Update VM properties

This page describes which virtual machine (VM) properties you can update for an existing VM and how to perform such an update.

Before you begin

To use gdcloud command-line interface (CLI) commands, ensure that you have downloaded, installed, and configured the gdcloud CLI. All commands for Distributed Cloud use the gdcloud or kubectl CLI, and require an operating system (OS) environment.

Get the kubeconfig file path

To run commands against the org admin cluster, ensure you have the following resources:

1. Locate the org admin cluster name, or ask your Platform Administrator (PA) what the cluster name is.

2. Sign in and generate the kubeconfig file for the org admin cluster if you don't have one.

3. Use the path to the kubeconfig file of the org admin cluster to replace ORG_ADMIN_KUBECONFIG in these instructions.

Updatable properties

You can only change the properties that are in the spec of the VM.

View updatable properties

Find properties you want to change by using the GDC console or kubectl.

Console

1. In the navigation menu, click Virtual Machines > Instances.

2. In the list of VMs, click a VM name to view its properties.

3. Editable properties have an Edit icon.

kubectl

1. View the list of properties for the VM spec and the valid values corresponding to each property:

   kubectl --kubeconfig ORG_ADMIN_KUBECONFIG explain virtualmachines.virtualmachine.gdc.goog.spec
   

   The output is similar to the following:

   KIND:     VirtualMachine
   VERSION:  virtualmachine.gdc.goog/v1
   
   RESOURCE: spec <Object>
   
   DESCRIPTION:
        Defines the specification of the Virtual Machine.
   
   FIELDS:
      compute      <Object>
        Specifies the CPU and Memory of the VM. CPU and Memory can be defined
        directly or through the VirtualMachineType. Changes to Compute require a
        reboot to take effect. Compute is immutable when the VM is in `Unknown`
        state.
   
      disks        <[]Object> -required-
        Specifies the list of disks attached to this vm. There must be exactly one
        boot disk. Changes to disk attachments require a reboot to take effect.
   
      ...
   

2. Recursively view the sub-properties for each property. These examples show the return for the compute and the vcpus sub-properties:

   • This example command returns the fields for the compute sub-property:

     kubectl --kubeconfig ORG_ADMIN_KUBECONFIG explain virtualmachines.virtualmachine.gdc.goog.spec.compute
     

     The output is similar to the following:

     KIND:     VirtualMachine
     VERSION:  virtualmachine.gdc.goog/v1
     
     RESOURCE: compute <Object>
     
     DESCRIPTION:
          Specifies the CPU and Memory of the VM. CPU and Memory can be defined
          directly or through the VirtualMachineType. Changes to Compute require a
          reboot to take effect. Compute is immutable when the VM is in `Unknown`
          state.
     
     FIELDS:
        memory       <>
          Specifies the amount of physical memory available to the instance. memory
          must have a minimum value of `1G`, and can be up to (including) `400G`.
     
        vcpus        <integer>
          Specifies the number of VCPUs that are available to the instance. Specify
          `vcpus` as an integer. This value must be a multiple of 2, with 2 as the
          minimum and 128 as the maximum allowed.
     
        ...
     

   • This example command returns the fields for the vcpus sub-property:

     kubectl --kubeconfig ORG_ADMIN_KUBECONFIG explain virtualmachines.virtualmachine.gdc.goog.spec.compute.vcpus
     

     The output is similar to the following:

     KIND:     VirtualMachine
     VERSION:  virtualmachine.gdc.goog/v1
     
     FIELD:    vcpus <integer>
     
     DESCRIPTION:
          Specifies the number of VCPUs that are available to the instance. Specify
          `vcpus` as an integer. This value must be a multiple of 2, with 2 as the
          minimum and 128 as the maximum allowed.
     

All of the properties can be updated on a running VM, but often require the VM to be restarted to take effect.

These property updates require that the VM be restarted for the changes to take effect:

• compute
• disks
• firmware
• startupScripts

These property updates take effect immediately:

• guestEnvironment
• runningState

Update VM properties

Update VM properties by using the GDC console or kubectl.

Console

1. In the navigation menu, click Virtual Machines > Instances.

2. In the list of VMs, click a VM name to view its properties.

3. Click Edit next to the property that you want to edit and make your changes.

4. If you want to replace the boot disk or add a new disk, see Replace a boot disk or Add a disk to a VM.

5. Click Save.

kubectl

1. Run the following command:

   kubectl --kubeconfig ORG_ADMIN_KUBECONFIG \
      edit virtualmachines.virtualmachine.gdc.goog VM_NAME \
      -n PROJECT
   

   Replace the variables as defined in the following table.

   Variable	Definition
   ORG_ADMIN_KUBECONFIG	The kubeconfig file path.
   VM_NAME	The VM's name.
   PROJECT	The project name.

2. Edit the spec to update the required fields and values for the updatable properties.

3. Save the file.

4. If the property update requires the VM to be restarted, use the Restart a VM instructions to restart the VM.