Image Sharing FAQs

How Many Tenants Can I Share an Image with?

A system disk image or data disk image can be shared with up to 128 tenants, but a full-ECS image can only be shared with up to 10 tenants.

How Many Images Can Be Shared with Me?

There is no limit.

Can I Share Images Between My Accounts at the Chinese Mainland Website and International Website?

Yes. You can share images between your accounts of the Chinese Mainland and International websites, but only in regions that are available on both websites. For example, you cannot share images in the CN North-Beijing1 region of the Chinese Mainland website with your account of the International website which does not have this region.

Do Shared Images Affect My Private Image Quota?

No.

I Shared an Image to an Account But the Account Did Not Accept or Reject the Image. Will My Image Sharing Quota Be Consumed?

No.

Where Can I View the Images Shared with Me?

Switch to the region where the shared image is located, choose Service List > Compute > Image Management Service > Images Shared with Me.

If you are a multi-project user, make clear which of your projects will receive the shared image. Switch to the region where the project resides and select the project. Then, choose Service List > Compute > Image Management Service > Images Shared with Me.

If the image is not accepted, a red dot is displayed on the Images Shared with Me tab page (as shown in Figure 1) and a message is displayed, asking you whether to accept the shared image. After the image is accepted, it is displayed in the list on the Images Shared with Me tab page.

Figure 1 Images Shared with Me

If I Want to Share a System Disk Image with Another Account, Should the Account Purchase an ECS in Advance?

No. The account can use the shared image to apply for ECSs.

Is There Any Restriction on the Region When I Create ECSs Using a Shared Image?

Yes. You can only create ECSs in the same region as the shared image.

Can I Share Images Shared with Me with Other Tenants?

You cannot directly share such images with other tenants. If you do need to do so, you can replicate a shared image to a private image and then share the private image.

Can I Use an Image I Have Shared with Others to Create an ECS?

Yes. After sharing an image with other tenants, you can still use the image to create an ECS and use the created ECS to create a private image.

What Are the Risks of Creating ECSs Using a Shared Image?

The image owner can view, stop sharing, or delete the image at any time. After the shared image is deleted, you will be unable to use the shared image to reinstall the OSs of the ECSs created from the shared image or create ECSs with the same configurations.

The cloud platform does not ensure the integrity or security of images shared by other accounts. For security reasons, you are advised to choose only images shared by trusted accounts.

What Are the Risks of Sharing Images with Other Tenants?

Data, files, and software may be disclosed. Before sharing an image, you must take care to delete any sensitive data or important files from the image. The image recipient can use the shared image to create ECSs and use the created ECSs to create private images. If the created private images are shared with other tenants, any data leakage that occurs can be quite widespread.

How Do I Replicate an Image Between Projects in a Region?

Cross-region image replication allows you to replicate images between regions. Image sharing allows you to replicate images between projects in the same region.

In the Share Image dialog box, enter target project IDs, and click OK, as instructed in Sharing Specified Images. After the image is shared, switch to the target projects. On the Image Management Service > Images Shared with Me page, you can view the shared image to be accepted.

How Do I Share an Image Across Regions?

To share an image across regions, you can use either of the following methods:

• Replicate the image to the destination region and then share it.
• Share the image and then replicate it to the destination region.

For example, if you want to share a private image in the CN-Hong Kong region to the CN East-Shanghai2 region with another account, use either of the following methods:

Method 1:

1. Replicate the private image from the CN-Hong Kong region to the CN East-Shanghai2 region. In the CN East-Shanghai2 region, the image is named copy_image.

   For details, see Replicating Images Across Regions.

2. Share copy_image with the target account.

   For details, see Sharing Specified Images.

Method 2:

1. Share the private image with the target account in the CN-Hong Kong region.

   For details, see Sharing Specified Images.

2. After accepting the shared image, the account replicates it as copy_image.

   For details, see Replicating a Shared Image.

3. The account replicates copy_image from the CN-Hong Kong region to the CN East-Shanghai2 region.

   For details, see Replicating Images Across Regions.

Can I Specify a Region or an AZ for Sharing an Image?

No. When sharing an image, you can only specify a project ID. You cannot specify a region or an AZ. An image can only be shared within a given region, but once shared, it can be used in any AZ in that region.

Can I Restore My Data Disks from a Data Disk Image Shared by Another Account?

No. You can only use the shared image to apply for a new data disk and cannot use it to restore your existing data disks. However, you can use the new data disk for restoration by referring to Can I Import Data from a Data Disk Image to a Data Disk?

Can I Share My ECS and Its EIP with Another Account?

You can share an ECS through full-ECS image sharing but cannot share the EIP.

What Can I Do If I Want to Use a Rejected Image?

If you have rejected an image shared by another tenant, but now want to use it, two methods are available:

• Method 1

  Ask the image owner to add you to the tenants the image is shared with. For details, see Adding Tenants Who Can Use Shared Images.

• Method 2

  Accept the rejected image again. For details, see Accepting Rejected Images.