ISO Packages

ISO packages define how CMP bills customers for customer-owned ISO images stored in CMP. Customers use ISOs to boot VMs from custom install media instead of a pre-built OS template.

ISO service disabled by default

The ISO service is disabled by default in CMP. To offer ISO management and billing to customers, contact the StackConsole team to enable the feature on your platform before configuring packages or global settings.

No free trials

Free trials are not applicable to ISO packages. The Create ISO Package form does not include Enable Free Trial. ISO storage is billed hourly from the moment an ISO is registered (subject to the free ISO allowance global setting).

Before you begin

Ensure the following are already configured:

ISO service has been enabled by the StackConsole team on your CMP instance
Cloud Provider Setup is connected, with ISO enabled in Wizard Step 1
Zones are mapped in CMP
You understand hourly per-GB billing — ISOs use the same model as Custom Template and Volumes Snapshot packages

CMP path: Settings → Billing Setup → Rate Cards → Default → Packages → ISO

Default behaviour

By default, the ISO service is not available to end customers. Most providers enable VM provisioning through admin OS templates instead.

When enabled, customers can register ISO images in CMP and attach them when provisioning VMs. ISO storage is billed continuously on an hourly per-GB basis until the ISO is deleted.

ISO upload from local (disabled by default)

By default, CMP does not allow customers to create ISOs from local image files.

Setting	Default	Description
`iso_upload_from_local`	`false`	Enable or disable creating ISO images from a local file upload

Set iso_upload_from_local to true in Admin Panel → Global Settings only if you want customers to upload ISO files from their local machine.

How ISO billing works

When a customer registers and retains an ISO image, CMP:

Tracks the ISO size in GB
Applies the price per GB per hour from the ISO package for that zone
Bills continuously on an hourly basis until the ISO is deleted

Billing formula

ISO cost per hour = ISO size (GB) × price per GB per hour

Example: A 5 GB ISO at ₹1/GB/hour costs ₹5/hour for as long as the ISO is stored.

See Snapshot / Template / ISO pricing for the general formula.

Mandatory hourly billing

ISO images always use hourly billing only (ISO service type). The package form shows Billing cycle and pricing with an Hourly (per GB) rate — monthly, quarterly, and yearly cycles are not supported. See Billing Cycles.

Why only hourly per-GB pricing?

ISO file sizes vary by upload and cannot be sold as predefined fixed-size packages. CMP charges based on current ISO size × hourly rate per GB, the same approach used for Custom Template and Volumes Snapshot packages.

Free ISO allowance

CMP supports a configurable number of free ISO images through Global Settings.

In Admin Panel → Global Settings, locate the free_iso setting:

Value	Behaviour
`false`	Free ISOs disabled — all ISO images are billed per the ISO package
Greater than `0`	That many ISO images are free per account — pricing is shown as 0 until the free allowance is used

Set free_iso to false to disable free ISOs entirely.

Global settings summary

Setting	Default	Description
`free_iso`	`false`	Number of free ISO images per account. Set to `false` to disable. When greater than `0`, that many ISOs show $0.00 pricing
`iso_upload_from_local`	`false`	Enable or disable creating ISO images from a local file upload

Configure ISO packages in CMP

Create an ISO package for each Cloud Provider + Setup + Zone where you want to charge for customer ISO storage.

Open Settings → Billing Setup → Rate Cards → Default → Packages → ISO
Click Add Package (form title: Create ISO Package)
Complete each field below in the order shown on the form
Set Status to Active and save

Screenshot: CMP — Create ISO Package form

Each field below matches the Create ISO Package form.

Cloud Provider

Required. Select the orchestrator type — for example, CloudStack (Nimbo).

Cloud Provider Setup

Required. Select the CloudStack instance this package belongs to — for example, CloudStack-01.

Package Name

Required. Display name for the ISO service — for example, ISO Storage or Custom ISO.

Zone

Required. Select the CMP zone where this ISO pricing applies — for example, SC-SIM-ZONE-1.

Tag

Optional. Assign a tag for filtering or promotional labelling in the customer portal.

Important

Tags are CMP-level labels used for representation only. They do not map to CloudStack tags.

Status

Required. Controls package visibility.

Status	Behaviour
Active	ISO pricing applies when customers register ISO images in this zone
Inactive	Hidden — use while configuring pricing or testing

Billing cycle and pricing

Required. Enter the Hourly (per GB) rate for each currency CMP supports.

CMP multiplies this rate by the customer's ISO size to calculate the hourly charge. Only the hourly per-GB cycle is available.

Pricing note

If a price is not applicable for your service, set its value to 0.

No free trial field

The Create ISO Package form does not include Enable Free Trial. Use the free_iso global setting if you want to offer a limited number of free ISO images.

End-to-end example

Goal: Offer ISO storage in zone SC-SIM-ZONE-1 at ₹1/GB/hour with 1 free ISO per account.

Prerequisites

Contact the StackConsole team to enable the ISO service on your CMP platform

CMP global settings

Set free_iso to 1 in Admin Panel → Global Settings
Keep iso_upload_from_local as false unless local uploads are required

CloudStack

Enable ISO in Cloud Provider Setup (Wizard Step 1)
Confirm ISO registration works from the CloudStack UI in the target zone

CMP package

Open Packages → ISO → Add Package
Set Cloud Provider CloudStack (Nimbo), Cloud Provider Setup CloudStack-01, Package Name ISO Storage, Zone SC-SIM-ZONE-1
Enter Hourly (per GB) — for example, ₹1.00 INR
Set Status to Active and save

A customer with a 4 GB ISO is charged 4 × 1 = ₹4/hour after their free ISO allowance is used.

Customer portal view

When the ISO service is enabled, customers manage ISO images from the ISO section in the CMP portal. Registered ISOs can be selected during VM provisioning as boot media.

Pricing is displayed based on ISO size and the zone's per-GB hourly rate. When free_iso is greater than 0, the first N ISOs show $0.00 pricing until the allowance is consumed.

Local ISO upload is only available when iso_upload_from_local is true.

Screenshot: CMP — Customer ISO management

Validation checklist

Before marking an ISO package Active, verify:

ISO service has been enabled by the StackConsole team
ISO service is enabled in Cloud Provider Setup (Wizard Step 1)
free_iso and iso_upload_from_local global settings reflect your intended policy
Hourly (per GB) pricing is set for each supported currency
Global quotas allow sufficient ISO count per account

Default behaviour​

ISO upload from local (disabled by default)​

How ISO billing works​

Billing formula​

Why only hourly per-GB pricing?​

Free ISO allowance​

Global settings summary​

Configure ISO packages in CMP​

End-to-end example​

Customer portal view​

Validation checklist​

Related​