Zoom Node Hypervisor-Specific Deployments

When deploying Zoom Node in virtualized environments, you must align installation and configuration steps with the specific hypervisor platform in use. Each hypervisor—such as VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V, or others—may introduce unique requirements related to resource allocation, storage access, and network interface configuration.

This section provides detailed guidance for supported hypervisors, ensuring Zoom Node operates reliably and efficiently in your virtual infrastructure.

VMware vSphere deployments

The following section describes the VMWare vSphere installation method, which requires downloading and deploying a OVA (Open Virtual Appliance) file version of Zoom Node.

Download the OVA image

To download the image file:

1. Log in to the Zoom admin web portal.

2. Download the Zoom Node OVA image file by browsing to Node Management > Modules > Node > Add Node.\

   
3. Click the Download button.

Deploy the OVA image

To deploy the image file:

1. Log in to the VMware web interface.

2. Click Create/Register VM.

3. Under the Sect creation type menu, click Deploy a virtual machine from an OVF or OVA file.\

   
4. Click Next.

5. Enter a name for the Zoom Node VM.

6. Click the blue dialogue box to open a file browser and select the Zoom Node OVA image file you downloaded.

   1. (Optional) Drag and drop the image file into the box.

1. Click Next.

2. Choose the storage volume where you will store Zoom Node and click Next.

3. Choose the network the server will reside on.

   1. (Optional) You may thin provision the VM, if desired.

1. Click Next.

2. Review your selections and click Finish to deploy the VM.

It may take a few minutes to complete the VM deployment.

Once booted, the VM will have similar settings and details as shown in the following image:

The VM deployment is complete.

Microsoft Hyper-V Deployment

The following section describes the Microsoft Hyper-V installation method, which requires downloading and deploying a VHDX file version of Zoom Node.

Download the Zoom Node VHDX Archive

The Zoom archive includes both the Zoom Node VHDX disk image and the VM's configuration metadata.

To download the archive:

1. Log in to the Zoom admin web portal.

2. Download the Zoom Node VHDX image from the Zoom admin portal by browsing to Node Management > Modules > Node > Add Node.\

3. Download the Zoom Node VHDX file.

4. Extract the file into a local folder for temporary use.

(Optional) Creating a VHDX image from a QCOW2 (KVM) disk image using qemu-img on Windows

To use a QCOW2 (KVM) disk image with a Hyper-V environment, you can convert it to the VHDX format using qemu-img within PowerShell.

Step 1: Download and Install qemu-img for Windows

1. Browse to the official Cloudbase repository: https://cloudbase.it/qemu-img-windows/

2. Download the Windows version of qemu-img.

3. Extract the contents to a known directory, such as: C:\Users\Administrator\Downloads\qemu-img.

Step 2: Convert QCOW2 to VHDX Format Using PowerShell

Open PowerShell and run the following command to convert your image:

.\qemu-img.exe convert `
  -f qcow2 `
  -O vhdx `
  -p `
  .\ubuntu22-zoomcommon-build-dev-20250312012853-2.qcow2 `
  .\ubuntu22-zoomcommon-build-dev-20250312012853.vhdx

You should see a progress output similar to:

(100.00/100%)

Implementation Context and Practical Outcome

Converting to VHDX allows you to import custom-built Linux images (like Ubuntu with pre-installed Zoom agents or services) into a Hyper-V VM. This supports custom lab environments, CI/CD testing, or localized development with consistent system configurations.

Deploying a Zoom Node Hyper-V VM

Hyper-V supports VM deployment using two major methods, the first via the GUI in Hyper-V Manager, and the second via PowerShell scripts. PowerShell is the easiest method to automate multiple Node deployments.

There are two methods that can be used to deploy the virtual machine. The simple method, Option 1, uses PowerShell commands to create a new Zoom Node VM using the VMDK with the correct attributes. Option 2 uses the Hyper-V Manager GUI to deploy the VM.

See the Supported Hypervisors prerequisites page for more information.

Option 1 (Recommended): Deploy the Zoom Node VM via PowerShell

Locate the storage location for your Hyper-V virtual machines. In this example, the Hyper-V server has VMs stored in D:\!-HyperVMs.

