IBM Cloud Docs
Building a custom bare metal server

Building a custom bare metal server

Use the following steps to build a custom IBM Cloud® Bare Metal Servers.

Before you begin

Make sure that you review the Getting started tutorial before you begin the provisioning process.

Provisioning through the IBM Cloud catalog

Use the following steps to provision your Bare Metal Servers through the IBM Cloud.

  1. Open the IBM Cloud catalog.

  2. Select Bare Metal Servers under Compute.

  3. Click Continue. If you do not see a Continue button, you might need to log in.

  4. In the Bare Metal Servers section, select the following information:

    Table 1: Custom bare metal server selections
    Field Value
    Quantity Enter the Quantity of identical servers to provision. The default quantity is 1. If you want to provision multiple servers with different specifications, you need to provision the servers separately.
    Hostname Permanent or temporary name for your servers, for example, baremetal01. Click Information for formatting specifics.
    Domain Identification string that defines administrative control within the internet, for example, Customer-123456.cloud. Click Information for formatting specifics.
    Billing Select either Hourly, Monthly, 1-year term, or a 3-year term.
    Location Region and data center where your server is to be located.
    Select your server Select the server that best meets your workload.
    RAM For some servers, RAM defaults are based on the CPU model and can't be changed. Keep in mind that for SAP certified servers, RAM, and operating system default is based on your server selection. Your local storage option also defaults based on your server selection.
    SSH keys Enter an optional public key of your SSH key that you can use to log in to your server after it is provisioned.
    Image (operating system) Select an image for your server. Your options are based on your selected server.
    Add-ons Expand the Add-ons section to select the appropriate options or use the default values.
    Storage disks Storage disks are preconfigured based on your server selection. You can expand Add-ons to add file or block storage volumes after your Bare Metal Servers are provisioned.
    Because of compatibility issues, you can’t select NMVe drives if you’re going to install Windows®.
    Network interface Select the uplink port speeds and private VLAN options. Expand Add-ons to select the appropriate options or use the default values.
  5. Review your order in the Order summary.

  6. Enter any promo codes that you have under Apply Promo Code.

  7. Click the third-party service agreements for any listed agreements.

  8. Click Create to provision your server. You are redirected to a screen with your provisioning order number, which you can print because it's also your receipt.

A series of emails is sent to your administrator: Acknowledgment of the provisioning order, provisioning order approval and processing, and provisioning complete. The provisioning complete email includes a link to your Device Details page so that you can log in to IBM Cloud. You can also log directly in to the IBM Cloud® console.

Provisioning by using a quote

You can also provision a Bare Metal Servers with a quote or add it to an estimate. When you save a quote, a link is sent to the email address associated with your account. Open the link to see the saved quote information.

Another option is to go to Manage > Billing and usage > Sales > Device quotes. If you have access, you can purchase the quoted offering by clicking the quote and confirming the order. Adding to estimate places the configurations proposed cost in the pricing calculator. Click Information for more details about the pricing calculator.

Next Steps

After your Bare Metal Servers is provisioned, you can start managing it. For more information, see Managing Bare Metal Servers.