> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://partner.celum.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Where do I start?

> How to get Celum: request the free 30-day trial with the form on celum.io, get the appliance image, deploy it and take the first steps.

Celum runs as a self-contained appliance on your own hardware. One virtual machine carries Celum and everything it needs, with every container image already inside: Harbor, Authentik, OpenBao, PowerDNS and Omni.

**1. Request the trial**

The trial is free for 30 days, with every feature. Request it with the form on celum.io, described below.

**2. Get the image**

We set the trial up with you, and you get the appliance image for your platform.

**3. Deploy the appliance**

Follow the guide for your platform: [Deploy on vSphere (OVA)](https://partner.celum.io/appliance/deploy-ova.md) or [Deploy on KVM (qcow2)](https://partner.celum.io/appliance/deploy-qcow2.md).

**4. Take the first steps**

Check the appliance, trust its CA and sign in to Celum: [First steps after the deploy](https://partner.celum.io/first-steps/after-deploy.md).

## Request the trial

Open the [trial form on celum.io](https://celum.io/contact?intent=trial). The **Start the trial** button on the [pricing page](https://celum.io/pricing) leads to it as well.

| Field | |
| - | - |
| **Work email** | Required. We reply to this address. |
| **Name**, **Company**, **Country** | Required. |
| **Role** | Optional, for example "Head of platform". |
| **What do you run clusters on?** | Optional. Any of vSphere, KubeVirt, Talos, Kamaji, vCluster or something else. |
| **How many clusters?** | Optional: 1–5, 6–20, 21–100 or more than 100. |
| **What are you running today?** | Required. A sentence or two, for example "3 vSphere clusters, \~200 VMs, one Talos cluster in pilot". |

Tick the box that lets Nuvira contact you about the request, and choose **Request a walkthrough**. We reply to set the trial up with you and walk you through Celum on your own infrastructure.

> [!TIP]
>
> To see Celum before you install it, ask for a [demo](https://celum.io/contact?intent=demo) with the same form. Prefer email? Write to [contact@nuvira.dev](mailto:contact@nuvira.dev).

## What you receive

* **The appliance image**, in the format for your platform:

  * **OVA**, for VMware vSphere: `celum-appliance-VERSION.ova`;
  * **qcow2**, for KVM hypervisors such as Proxmox VE and libvirt: `celum-appliance-VERSION.qcow2`.

  The email that brings it also gives each file's SHA-256 checksum. Check the download against it before you import it; the deploy guides show how.
* **An update account** with your licence: a robot account and its secret for `registry.celum.io`. The appliance uses it to install new Celum releases. You can enter it at deployment, or later on the start page.

## Prepare while you wait

* **A hypervisor:** vSphere 7.0 or later, or Proxmox VE or libvirt/KVM.
* **Resources:** 8 vCPU, 16 GB of RAM and a 120 GB disk.
* **A static IPv4 address**, with its gateway and your DNS servers.
* **A domain for the appliance**, for example `celum.example.com`, with every name it serves resolving to its address. A wildcard record such as `*.celum.example.com` covers them all.
* **An SSH public key** for root.

The deploy guides list the details, including the ports to open.

## After the trial

Before the 30 days are over, contact us and we size a subscription against your estate. It is priced per node, per year. Whatever you decide, the clusters you built keep running: they are standard Cluster API objects on your own hardware.

## Next steps

> **[Deploy on vSphere (OVA)](https://partner.celum.io/appliance/deploy-ova.md)**
>
> Import the OVA into vCenter and configure it in the deploy wizard.

> **[Deploy on KVM (qcow2)](https://partner.celum.io/appliance/deploy-qcow2.md)**
>
> Run the qcow2 on Proxmox VE or libvirt, configured with cloud-init.


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