The following PowerShell commands are used to create the VM, attach the VHDX image, and customize the VM with the correct attributes.

# ===========================
# Zoom Node VM: Hyper-V setup
# ===========================

# Edit these four values
$VMName      = "ZN-PROD-01"
$RootPath    = "D:\!-HyperVMs"  # folder that will contain the VM folder
$SourceVhdx  = "D:\Downloads\ubuntu22-zoomcommon-build-20250502110711.vhdx"
$SwitchName  = "vSwitch-Production"

# Derived paths
$VMFolder    = Join-Path $RootPath $VMName
$TargetVhdx  = Join-Path $VMFolder "$VMName.vhdx"

# --- Create a folder for the VM and copy the VHDX (full, independent clone) ---
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $VMFolder -Force | Out-Null

Copy-Item -LiteralPath $SourceVhdx -Destination $TargetVhdx -Force

# --- Create Gen 2 VM (no disk yet) ---
New-VM `
  -Name $VMName `
  -Generation 2 `
  -MemoryStartupBytes 16GB `
  -Path $VMFolder `
  -NoVHD | Out-Null

# --- CPU: 8 vCPU ---
Set-VMProcessor -VMName $VMName -Count 8

# --- Memory: static 16 GB (disable Dynamic Memory) ---
Set-VMMemory -VMName $VMName -DynamicMemoryEnabled:$false -StartupBytes 16GB

# --- Attach the cloned disk ---
Add-VMHardDiskDrive -VMName $VMName -Path $TargetVhdx

# --- Secure Boot + Microsoft UEFI CA + boot from the disk ---
# Enable Secure Boot for Linux (Ubuntu) with Microsoft UEFI CA
Set-VMFirmware -VMName $VMName -EnableSecureBoot On -SecureBootTemplate "MicrosoftUEFICertificateAuthority"

# Get the system disk object and set it as first boot device
$sysDisk = Get-VMHardDiskDrive -VMName $VMName | Where-Object { $_.Path -eq $TargetVhdx }
Set-VMFirmware -VMName $VMName -BootOrder $sysDisk

# --- Networking: connect to vSwitch (optional VLAN line commented) ---
Connect-VMNetworkAdapter -VMName $VMName -SwitchName $SwitchName
# Set-VMNetworkAdapterVlan -VMName $VMName -Access -VlanId 123

# --- Management behavior & checkpoints ---
Set-VM -Name $VMName -AutomaticStartAction StartIfRunning -AutomaticStopAction ShutDown
Set-VM -Name $VMName -CheckpointType Production -AutomaticCheckpointsEnabled:$false

# --- Integration Services: enable Guest Service Interface ---
$gsi = Get-VMIntegrationService -VMName $VMName -Name 'Guest Service Interface' -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
if ($gsi -and -not $gsi.Enabled) {
  Enable-VMIntegrationService -VMName $VMName -Name 'Guest Service Interface'
}

# --- Start the VM (optional) ---
Start-VM -Name $VMName

Option 2: Deploy the VHDX and Manually Create the Virtual Machine

Option 2 involves manually creating the virtual machine by deploying the VHDX file. This method requires transferring the disk image from the extracted Zoom Node archive into the designated storage location for Hyper-V virtual machines and configuring the VM settings manually.

Copy the VMDK to Hyper-V VM Storage

1. Locate the storage location for your Hyper-V virtual machines. (In this example, the Hyper-V server has VMs stored in D:\HyperVMs.)

   
2. Create a unique folder for the Zoom Node you are deploying, and in that directory create a new subdirectory called Virtual Hard Disks.

   
3. Copy the VHDX image file you downloaded from Zoom into the Virtual Hard Disks directory.

4. Log in to the Microsoft Hyper-V Manager console to manage the VMs.

Define the VM

In Hyper-V Manager, click New and select Virtual Machine from the right-hand pane. This will launch the New Virtual Machine Wizard.

1. Complete the Specify a Name and Location step:

   1. Enter a name for your Virtual Machine.

   2. (Optional) Choose a storage location. It’s common to store the VM configuration files in the same folder as the VM virtual disk.

