As you have learned in previous chapters, every virtual machine instance is based on an image from the image catalog. This catalog already contains public images, but can also be extended with private and shared images as well. In Chapter 3, Getting Started, we already covered the three standard options for creating private images: taking a snapshot of an instance, customizing an image by adding extra parameters, and relying on the Rapid Deployment Service.
Next to these three native options there are also public images available in the image catalog that contains third-party software solutions to create or import images. In this section we will extend your knowledge on image management in IBM® SmartCloud® Enterprise, specifically focusing on private and shared images. In Chapter 5, There's an Ecosystem for That, we will specifically focus on public images in the catalog.