This update brings two frequently requested features: an ISO catalog that lets you install a Seed's operating system yourself, Windows Server included for the first time, and expanded team management with invitations and roles. On top of that, the Performance line now runs on dedicated resources.
ISO images
You can now mount an ISO from our catalog into a Seed and install the operating system yourself. The catalog lives in the new Mount ISO section of the Manage tab on the Seed detail page. Once mounted, your Seed boots from the ISO on its next restart, and you run the installation through the web console. Once the installation is done, eject the ISO again, otherwise the Seed keeps booting from it.
The catalog currently holds Arch Linux and Fedora Server among others, plus Windows Server 2022 and Windows Server 2025 in a German and an English edition each, and the Windows VirtIO driver ISO you need for a Windows installation. The Windows ISOs are Microsoft's evaluation editions, so you still need your own license. There is also netboot.xyz: not a single operating system, but a boot menu that installs many further distributions straight over the network. The catalog itself always shows what is available.
Three things to know beforehand:
- Seeds created before this update restart once automatically on their first mount if they are running at the time. So do not do your first mount casually on a production Seed.
- The first time you mount an ISO, the Seed switches to restricted mode. We can then no longer reset the root password for you. Reinstall and upgrade only become available again once the ISO is ejected. The only way to lift the mode is a reinstall with one of our images.
- Access and networking are yours to set up. The SSH key stored in the cloud does not end up in the system, and there is no DHCP in our network: without a static configuration, the Seed stays offline.
Two new guides walk you through the whole process step by step, from the mounted ISO to working access: Install Linux yourself from an ISO and Install Windows Server yourself from an ISO.
Team management
You can now invite more people to your team by email via Add member on the Team page, even if they do not have a dataforest account yet.
You control your members' permissions with four new roles:
- Administrator has full access to shared resources and billing information and can manage team members.
- Member has full access to shared resources, but can neither view billing information nor manage team members.
- Editor has the same access as a Member, but can only create and edit shared resources, not delete them.
- Accountant has full access to billing information, but cannot view or manage resources.
Personal Access Tokens are now tied to the role: a token has at most the permissions of the member who created it.
Performance line: now with dedicated resources
Based on your feedback, we have realigned the Performance line: it now runs on dedicated resources. All Performance models use dedicated vCPUs. A full physical CPU thread is reserved exclusively for your Seed for each vCPU, so you get the full compute power you booked at all times, even under sustained load. As always, you can find the current models and prices in the configurator.
Further improvements
- Improved: We have refined the console interface in many places.
- Improved: We have reworked our product descriptions to make it clearer which Seed line is right for you.
We look forward to your feedback and are available for any questions as usual.