   3. Check the box for “Store the virtual machine in a different location" and click Browse.

1. Browse to the VM storage folder you created earlier.

1. Select the folder.

2. Click Next.

3. Complete the Specify Generation step:

   1. Select the Generation 2 radio button

   2. Click Next

1. Complete the Assign Memory step:

   1. In the Startup memory: text box, enter 16384 (MB)

   2. (Optional) Check the "Use Dynamic Memory for this virtual machine" to reduce allocated RAM

   3. Click Next

1. Complete the Configure Networking step:

   1. Click the Connection: drop down and select a virtual switch to connect the VM to your network. This will be specific to your Hyper-V network environment.

1. Click Next.

Connect the VHDX disk image

Next in the New Virtual Machine Wizard, you'll complete the Connect Virtual Hard Disk step. To connect the image:

1. Select the Use an existing virtual hard disk radio button.

1. Click Browse and locate the VM folder you created earlier.\

   
2. In the file select window, click Open.

3. Click Next.

4. Review your settings and click Finish to create the VM with the attached VHDX disk.\

   

Configure Additional VM settings

To configure additional settings:

1. Right click the deployed VM and select Settings....\

   
2. Under the Hardware category on the left-hand side of the screen, click Security.

3. On the right-hand side of the screen and under the Security heading, click the Template: drop-down list.

4. Select the Microsoft UEFI Certificate Authority option.\

   
5. Click Apply.

6. Under the Hardware category on the left-hand side of the screen, click Processor.

7. On the right-hand side of the screen and under the Processor heading, set the Number of virtual processors: box to 8 (virtual processors).\

   

1. Click OK to accept the changes.

Start the Virtual Machine

To start up the VM:

1. Select your newly created VM in Hyper-V Manager.

2. From the Actions pane on the right-hand side of the screen, click Start.

3. Click Connect to open the VM console window.\

   

A working VM boot sequence will show the Linux boot screen. Next, the Zoom Node text interface will load.

KVM deployments

The following section describes the Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM) installation method, which allows for Zoom Node installations through either Proxmox VE or KVM Virtual Machine Manager (Virt-manager).

KVM Proxmox Virtual Environment (VE)

Deploying Zoom Node on Proxmox VE using the qcow2 image requires additional steps compared to deploying an ISO image. The following steps will create a new, configured VM so the Zoom Node qcow2 image can be attached to that VM.

Define the Zoom Node Virtual Machine

To define the VM:

1. Log in to the Proxmox management application interface.

2. Click the Create VM button. This will become the Zoom Node template VM.

3. Name the VM and save the VM ID.

   1. This information will be used in a subsequent step.

4. Click Next to continue.

5. Select Do not use any media on the OS settings page.

6. Click Next.

7. Choose the q35 option under Machine settings.

   1. For the BIOS type, select OVMF (UEFI) and choose the volume you’d like the EFI settings stored on. This is set to the same VM volume you’re using to store the VM itself.

1. Click Next.

2. On the Disks page, select the storage volume where the VM will run from.

3. Set the Disk size (GiB) to 200.

4. Choose Write-Through for the Cache.

5. Click Next.

6. Modify the Cores setting to 8.

7. Click Next.

8. Adjust the Memory (GiB) setting to 16384.

9. Click Next.

10. Choose the correct Network settings for your deployment, typically a bridge interface with a VLAN Tag.

11. Click Next.

12. On the Confirm page, ensure the Start after created check box is not selected.

13. Double-check the settings, focusing on q35 as the machine type and omvf as the BIOS type.

14. Click Finish after verifying the settings are correct.

15. Log in to the Zoom admin web portal as an administrator at https://zoom.us.

Prepare the Zoom Node QCOW2 Image

To prepare the image:

1. Browse to the Zoom admin portal under Zoom Node > Modules > Nodes > Add Node.

2. Download the current version of the Zoom Node qcow2 image file.

3. Copy the file to a directory accessible by Proxmox (like an NFS volume).

   1. (Optional) Copy it to the Proxmox server volume where VMs are stored.

