> Source: [sk180452](https://support.checkpoint.com/results/sk/sk180452)

# sk180452 - How to provide user data in KVM with Configuration Drive

| Property | Value |
|----------|-------|
| Solution ID | sk180452 |
| Date Created | 2022-12-28 |
| Last Modified | 2026-01-04 |
| Technical Level | General |
| Products | Cloud Firewall |
| Versions | R82.10, R81.20, R82 |
| OS | Linux |
| Platform | OpenStack, KVM |

## Solution

This article describes how to provide user data to a Check Point server with Config Drive.  

**Config Drive** is an ISO file attached as a CD-ROM to the VM that contains a [cloud-init](https://support.checkpoint.com/results/sk/sk179752) or bootstrap (shell) script.  
During the first boot, the OS starts a bootstrapping service that searches for this mounted ISO file through a specific label (`config-2`), then reads the user data from the `user_data` file.  

Usage
-----

1. Download the server image (`qcow2/ova/vhd` file)
2. Create Config Drive image (ISO file)
3. Create a virtual machine with the machine image as Hard Drive and Config Drive as CD-ROM image
4. Boot machine

Procedure
---------

**Note:** Starting from R82.10, we also support the path `file_structure/openstack/latest/`.   
Before R82.10, the supported path is only `file_structure/openstack/2015-10-15/`

1. Create the file structure:

   * For R82.10 and higher, run: `mkdir -p file_structure/openstack/latest/`
   * Before R82.10, run: `mkdir -p file_structure/openstack/2015-10-15/`
2. Create the `user_data` file, for example:

   * For R82.10 and higher: `cat << EOF >> file_structure/openstack/latest/user_data`  
     `#cloud-config`  
     `password: letmein`  
     `EOF`

   * Before R82.10: `cat << EOF >> file_structure/openstack/2015-10-15/user_data`  
     `#cloud-config`  
     `password: letmein`  
     `EOF`

3. Create the config drive iso:

   `mkisofs -r -V config-2 -o config_drive.iso file_structure/`
4. Confirm files:

   * Example for R82.10 and higher `# ls`  
     **config_drive.iso**` file_structure`  
     `# tree file_structure/`  
     `file_structure/`  
     ```-- openstack``  
     `` `-- latest``  
     `` `-- user_data``  
     `# cat file_structure/openstack/2015-10-15/user_data`  
     `#cloud-config`  
     `password: letmein`

   * Example before R82.10: `# ls`  
     **config_drive.iso**` file_structure`  
     `# tree file_structure/`  
     `file_structure/`  
     ```-- openstack``  
     `` `-- 2015-10-15``  
     `` `-- user_data``  
     `# cat file_structure/openstack/2015-10-15/user_data`  
     `#cloud-config`  
     `password: letmein`

<br />

---

# Agent Instructions

This content is from the Check Point Support Center (https://support.checkpoint.com), the official knowledge base for Check Point cybersecurity products.

## Navigating This Knowledge Base

- **Complete index**: [llms.txt](https://support.checkpoint.com/llms.txt)
- **All SK articles**: [SecureKnowledge Sitemap](https://support.checkpoint.com/sitemaps/secureknowledge-sitemap-index.xml)
- **SK article URL pattern**: `https://support.checkpoint.com/results/sk/{skId}`
- **Markdown responses**: AI bot User-Agents automatically receive `text/markdown` content