For Admins
An Amazon Machine Image (AMI) is a template in AWS that defines the software configuration — operating system, applications, and settings — used to launch an EC2 instance. When you register an AMI in Vocareum, it becomes a VM Image that can be used to configure VM Labs for your organization.
This article covers how to create an AMI from an existing EC2 instance. If you do not have an EC2 instance to start from, Vocareum provides pre-configured base AMIs on request that include a compatible operating system and Amazon DCV. Contact support@vocareum.com for details.
Prerequisites:
Admin access to a Vocareum organization with Virtual Machine Labs enabled and a customer AWS account connected.
An existing EC2 instance with the software configuration you want to include in the image.
For a deeper understanding of how this process fits into the VM Lab ecosystem, please refer to the article What are Vocareum Virtual Machine Labs?
Access the AWS Console
To access the AWS account connected to your Vocareum organization, navigate to it through your Org Settings.
Select the VM option from the Control Center menu.
Navigate to the Settings section of the VM Control Center.
Locate the Register VM Images option and click the adjacent View button.
The AWS Management Console for your connected account opens in a new tab.
In the search bar at the top of the console, search for EC2 and select it from the results.
Select an EC2 Instance
In the left sidebar of the EC2 page, click Instances.
Locate and select the instance you want to create an AMI from. Confirm that all software and configuration you want to include in the image is installed on the instance.
Stop the instance before creating the AMI to ensure data consistency. With the instance selected, click Instance state → Stop instance → confirm. Wait for the instance state to change to Stopped.
Create the AMI
With the instance selected, click Actions → Image and templates → Create image.
In the Create Image form that opens, enter a descriptive Image name. Use a naming convention that includes the purpose and date — for example, ubuntu-22-04-base_2026-03-17.
Optionally, add an Image description with details about the software configuration. This is useful for distinguishing between AMI versions later.
The Instance volumes section lists the storage volumes that will be included in the image. The default configuration is appropriate for most cases.
Click Create image.
Note the AMI ID from the success message. It will begin with "ami-"
Verify the AMI
Before registering the AMI in Vocareum, confirm it has been created successfully.
In the left sidebar, under Images, click AMIs.
Locate your AMI and check the Status column. Creation typically takes 5–15 minutes depending on volume size. Refresh the page to check for updates.
Pending: still being created
Available: ready to use
Failed: contact AWS support
Once the status shows Available, the AMI is ready to add to Vocareum. Refer to Registering a VM Image for next steps.
Troubleshooting
Tips for troubleshooting common issues.
AMI creation failed
Confirm that your AWS account has sufficient permissions to create AMIs and snapshots, that the source instance is in a valid state, and that there are no volume attachment issues.
AMI shows "Pending" for a long time
Large volumes take longer to snapshot — this is expected behavior. If creation has been pending for more than 30 minutes, check the AWS Service Health Dashboard for EC2 issues in your region.
Cannot find the AMI
AMIs are region-specific. Confirm that the region selector in the top right of the AWS console matches the region where the AMI was created. Use the search or filter function to locate the AMI by name.
Additional Resources
AWS AMI Documentation: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/AMIs.html
AWS EC2 User Guide: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/ec2/
AWS Support: Available through your AWS Console
Vocareum Support: support@vocareum.com