID/imageImports?imageImportId=IMPORT_NAME{"cloudStorageUri": "SOURCE_FILE","machineImageTargetDefaults": {"imageName": "IMAGE_NAME","targetProject": "projects/HOST_PROJECT_ID/locations/global/targetProjects/TARGET_PROJECT",...}}

   Replace the following:

   • HOST_PROJECT_ID: the name of the host projectfrom which you want to migrate the machine image.
   • REGION_ID: the region in which you want themachine image import process to run. The machine image is created in theclosest multi-region. If you want the machine image to be created in aregion, verify thatsingleRegionStorage is set to true. Fora list of supported regions, seeRegions and Zones.
   • SOURCE_FILE: the file from which you want toimport the machine image. Enter the path in the formatgs://bucket/folder/file.To get the path of an object inside a bucket, seeView object metadata.Note that you can only import machine images from.ova and.ovf files.
   • IMAGE_NAME: the name of the machine image thatyou want to create. For more information on the naming rules, seeNaming convention.
   • TARGET_PROJECT: the target project in which youwant to create the machine image. If you've not already added a targetproject, do so using the instructions given inAdd a target project.

   In this example,IMPORT_NAME is an ID thatrepresents the machine image import resource. When you import an machineimage to Compute Engine, Migrate to Virtual Machines creates an first createsan machine image import resource. The machine image import resourcerepresents the machine image import process. You can use theIMPORT_NAME to get the link to the machine imagethat was imported as part of the machine image import process.

   See the following table for the full list of machine image import createrequest fields supported fields.

   Field name	Description
   cloudStorageUri	The path of the file from which you want to import the machine image.Enter the path in the formatgs://bucket/folder/file. To get thepath of an object inside a bucket, seeView object metadata. Note that you can only import machine images from.ovf and.ova files.
   machineImageTargetDefaults.targetProject	The target project in which you want to create the machine image. For moreinformation, seetarget project API reference.For example, projects/HOST_PROJECT_ID/locations/global/targetProjects/TARGET_PROJECT In the example, replace the following: HOST_PROJECT_ID: the name of the host projectfrom which you want to migrate the machine image. TARGET_PROJECT: the target project in whichyou want to create the image.
   machineImageTargetDefaults.machine_image_name	The name of the machine image to be created.For more information on the naming rules, seeresource naming convention.
   machineImageTargetDefaults.description	(Optional) A description of the machine image.
   machineImageTargetDefaults.machine_type	(Optional) The machine to create the machine image with. If you don'tspecify the machine type, Migrate to Virtual Machines chooses a relevantmachine type based on the information from the source machine image.
   machineImageTargetDefaults.labels	To organize your project, add labels as key-value pairs to yourresources. SeeLabeling resources.
   machineImageTargetDefaults.tags	Add any tags that you want to attach to the machine image. SeeManage tags for resources.
   machineImageTargetDefaults.additionalLicenses	You can add up to 10 additional licenses to the VM instance createdfrom the imported machine image using a valid URL format. For example, youcan add additional licenses using the following URL format: https://www.googleapis.com/compute/beta/projects/windows-sql-cloud/global/licenses/sql-server-2012-enterprise
   machineImageTargetDefaults.service_account	Specify the service account on the target project used by the machineimage. By default, no service account is assigned to the machine image. If you create a Compute Engine instance from a machine image and plan torun an application on it, the instance might need access to othergcloud CLI services and APIs.Create a service accountin the target project with the necessary permissions to access theseservices and APIs before creating the Compute Engine instance. Then,specify that service account here. For more information, seeset up a VM to run asa service account. To attach the service account to the Compute Engine instance, your useraccount on the Migrate to Virtual Machines host project requires the necessarypermissions. For more information, seeConfiguring permissions on target projectservice account.
   machineImageTargetDefaults.shielded_instance_config	(Optional) Enable Shielded VM on this instance. Shielded VMsare hardened by a set of security controls that help defend againstrootkits and bootkits. SeeWhat is Shielded VM?
   machineImageTargetDefaults.singleRegionStorage	Set this flag to true if you want the machine imagestorageLocations to be a region. If you set this flag tofalse, the closest multi-region is selected.
   machineImageTargetDefaults.skip_os_adaptation	Set this flag to true if you want to skip OS adaptation. To function properly on Google Cloud, VMs created from imported machineimages require changes to be made to their configuration. These changesare referred to asOS adaptations. Migrate to Virtual Machines performsOS adaptations automatically in the machine image import process. For moreinformation, seeAdapt VM instances to run on Google Cloud.
   machineImageTargetDefaults.osAdaptationParameters.licenseType	The license type you want to use for your machine image. Compute Enginesupports pay as you go (PAYG) licenses and bring your own licenses (BYOL)for your deployed VMs. The default license type for a migrated VM isassigned by Migrate to Virtual Machines based on the migrated operating system,as described inSupported operating systems. If your operating system supports multiple license types, you can overridethe default license type to explicitly specify a license type of PAYG or BYOL. Note: Some operating system types, suchas CentOS and Debian, don't support a license. Other operating systems onlysupport one type of license. Attempting to set an unsupported license typecauses an error when you attempt to import the machine image.
   machineImageTargetDefaults.osAdaptationParameters.network_interfaces	Migrate to Virtual Machines lets you optionally create a machine imageswith multiple network interfaces (NICs). Each interface is attached to adifferent VPC network, giving that machine image access to different VPCnetworks in gcloud CLI. Before you add additional network interfaces, be aware of the followingconsiderations: Attaching multiple network interfaces to the same VPC network is notsupported. While the configuration might get save, the instantiation ofthe VM will fail. After a Compute Engine instance is instantiated from a machineimage, you cannot add or remove a network interface on the createdinstance. To add or remove a network interface: SelectAdd network interface to add an additionalnetwork interface to the Compute Engine instance. You can set all of thesame options as you do with the initial network interface. For more information, seeCreating instances with multiple network interfaces.
   machineImageTargetDefaults.osAdaptationParameters.generalize	Set this flag to true if you want to generalize the machine image. When you create an instance from an machine image, Windows adds someunique information to the instance. Generalization is a process thatremoves this information so that you can create multiple instances fromthe same machine image.
   machineImageTargetDefaults.encryption	The Google-owned and Google-managed encryption key that you want to use to encrypt yourdata during the import process. For more information, seeDefault encryption at rest. Usecustomer-managed encryption keys (CMEK)to encrypt the data of the machine image. These encryption keys arecreated, managed, and owned by you. For more information, seeProtect resources by using Cloud KMS keys. Note: The encryption key that you select for use duringthe import process will also be used for the output image. When you add a CMEK, you must grant permissions as described in thefollowing table. Role Permissions required Description Cloud VM Migration Service Account roles/vmmigration.serviceAgent Grant this permission to the Compute Engine service account to encrypt data of the machine image created during the import process. Compute Engine Service Agent roles/compute.serviceAgent Grant this permission to the Migrate to Virtual Machines service agent to encrypt the data during the import process.

