Virtual appliance

A prebuilt Ubuntu 24.04 + SQL Server + Dispatch VM. Nothing to install - import the image for your hypervisor, power on, and on first boot it configures SQL and starts Dispatch with unique per-VM secrets. Grab the files from the downloads page. Recommended: 2 vCPU / 4 GB RAM. It boots on DHCP, but a relay your apps point at should have a static IP (see below). All images are Gen2/UEFI.

A separate download per hypervisor - each a single zip (unzip once) with that format’s image, a README.txt, and the import helper:

Hypervisor	Download (one zip)	Contains
Hyper-V	`dispatch-appliance-hyperv`	`dispatch-appliance.vhdx` + `Import-DispatchAppliance.ps1` + `README.txt`
VMware (vSphere/ESXi/Workstation/Fusion)	`dispatch-appliance-vmware`	`dispatch-appliance.ova` + `README.txt`
KVM/libvirt & Proxmox	`dispatch-appliance-kvm`	`dispatch-appliance.qcow2` + `import-libvirt.sh` / `import-proxmox.sh` + `README.txt`

Import it

Hyper-V

Unzip the .vhdx, then in PowerShell as Administrator (the helper is in the download). Run it with no networking flags for a guided menu - it lists the host’s virtual switches to pick from, your storage volumes (with free space) to choose where the VM lives, an optional VLAN ID, and memory/CPU, then confirms before creating:

.\Import-DispatchAppliance.ps1

For unattended import, pass -SwitchName (skips the menu) plus any of -VlanId, -VmPath, -MemoryGB, -CpuCount, -Start:

.\Import-DispatchAppliance.ps1 -SwitchName "External" -VlanId 20 -VmPath "D:\Hyper-V" -Start

Either way it creates a Gen2 VM, sets the Microsoft UEFI CA Secure Boot template (required for Linux), disables Dynamic Memory, attaches the switch (tagging the VLAN if you gave one), and optionally starts it. Manual route: New VM → Generation 2 → use the existing VHDX → Security → Secure Boot template = Microsoft UEFI Certificate Authority.

Run it as an elevated Administrator, or as a member of the Hyper-V Administrators group (which can manage Hyper-V without elevation) - the script checks for one of these and stops with a clear message otherwise.

VMware (vSphere / ESXi / Workstation / Fusion)

vSphere Client → Deploy OVF Template → select the .ova (or File → Open in Workstation/Fusion). Accept defaults - the descriptor already sets EFI firmware and an Ubuntu 64-bit guest. CLI: ovftool dispatch-appliance.ova vi://user@vcenter/Datacenter/host/esxi.

KVM / libvirt

sudo ./import-libvirt.sh dispatch-appliance.qcow2 --start
virsh domifaddr dispatch        # find its IP

Proxmox VE

Copy the .qcow2 + helper to the Proxmox host and run it as root (qm requires it - the script checks), picking an unused VM ID (e.g. 9000):

./import-proxmox.sh dispatch-appliance.qcow2 9000 \
  --storage local-lvm --bridge vmbr0 --start

Logins (there are two)

	Username	Password	Change it
OS (console / SSH)	`ubuntu`	`dispatch`	forced on first login; later `passwd`
Dashboard (web UI)	- (single admin)	set on first visit to `:8420`	System → About → Change password

SSH is enabled with password auth (ssh ubuntu@<vm-ip>). The dashboard password is stored only as a bcrypt hash.

Set a static IP (recommended)

It boots on DHCP, but a relay your apps point at should have a fixed address. The appliance ships a helper that auto-detects the NIC, writes netplan, and applies it - log in (console or SSH) and run:

# interactive - just answer the prompts:
sudo dispatch-set-ip

# or in one line (DNS defaults to 1.1.1.1,8.8.8.8):
sudo dispatch-set-ip -a 192.168.1.50/24 -g 192.168.1.1 -d 1.1.1.1,8.8.8.8

# revert to automatic:
sudo dispatch-set-ip --dhcp

It prints the new address; the dashboard is then at https://192.168.1.50:8420. Pass -i <nic> to target a specific interface, or -h for all options.

After it boots

First boot takes a couple of minutes (it configures SQL Server). Then browse to https://<vm-ip>:8420, accept the self-signed certificate warning, and set the admin password on the first-run screen. Then add a relay and a routing rule.