How to Mount ISO in a PCD VM?

Problem

Platform9 Private Cloud Director (PCD) does not support directly attaching an ISO image to a running instance (VM). Users who try to mount an ISO; for example, to install software, mount installation media, or load drivers inside a guest OS will find no direct option in the PCD UI.

Environment

  • Private Cloud Director - v2025.4 and Higher.

  • Self-Hosted Private Cloud Director Virtualization – v2025.4 and Higher.

  • Component: ISO

Procedure

Currently, the only viable workaround to use ISO files in a VM is to convert the ISO into a Persistent Storage volume, then attach that volume to the existing VM. Once attached, the guest OS can mount it like any other block device.

Prerequisites

  • PCD CLI access with the OpenStack client installed and configured (openstack --version works).

  • PCD project credentials sourced (e.g., source pcdctl.rc).

  • The VM must be in STOPPED state before mounting/unmounting ISO.

  • The ISO file is either already uploaded to Image Library, or available locally to upload.

  • The target VM exists, and the user must have permission to attach volumes to it.

  • Sufficient quota for an additional volume in the project.

1

Upload the ISO to Glance (skip if already present)

Verify the image is available:

2

Create a volume from the ISO image

  • --size must be at least as large as the ISO, rounded up to the next whole GB.

  • Replace <IMAGE_NAME> with the image name or ID from Step 1.

Wait for the volume to reach available status:

3

Attach the volume to the existing VM

To specify a device path inside the guest:

4

Verify the attachment

The volume status should be in-use and the server should list the attached volume.

5

Mount the ISO inside the guest OS

  • On a Linux guest:

  • On a Windows guest, the new disk will appear in Disk Management. Assign a drive letter to access its contents.

6

Detach the volume when finished

  • On a Linux guest:

    • Unmount inside the guest first:

    • Then detach from the VM:

    • Optionally delete the volume if no longer needed:

  • On a Windows guest:

    • Open Disk Management (diskmgmt.msc).

    • Right-click the ISO disk in the lower pane and select Eject (for the CD/ISO drive letter), or

    • Right-click the disk number on the left and select Offline

Additional Information:

  • Platform9 is devising a feature to enable users to mount ISO files to VMs via PCD UI via PCD-924

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