Planning to share or use shared images¶

Although it is easy to share a cloud image, it is not always appropriate. Consider the following points before creating an image-sharing relationship.

Security and legal considerations for shared images¶

Before sharing an image to another user, consider whether your image includes any confidential or other content that you should not share with other users. For example, you should remove any stored passwords, source code, or personal information before creating and sharing an image.

You should also consider whether the image contains any content that could have legal implications if it is shared to another user, such as licensed software, copyright-infringing content, or untrusted software that may be malware.

If an image has been shared to you and you then consider sharing it to your own consumer, consider the following before deciding to export that image:

The image should not contain software not intended to be distributed beyond the image producer and consumer.
The image will be subject to any limitations on image export that already exist within Rackspace. For example, Windows Server images might not be able to be exported.

If you think that an image has been shared to you in error, or with malicious intent, contact Rackspace at cloudimageshelp@rackspace.com.

Financial considerations for shared images¶

Only the image producer is charged for the cost of the original shared image (the cost to store the image in Cloud Files). Consumers of the images do not incur a cost for the sharing process, or for using the shared image until they perform one of the following actions:

Create a cloud server from the shared image, at which point normal Cloud Servers pricing applies
Create an image of a server that was created from the shared image, at which point the normal Cloud Files pricing to store the image applies

Regional considerations for shared images¶

Images can only be directly shared to consumers within the same Rackspace cloud region as the producer.

If you need to use the same image in multiple regions, you can create a copy of the image in each region.

Transferring images between regions of the Rackspace open cloud demonstrates a method of placing an image within a Cloud Files container in one region and then retrieving it from the container in another region. This is a complex, multi-step method but it might be worth the effort to master it if you need consistent images in multiple regions.