4. Note the creation of the 111 directory and the empty disk image.

5. Write down the name of the disk image in this folder

   1. Example: vm-111-disk-0.qcow2.

6. Delete the disk image file.

7. Copy the Zoom Node qcow2 file into this directory.

8. Rename this file to the original name of the disk image noted earlier (i.e. vm-111-disk-0.qcow2).

9. Return to the main Proxmox web interface and select the VM that was just deployed.

10. Right-click on the selected VM and choose to clone it.

11. Turn the clone into a template by naming it and clicking Clone.

12. Once cloning is complete, right click the clone and select Convert to template.

    1. You now have a deployable template.

13. Select the original VM and click to open the Console.

14. Start the VM by clicking the Start Now button.

Confirm the VM boots and displays the Zoom Node local textual user interface, which verifies the template's usability for future deployments.

KVM Virtual Machine Manager (Virt-manager)

Virtual Machine Manager (also known as virt-manager) is a popular application-based manager for QEMU/KVM virtual machines.

This deployment example uses Virtual Machine Manager on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS. However, it can run on many Linux distributions.

A default deployment of QEMU/KVM will use hypervisor NAT and a private IP address pool to deploy VMs, managed by KVM. This is not a supported architecture for Zoom Node.

To install using the virt-manager method:

1. Log in to the Zoom admin web portal as an administrator.

2. Download the current version of the Zoom Node qcow2 image file from the Zoom Node admin portal by selecting Zoom Node > Modules > Nodes > Add Node.

3. Rename the file to your desired VM or disk name.

   1. Example: ZN-SJC01-NODE01.qcow2.

4. Move the file to a volume that Virtual Manager has access to.

5. Create a new VM in Virtual Manager.

6. Click Import existing disk image.

7. Select the volume where you stored the renamed qcow2 image.

8. Click the Choose Volume button.

   1. (Optional) If you don’t already have the right directory added to virt-manager, you can click Browse Local to add it.

9. (Optional) If the OS isn't auto-detected, set it to Ubuntu 22.04 LTS.

10. Change the RAM configuration to 16384 MB (16GB) and the CPU configuration to 8 CPUs.

    1. These settings allow Zoom Node to run four (4) modules.

1. Enter a name for the Node.

2. Click Customize configuration before install.

1. Make sure the network device is set to Bridged Ethernet and not NAT.

1. When the VM details pane opens, change the Chipset to Q35.

2. Change the Firmware to UEFI.

1. Click Apply.

2. Click Begin Installation at the top of the ribbon menu to deploy the VM.

The VM will start and begin booting up. Once the original VM has booted, we'll know that the template we created is officially usable.

Nutanix AHV deployments

Zoom Node can run as a virtual machine (VM) on Nutanix AHV. Zoom Node deploys to a data center to operate Zoom Hybrid Services, also called Service Modules, such as Meetings Hybrid, Recording Hybrid, Team Chat Hybrid, and Phone Local Survivability.

This section covers the installation of the Zoom Node OS VM to Nutanix AHV versions 6.8.1 to 7.0.1.

General Hypervisor and Virtual Machine Requirements

The Zoom Node Infrastructure Prerequisitespage provides the hardware and software prerequisites necessary for deployment.

Zoom Node Deployment

Deploying Zoom Node requires downloading an image, importing the image to AHV, and creating a VM.

Download the Zoom Node image file

To download the image file:

1. Log in to the Zoom admin web portal.

2. Download the Zoom Node QCOW2 image from the Zoom admin portal by selecting Node Management > Modules > Node > Add Node.\

   
3. Download the QCOW2 image by clicking the Download button.

Import the Zoom Node image into AHV

1. Log in to Nutanix AHV console by browsing to https://<cluster hostname>:9440.

2. Click the Home drop-down menu and select Settings from the list.

1. Review the Settings page.

1. From the left-hand side of the screen, click Image Configuration. The disk image upload dialogue appears.

1. Click the + Upload Image button.

1. Enter your preferred information in the Create Image dialogue box text fields.

   1. Annotation is an optional field.

   2. Click the Image Type drop down and select DISK.

   3. Click the Storage Container drop down and select the appropriate option for your environment.

2. Click the Upload a file radio button and then click Browse....

3. Select the QCOW2 image you previously downloaded.

4. Click Save to begin uploading the image.

The upload progress will appear in the blue ribbon.

