SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR EFFICIENTLY BOOTING AND CONFIGURING VIRTUAL SERVERS

Techniques for providing faster and more efficient ways to deploy virtual server configurations in a hosted virtual server service are described. Broadly, a base machine image is created with essential or standard virtual server functionality, and a configuration manager, which allows the virtual server to be customized after instantiation. This post-instantiation customization, which can include network or system parameters, software upgrades or modifications, role specification, specification of locations of other virtual servers, software installation, and loading of application data, allows virtual servers to be customized without the need for separate machine images for each virtual server instance.