Install Vminit to ensure correct ECS instance initialization - Elastic Compute Service

Vminit is an initialization tool for ECS instances that run the Windows operating system. It handles network configuration, hostname settings, and custom script execution. If a custom image lacks Vminit, you must install it manually to ensure successful instance initialization. This topic describes how to install Vminit in the virtual machine that you use to create an image.

Limitations

Vminit supports 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, and later operating systems.

Install Vminit

Note

This topic uses Vminit version 2.0.1.2 as an example. For information about other versions, see Release notes.

In the virtual machine used to create the image, download and decompress the Vminit installation package.

Download URL: AliyunVminit.zip.
Install Vminit.
GUI
1. In the download directory, find and double-click AliyunVminit_2.0.1.2_x86_64.exe.
2. Follow the on-screen instructions.
  
  On the License Agreement page, select I accept the agreement (A), then click Next (N) to continue the installation.
3. When the completion screen appears, the installation is complete.
CLI
1. In Windows PowerShell, navigate to the directory where you downloaded the package, for example, C:\test.
```
cd C:\test
```
2. Run the following command to install Vminit.
```
.\AliyunVminit_2.0.1.2_x86_64.exe /SILENT /FORCE
```
  Note
  
  /SILENT: Enables silent installation.
  
  /FORCE: Forces an overwrite of an existing installation.

Verify the Vminit installation.

In Windows PowerShell, run the following command to check the Vminit version number.
```
(Get-Item C:\ProgramData\aliyun\vminit\vminit.exe).VersionInfo.ProductVersion
```
If a version number similar to the following is returned, the installation is successful.
```
PS C:\...> (Get-Item C:\ProgramData\aliyun\vminit\vminit.exe).VersionInfo.ProductVersion
0.1.2
```

Run the following command to get the Vminit-related registry configuration information.

Get-ItemProperty  -Path "HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\vminit"

If information similar to the following is returned, the installation is successful.

PS C:\test> Get-ItemProperty  -Path "HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\vminit"
ErrorControl  : 1
start         : 2
type          : 16
DisplayName   : Aliyun Vminit Service
ImagePath     : C:\ProgramData\aliyun\vminit\vminit.exe service
ObjectName    : LocalSystem
Description   : Aliyun Windows System Initialization Agent
PSPath        : Microsoft.PowerShell.Core\Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\vminit
PSParentPath  : Microsoft.PowerShell.Core\Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services
PSChildName   : vminit
PSDrive       : HKLM
PSProvider    : Microsoft.PowerShell.Core\Registry

Once the installation is verified, the image is ready to be imported to Alibaba Cloud.

(Optional) Configure Vminit

During instance creation, Vminit runs all plug-ins by default. If you create an instance from a custom image and want to prevent certain operations from running automatically during startup, you can disable the corresponding plug-ins when you create the image.

Create a configuration file

Create a file in the C:\ProgramData\aliyun\vminit directory. The file must:
- The filename must be customized_config.
- The file must not have a filename extension.
- The file content must be in JSON format.
Note
ProgramData is typically a hidden directory. Make sure that the Show hidden files, folders, and drives option is enabled to view and manage hidden items.
Disable specific plug-ins.

The following example shows how to disable the plug-ins for automatic instance hostname configuration and data disk initialization.
- Disable automatic hostname configuration and data disk initialization.
  
  If you do not want Alibaba Cloud to automatically configure the instance hostname and initialize the data disk, you can disable both the Plugin_Main_ConfigHostname and Plugin_Main_ConfigDisk plug-ins. Copy the following JSON content to the customized_config file and save the file.
```
{
 "disabledPlugins": ["Plugin_Main_ConfigHostname", "Plugin_Main_ConfigDisk"]
}
```

Note

If you need to re-enable a plug-in later, remove its corresponding entry from the customized_config file.

FAQ

Why does a Windows instance restart once during creation?

Cause: When you create a Windows instance, Alibaba Cloud assigns a default hostname even if you do not specify one. Windows requires a system restart for the hostname change to take effect. Therefore, the system restarts during the creation phase.
Solution: If you prefer to set the instance hostname yourself, you can resolve this issue by disabling the Plugin_Main_ConfigHostname plug-in. Disabling the plug-in prevents the system from automatically assigning a hostname to the instance.

Elastic Compute Service:Install Vminit

Limitations

Install Vminit

GUI

CLI

(Optional) Configure Vminit

FAQ

Related documentation