summary: In this topic, you will learn how to deploy Plesk from a QCOW2 image on Oracle VirtualBox.

We will use Plesk running on Ubuntu 22 as an example, but you can also deploy Plesk running on CentOS 7 the same way.

Before You Begin

Before deploying Plesk, do the following:

  1. Download and install VirtualBox on your computer.
  2. Download the plesk-ubuntu-latest.qcow2 image from https://autoinstall.plesk.com/images/.
  3. Convert the QCOW2 image to the VMDK format.

Deploying Plesk Using a Converted QCOW2 Image

To deploy Plesk on VirtualBox using a QCOW2 image converted to the VMDK format, create a virtual server. Here’s how to do it:

  1. In VirtualBox, сlick the New icon:

    image QCOW2_VB_Create_VM_Button

  2. In the “Create Virtual Machine” window, specify the name for the virtual machine and the operating system, and the RAM size:

    image QCOW2_VB_Create_VM_Configure_parameters

    For more information about the RAM requirements, see the Hardware Requirements.

  3. Select Use an existing virtual hard disk file and then click the QCOW2_VB_Use_Existing_VDF_Icon icon.

  4. In the “Hard Disk Selector” window, click Add:

    image QCOW2_VB_Create_VM_Configure_hard_disk

  5. Select the QCOW2 image you downloaded and converted to the VMDK format, and then click Choose.

  6. Click Create.

  7. Power on the virtual machine you have created by clicking Start:

    image QCOW2_VB_Run_VM_Power_On_VM

  8. Select Ubuntu and press ENTER:

    image QCOW2_VB_Run_VM_Select_OS

Wait till the operating system and Plesk are deployed.

Logging in to the Created Virtual Machine

A virtual machine with Plesk created from a converted QCOW2 image does not have a preconfigured SSH password. There are two ways to log in to the virtual machine:

  • Boot into recovery mode and set the root password. You need to do this for every virtual machine with Plesk you create.
  • Use the “cloud-init” utility shipped with the Plesk QCOW2 image to preconfigure the server and set the root password. For example, you can use the “NoCloud” datasource to create an ISO image or a virtual hard drive containing the user-data file. Connect this ISO image or a virtual hard drive to the virtual machine before booting it up, and the cloud-init utility should configure the SSH user so that you can log in. You can then use that ISO image or a virtual hard drive with every virtual machine you create.