Systems and methods for providing a library of virtual images in a software provisioning environment

A system for comprising:

• a network interface to a network of target machines;
• and
• a provisioning server, communicating with the network interface, the provisioning server to:
• initiate provisioning a virtual image to a target machine in the network of target machines, wherein the virtual image is a disk image of a software distribution;
• determine a virtual image record associated with the virtual image, wherein the virtual image record is selected from a plurality of virtual image records associated with the virtual image, wherein each of the plurality of virtual image records comprises metadata that is different from other virtual image records associated with the virtual image, wherein the metadata of each virtual image record comprises a parameter for instantiating the virtual image;
• provide the virtual image to the target machine;
• instantiate the virtual image on the target machine based on the metadata of the virtual image record;
• and
• copy the virtual image to a storage device of the target machine based on the metadata of the virtual image record.

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, having instructions stored therein, which when executed, cause a processor to perform operations comprising:

• initiating, by the provisioning server, provisioning a virtual image to a target machine, wherein the virtual image is a disk image of a software distribution;
• determining, by the provisioning server, a virtual image record associated with the virtual image, wherein the virtual image record is selected from a plurality of virtual image records associated with the virtual image, wherein each of the plurality of virtual image records comprises metadata that is different from other virtual image records associated with the virtual image, wherein the metadata of each virtual image record comprises a parameter for instantiating the virtual image;
• providing, by the provisioning server, the virtual image to the target machine;
• instantiating, by the provisioning server, the virtual image on the target machine based on the metadata of the virtual image record;
• and
• copying, by the provisioning server, the virtual image to a storage device of the target machine based on the metadata of the virtual image record.