Create New KVM Instance
This page allows you to create a new virtual system, running inside a KVM instance. Because Cloudmin always creates new KVM systems from images, you must have downloaded at least one image using the New System Images page before an instance can be created.

The fields on this form that need to be filled in to create a KVM instance are :

System hostname
This must be the name of the new KVM instance to create, which should not include a domain name. Suitable instance names are like centos1 or xen-foocorp.The final hostname of the instance will have the DNS domain name selected for the host system appended.
System description
A short human-readable description for this new virtual system, like Webserver for Foo Corp.
Initial system image
From this menu you must select the KVM operating system image to start the new system with. Cloudmin provides two types of images - base operating systems, and full stacks with Virtualmin. In most cases, you will want to select the latter.
Root login mode
This field allows you to set the initial password for the new KVM instance. Typically you will select Using password and enter a password into the adjacent text box, which can then be given to whoever will manage the server. Alternately, if you have any SSH keys registered with Cloudmin you can select Using SSH key and choose a key from the menu next to it. Once the instance is created, it will be configured to allow passwordless logins using that key.
Allow creation of Virtualmin domains?
This setting determines if the newly create system can have Virtualmin domains added to it. Typically you will want to leave this set to Yes.
Update Virtualmin packages?
When this is set to Yes (as it is by default) and you are creating a system from an image that includes Virtualmin Pro, all packages used by Virtualmin will be updated to the latest available versions after creation is complete.
KVM hosting system
From this menu you must select the physical system on which you want the KVM instance created.
IP address for KVM instance
Every new KVM system is given a private IP address, which can either be allocated automatically from the range defined for the host system, or entered manually by selecting the Address option.
If the Cloudmin master runs a DNS server (highly recommended), an entry will be added to the DNS zone selected for the KVM host system for the full hostname and KVM instance IP address.
Memory allocated to instance
KVM instances have a fixed upper bound on the amount of memory they can use, which is controlled by this option. 256 is the minimum for a web webhosting system with Virtualmin, but 512 is recommended.
Swap file size for instance
By default, Cloudmin will create KVM instances with regular memory allocated, but no swap space. However, you can select the second radio button here and enter the amount of swap (virtual) memory to allocate in MB, which will allow processes in the instance to use more than the allocated RAM, at the cost of performance. Because the swap space is stored in a file on the host system of the same size, it is a good idea to limit this to twice the amount of regular memory.
Disk space allocated to instance
Unlike some other virtual machine types, KVM stores each instance's file system inside a single file on the host, which is a disk image in EXT3 format. The size of the filesystem within the instance is thus limited to the disk image size.
By default, the disk file size depends on the system image selected. All images that contain the full Virtualmin stack are 2 GB, while those with just the base OS are 1 GB. Because this may not be enough for a system that will host multiple websites, you can enter a larger size in MB using this option, and the disk image will be grown to that size during the instance creation process.
When the Create button is clicked, Cloudmin will start the KVM setup process. Status messages will be displayed as each step is done. The total time depends on the size of the image, speed of the host system and speed of the network between the host and the Cloudmin master, but around five minutes seems to be the average.