Public cloud platforms have transformed how businesses approach IT infrastructure, offering instant scalability and ease of deployment. However, challenges like variable pricing, shared environments, security risks, and limited control make it difficult for organizations to build truly optimized environments for mission-critical workloads.
A private cloud built on bare metal servers offers a compelling alternative. With complete control over dedicated hardware, organizations can create isolated, high-performance environments tailored to their exact specifications. In this article, we’ll walk you through how to build your private cloud on NovoServe’s bare metal infrastructure — step by step — from provisioning to deployment and beyond.
The first step in building your private cloud is provisioning your bare metal servers. Using NovoServe’s portal, you can select the ideal server specifications for your needs. You’ll choose your preferred data center location — either in the Netherlands or the United States — and then define your hardware requirements, including CPU type, RAM size, storage configuration (NVMe, SSD, or HDD), and operating system. Bandwidth options are also available, with uplinks ranging from 1G to 100G. Once your servers are provisioned, you will receive public IP addresses and access credentials to get started.
Once your bare metal servers are deployed, the next step is to configure your private network. Begin by requesting a dedicated VLAN through NovoServe's customer portal. Once provisioned, configure a private network interface on each of your servers and connect them to the VLAN. This setup ensures secure, isolated communication between your servers, forming the foundation of your private cloud environment.
At the heart of your private cloud is the controller node. This is the machine that will orchestrate the provisioning and management of your infrastructure. Depending on your preferences, you can deploy Canonical MAAS (Metal as a Service), OpenStack, Proxmox VE, or VMware vSphere. Once the controller server is online, install the orchestration platform, upload your SSH public key, and configure essential services such as network address translation (NAT) or DHCP. This controller will later communicate with your hypervisors to provision and monitor virtual machines.
After setting up the controller, it’s time to install and configure the hypervisors on your other bare metal nodes. You might use open-source hypervisors like KVM and QEMU, or enterprise options like VMware ESXi or Proxmox. During this phase, you'll configure network bridges, assign management IPs, and ensure that all nodes are reachable via SSH. Proper configuration at this stage is essential for smooth orchestration and VM deployment later on.
Next, you’ll register your hypervisor nodes with your orchestration tool. In MAAS, this involves commissioning nodes via the dashboard or CLI. In OpenStack, you’ll add compute hosts to the Nova component. In VMware, nodes are added to vCenter. This step ensures your controller can recognize and communicate with each hypervisor, monitor performance, and provision virtual machines. It’s also the moment to test SSH connectivity, apply firewall rules, and validate basic automation workflows.
With everything in place, you can begin creating and deploying virtual machines. Define the virtual resources each VM will need — including CPU, RAM, disk size, and network interface settings. Depending on your architecture, VMs can connect to both public and private networks. After deployment, verify that the VMs are correctly configured, accessible over the network, and fully isolated if necessary. You now have a functional private cloud, ready to support your applications and services.
Once your private cloud is operational, it’s essential to maintain performance and security over time. Implement monitoring tools like Prometheus, Zabbix, or Grafana to track system health and resource usage. Strengthen your infrastructure with firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and access control policies. Keep your hypervisors, orchestration tools, and OS instances updated to guard against vulnerabilities. Regular security audits and patch management routines help ensure ongoing stability and compliance.
NovoServe doesn’t just offer raw compute. Our infrastructure is optimized for demanding environments, with dedicated servers located in the Netherlands and the United States, direct transit connectivity through Tier 1 providers like Telia and Cogent, and fully customizable networking options including BGP, private VLANs, and flexible IP management. Whether you're hosting workloads in Europe or expanding across the US, NovoServe gives you the foundation for a reliable, high-performance private cloud. And if you need guidance, our engineers are ready to support your and deployment.
Setting up a private cloud can feel complex, but with NovoServe’s infrastructure and expertise, it doesn’t have to be. We are here to provide our bare metal solutions and help you design and deploy a private cloud that meets your specific needs — from compliance to cost control.
Contact us today and let's help you launch your private cloud project with our bare metal solutions.