---
name: sell-tutorial-register-vsivpc
title: Registering a virtual server image for VPC
description: This tutorial walks you through how to register a sample virtual server image for virtual private cloud (VPC) to your account. By completing this tutorial, you learn how to create a private catalog, import the image, validate that it can be installed on a selected deployment target, and make the virtual server image available to users who have access to your account.
last-updated: 2026-04-15
---

> ## Documentation Index
> The table of contents for this documentation set is at https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/sell?format=markdown
> The index for all IBM Cloud docs is at: https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use these files to discover more information as needed.

# Registering a virtual server image for VPC
{: #vsivpc-register}
{: toc-content-type="tutorial"}
{: toc-completion-time="5m"}

This tutorial walks you through how to register a sample virtual server image for virtual private cloud (VPC) to your account. By completing this tutorial, you learn how to create a private catalog, import the image, validate that it can be installed on a selected deployment target, and make the virtual server image available to users who have access to your account.
{: shortdesc}

This tutorial is one of four in a series that demonstrates how to onboard and publish a sample virtual server image for virtual private cloud (VPC). It uses a fictitious company that's called *Example Corp*. As you complete the tutorial, adapt each step to fit your product's needs.

## Before you begin
{: #vsivpc-reg-prereqs}

Before you register a virtual server image for VPC, make sure that you do the following:

1. Verify that you're using a Pay-As-You-Go or Subscription account by going to **Manage** > **Account** > **Account settings** in the IBM Cloud console.
1. Verify that you're assigned the administrator role on all account management services and all IAM-enabled services. For more information, see [Assigning access to account management services](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/iam?topic=iam-account-services&interface=ui&format=markdown) and [Managing access to resources](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/iam?topic=iam-assign-access-resources&interface=ui&format=markdown).

## Provide the company name
{: #vsivpc-reg-company}
{: step}

1.  In the IBM Cloud console, click the **Navigation Menu** icon ![Navigation Menu icon](../icons/icon_hamburger.svg "Menu") > **Partner Center** > **Overview**, then click **Get started**.
2. Enter the name of your company as you want it to be displayed in the catalog, and click **Save**. For this tutorial, enter `Example Corp` as the company name.

## Create your test environment
{: #vsivpc-reg-test}
{: step}

You, or a member of your team, uses the test environment to onboard the virtual server image and validate that it can be deployed to your VPC. Your test environment is a private catalog in which you import the virtual server image from an external repository.

1. Click **Create** in the Create your test environment section.
1. Enter `Example Corp Catalog` as the name of the private catalog, and click **Create**.

## Set up access for your team
{: #vsivpc-reg-ag}
{: step}

You can enlist team members to help with the onboarding process by assigning them specific levels of IBM Cloud Identity and Access Management (IAM) access. To streamline the process of assigning access, complete the following steps to create your access group:

1. Click **Assign** in the Assign access section.
1. Enter `Example Corp Virtual Server Image` as the name of the access group, and click **Create**.

To review the list of permissions granted to this access group, see the [Giving team members access in Partner Center](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/sell?topic=sell-iam-access-pc-sell&format=markdown#give-access-pc) documentation section.

## Invite team members to your account
{: #vsivpc-reg-invite}
{: step}

After you create the `Example Corp Virtual Server Image` access group, you're ready to invite team members to your account and add them to your access group. Team members are granted the following editor permissions by default:

* Partner Center - Sell: Complete onboarding tasks, update the visibility of products at the account level, and request approval to publish products to the IBM Cloud catalog.
* Private catalog: Onboard products to private catalogs, update the visibility of products at the account and private catalog levels, and restrict the visibility of products in the IBM Cloud catalog.

To invite team members to your account, complete the following steps:

1. Go to **Partner Center > My team**.
1. Select the service that you're onboarding.
1. Click **Invite users**.
1. Enter the email address of the user that you want to invite.
1. Click the checkbox if the user that you invite is a technical team member who will be doing technical tasks.
1. Click **Invite**.

## Next steps
{: #vsivpc-reg-next}

You're ready to start the onboarding process. In the Onboard your product section, click **Let's go**, and [define the product details of the virtual server image for VPC](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/sell?topic=sell-vsivpc-define&format=markdown).