   You should see a response similar to the following sample response.

   {  "name": "projects/HOST_PROJECT_ID/locations/REGION_ID/operations/OPERATION_ID",  "metadata": {    "createTime": "2023-10-31T09:12:26.94928636Z",    "target": "projects/HOST_PROJECT_ID/locations/us-central1/imageImports/IMPORT_NAME",    "verb": "create",    "apiVersion": "v1",    "@type": "type.googleapis.com/google.cloud.vmmigration.v1.OperationMetadata"  }}

2. Check if the machine image import job is complete by polling the operationusing the following command.

   GET https://vmmigration.googleapis.com/v1/projects/HOST_PROJECT_ID/locations/REGION_ID/operations/OPERATION_ID

   Replace the following:

   • HOST_PROJECT_ID: the name of the host projectfrom which you are migrating the machine image.
   • REGION_ID: the region in which you want themachine image import process to run. The machine image is created in theclosest multi-region. If you want the machine image to be created in aregion, verify thatsingleRegionStorage is set to true. Fora list of supported regions, seeRegions and Zones.
   • OPERATION_ID: the operation ID of the migrate job.

   You should see an operation completion response similar to the followingsample response.

     {    "done": true,    "name": "projects/HOST_PROJECT_ID/locations/REGION_ID/operations/OPERATION_ID",    "response": {      "@type": "type.googleapis.com/google.cloud.vmmigration.v1.ImageImport",      "name": "projects/HOST_PROJECT_ID/locations/us-central1/imageImports/IMPORT_NAME",      "cloudStorageUri": "SOURCE_FILE",      "createTime": "2023-10-31T09:04:04.413664947Z",      "machineImageTargetDefaults": {        "imageName": "IMAGE_NAME",        "targetProject": "projects/HOST_PROJECT_ID/locations/global/targetProjects/TARGET_PROJECT"      },      "recentImageImportJobs": [        {          "name": "projects/HOST_PROJECT_ID/locations/us-central1/imageImports/IMPORT_NAME/imageImportJobs/image-import-job",          "diskImageTargetDetails": {           "imageName": "IMAGE_NAME",           "targetProject": "projects/HOST_PROJECT_ID/locations/global/targetProjects/TARGET_PROJECT"        },         "state": "PENDING"       }      ]    },    "metadata": {      "createTime": "2023-10-31T09:04:04.416740716Z",      "endTime": "2023-10-31T09:05:36.79987142Z",      "target": "projects/HOST_PROJECT_ID/locations/us-central1/imageImports/IMPORT_NAME",      "verb": "create",      "apiVersion": "v1",      "@type": "type.googleapis.com/google.cloud.vmmigration.v1.OperationMetadata"    }  }

3. Monitor the machine image import job for completion using the followingcommand.

   GET https://vmmigration.googleapis.com/v1/projects/HOST_PROJECT_ID/locations/REGION_ID/imageImports/IMPORT_NAME/imageImportJobs/image-import-job

   Replace the following:

   • HOST_PROJECT_ID: the name of the host projectfrom which you are migrating the machine image.
   • REGION_ID: the region in which you want themachine image import process to run. The machine image is created in theclosest multi-region. If you want the machine image to be created in aregion, verify thatsingleRegionStorage is set to true. Fora list of supported regions, seeRegions and Zones.
   • IMPORT_NAME: the ID that represents the machineimage import resource. When you import an machine image toCompute Engine, Migrate to Virtual Machines creates an first creates anmachine image import resource. The machine image import resourcerepresents the machine image import process. You can use theIMPORT_NAME to get the link to the machine imagethat was imported as part of the machine image import process.

   You should see a job completion response similar to the following sampleresponse.

   {  "createTime":"2023-10-31T09:12:27.053788394Z",  "createdResources":[    "https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/USER_PROJECT/global/images/IMAGE_NAME"  ],  "diskImageTargetDetails": {    "imageName":"IMAGE_NAME",    "targetProject":"projects/HOST_PROJECT_ID/locations/global/targetProjects/TARGET_PROJECT"  },  "endTime":"2023-10-31T09:16:50.224865783Z",  "name":"projects/HOST_PROJECT_ID/locations/us-central1/imageImports/IMPORT_NAME/imageImportJobs/image-import-job",  "state":"SUCCEEDED"}