Once the upload has completed, the image update process will run. Click the blinking job status icon in the ribbon menu to watch the progress.

It can take several minutes for the import process to complete. Once it is done, the image appears on the list in an ACTIVE state:

Create the Zoom Node Virtual Machine

Next, you'll create the virtual machine. To create the VM:

1. Click the Settings drop down and select VM.

   
2. From the VM screen, click + Create VM on the right-hand side side of the screen.

   
3. Enter a Name, Description (optional), and select the appropriate Timezone.

4. Under Compute Details, enter your compute specifications.\

   

1. A warning dialogue appears. Click OK to acknowledge it.\

   
2. Scroll down to the Disks section.\

   
3. Click + Add New Disk to create a disk for Zoom Node to run on.\

   
4. Under the Type drop down, select DISK.

5. Under the Operation drop down, select Clone from Image Service.\

   
6. Under the Image drop down, select the name of the image you created when importing the Zoom Node disk earlier.

7. Click Add.

8. Scroll down to the Network Adapters (NIC) section.\

   
9. Click + Add New NIC.\

   
10. Under the Subnet Name drop down, select the option with direct IP access.

1. Under Network Connection State, select Connected.

2. Click Add.\

   
3. Click Save to create the VM.

Power the new Zoom Node VM on

The new Node will appear in the list of VMs. You can choose the Table view to make it easier to see a list of VMs.

Right-click on the new VM you've created and select Power on.

The VM will begin to boot after a few seconds.

Right-click the VM again and select Launch Console to interact with the VM.

Once launched, the deployment of Zoom Node to Nutanix AHV is complete.

Managing the Zoom Node

For more information on managing your activated Zoom Nodes, see the Zoom Support article Managing Zoom Node servers and modules.

AWS EC2 deployments

Prerequisites

The Zoom Node Infrastructure Prerequisitespage provides the hardware and software prerequisites necessary for deployment.

Downloading the OVA image

1. Download the latest Zoom Node OVA image from the Zoom admin web portal by browsing to Admin portal > Zoom Node > Modules > Nodes > Add Nodes.

1. Download the VMWare OVA image and note the name. The file is about 5GB and may take some time to download.

2. Unarchive the OVA file into a working directory. (On Windows, use PowerShell for access to the tar command.)

   1. Type: tar xvf <Zoom Node>.ova

   2. The output will look similar to this:\

      
   3. Note the name of the .vmdk file. In this example, it's: ubuntu22-zoomcommon-build-go-20240418014859-disk-0.vmdk.

3. Upload the .vmdk file to an S3 bucket. Use the AWS Web Interface, or preferably the AWS CLI to ensure .vmdk naming consistency.

   1. Enter the following command to copy the file to AWS S3: aws s3 cp ubuntu22-zoomcommon-build-go-20240418014859-disk-0.vmdk s3:///node3.4.vmdk.

   2. Depending on the internet connection speed, the upload can take from a few minutes to several hours. The file size is approximately 5 GB.\

      

1. Prepare a JSON file with the following details describing the disk image you are importing:

 {
    "Description": "Zoom Node 3.4 VMDK",
    "Format": "vmdk",
    "UserBucket": {
        "S3Bucket": "vhd-import-bucket",
        "S3Key": "node3.4.vmdk"
    }
  }

1. Import the Zoom Node .vmdk image as a Snapshot.

1. Enter the following command: aws ec2 import-snapshot --disk-container file://.json.

2. (Optional) If the JSON file is named node.json, enter the following command: aws ec2 import-snapshot --disk-container file://node.json.

3. Review the StatusMessage: field for the “pending” status as the import begins.\

   

1. Review the CLI output for the ImportTaskId value.

   1. In the example above, the ImportTaskId is import-snap-f8d845596565b0c3t. This value periodically checks the status of the job.

