# Installing a Virtual Machine Anchor
You can create a Virtual Machine to be used as a RIPE Atlas anchor, provided it meets certain requirements.
The following requirements ensure a consistent environment for the operation of RIPE Atlas VM anchors across different virtualisation technologies that may be used by anchor hosts.
# Network requirements
Network-wise, RIPE Atlas VM anchors have the following requirements:
- The anchor must have native IPv4 and IPv6 (if IPv6 is announced in the host ASN)
- Static IPv4 and IPv6 addresses need to be unfiltered (not firewalled)
- The VM anchor may require up to 10 Mbit bandwidth (it currently requires much less)
# Hardware requirements
Create a VM with the following virtual hardware specifications:
- 2 vCPUs, amd64 (x86_64) platform
- 2GB of RAM
- 50GB of storage
- 1 virtual NIC
# OS requirements (for installing Linux on VM)
- A CentOS 7 installation - minimal image (CentOS 8 is not supported)
- The storage to be presented as a single block device, with the following partition layout:
- partition 1: 1 GB for /boot, ext4
- partition 2: remaining space, LVM Physical Volume
- a single / (root file system), ext4
# Set up your RIPE Atlas VM anchor
# Application Confirmation
Once your anchor application has been confirmed, you will be able to see your anchor hostname on the anchors page under My Atlas. Your anchor hostname is automatically generated and will have the form country code-city code-asxxxxx. If you are not the ASN holder, the hostname will include the suffix -client.
# Complete the details on the "Anchors" page
It is important that all the mandatory information is filled in on your anchors page: /anchors/manage/. This page can only be accessed if you are logged in to your RIPE NCC Access account.
# Install Linux on the VM anchor
You can download the installation ISO here: http://ks.atlas.ripe.net/misc/anchor.iso
Please do not install this ISO before your anchor application has been approved.
You will need to make this ISO available to your virtual machine and set it as a bootable device. Once booted, you will be prompted with two options: the first will start the installer with DHCP networking, the second allows you to set up static networking for both IPv4 and IPv6. Functional networking and access to publicly available resources (like package mirrors and DNS) is required for the installation to complete successfully.
# Start the virtual Machine
It is important that once you have installed the Anchor, you log in to your RIPE Atlas account, go to the My Atlas menu and then Anchors, and check the boxes ???Software is installed??? and Anchor is connected to the network so the RIPE NCC gets notified and can begin these tests.
# Pass internal tests to verify measurements are possible
The RIPE NCC will perform some internal tests to check that the anchor is properly set up. If it isn't, we will contact you to troubleshoot.
NOTE: Your anchor will not be fully activated until we have finished these internal tests. We will notify you when they are complete.
# Your RIPE Atlas VM anchor has been successfully setup!
Once all verifications are complete, the anchor will be fully activated and will become public:
- You will be able to locate it on the map of anchors (opens new window)
- It will appear on the list of anchors (opens new window)
- You can use it as a probe for your own measurements
- It will be added to the anchoring measurements that the RIPE NCC runs for you
- You will start earning credits you can use to perform your own customised measurements (opens new window)