   2. Enter the following command: aws ec2 describe-import-snapshot-tasks --import-task-ids <ImportTaskId> where ImportTaskId is the unique value determined in the step above.

   3. The following output should appear, with your ImportTaskId value populated:\

      
   4. Note that the current status of the job is “downloading/converting”, meaning the job is still processing the file. The field Progress: <##>, shows the completion percentage. The above example shows the value 19 for 19% complete.

   5. Review the Status: field to verify job completion:\

      

Convert the Snapshot to an Amazon Machine Image (AMI)

1. Log in to the AWS Console EC2 dashboard.\

   
2. On the left-hand side of the screen under the Elastic Block Store drop down, click Snapshots.\

   
3. Click the Snapshot ID link to see its details.\

   
4. Click the Actions drop-down button in the top right-hand corner of the screen and select Create image from snapshot.

5. The Image settings window appears.

6. Enter an Image name for the AMI.

   1. Example: Zoom Node 3.4 AMI.

7. (Optional) Enter a description.\

   
8. Scroll down the window to see additional settings.

9. Confirm you see the assigned 189 GB disk volume under Size (GiB).\

   
10. Under the Boot mode drop down, select UEFI.

Deploying Zoom Node Instances on AWS EC2

1. Log in to the AWS Console EC2 dashboard.\

   
2. On the left-hand side of the screen, under the Instances drop down, click Instances.

3. Create a new Instance using the Zoom Node AMI.

4. Enter a name for the instance.

1. Under the Application and OS Images (Amazon Machine Image) section, click the My AMIs tab.

2. Search for the Zoom Node AMI you just created and named.\

   
3. Click the AMI you created to set various parameters.

4. Under the Instance type section, click the Instance type drop-down list and select t3.medium.

1. Under the Key pair (login) section, click the Key pair name drop-down list and select Proceed without a key pair (Not recommended).

   1. Omitting a key pair is required because SSH is not enabled on Zoom Node for console access.

   
2. Under Network settings, configure the following options:

   1. Under VPC - required, choose a VPC that allows your Zoom Workplace apps direct L3 routed access.

   2. Under Subnet, choose the subnet where this VM will operate.\

      
   3. Zoom Node requires outbound communications to the Zoom cloud. You must provide a public IP address.

   4. Select Enable from the Auto-assign public IP field.

   5. Create a Security Group allowing inbound access from the Zoom Workplace app on the required port.

   6. Use the documented firewall rules in the Zoom support article Zoom Node Management server firewall rules.\

      

1. Click Advanced Details.

2. Click the Metadata version drop-down list and select V2 only (token required).\

   

(Optional) Pre-Configure Zoom Node

Zoom Node OS settings such as network settings, the hostname, local passwords, and 16-digit registration codes can be automatically configured with the User data - optional section within AWS EC2.

When Zoom Node boots, it will pull this pre-configured information from AWS EC2 (IDMSv2 server) and auto-configure the Node as shown in the following image:

Use the code below to create a new user data file:

#custom-config
hostname: zn-ec2
password: ZoomNodepassword1234
registration_code: ABCD1234DEFG5678
network:
  ethernets:
    ens:
      addresses:
        - 10.15.1.150/24
        - 10.15.1.151/24
        - 10.15.1.152/24
      gateway: 10.15.1.1
      nameservers:
        addresses:
          - 1.1.1.1

Once you've uploaded the user data file to AWS EC2, deploy the instance by clicking Launch instance.

Reviewing a Deployed Instance

Click the instance ID link (i-06e4592fd2d91ef3f as shown in the above image) to find the internal IP address assigned to the Node.

It takes a few minutes for the Node to boot and start a local web GUI.

Within the first 10 minutes of booting the instance, open a web browser and enter the Private IPv4 addresses listed (10.10.130.223 in the above image).

For example: https://<10.10.130.223>:8443.

Accept the invalid certificate warning that appears. The Zoom Node Local Admin Portal appears and prompts you for a password.

Click the Set Password link to configure an administrator password.

The username is always zoom-setup.

Now that deployment is complete, you may continue configuration by following the instructions beginning in the Network Configurationsteps of the Zoom Node Post-Deployment Configuration and Management page.