Netcup SCP Panel Guide: Custom ISOs, VirtIO Windows Setup & Sysadmin Operations

Updated on · ~9 min read · Applicable to all Root Server, VPS x86, and ARM64 instances

Key Takeaways (Executive Summary)

  • Clear Separation of Dual Panels: The CCP Panel manages billing, invoices, and contract cancellations. The SCP Panel (servercontrolpanel.de) directly interfaces with the KVM hypervisors to handle OS installations, snapshots, VNC consoles, virtual optical media, and reverse DNS. Both share your customer number as username, but initial passwords are generated independently and dispatched via two separate emails!
  • Why Windows Setup Cannot Find Any Drives: Netcup's KVM virtualization employs enterprise paravirtualized VirtIO SCSI/Block storage controllers for peak IOPS performance. Microsoft's stock Windows ISOs lack these drivers. You must mount virtio-win.iso to DVD Drive 2 in SCP and load the viostor driver during Windows partition setup.
  • Free Snapshot Quotas: Every server includes free snapshot quotas. Before running high-risk kernel updates or major database migrations, create a snapshot to enable 1-click rollback within 1–2 minutes.
  • PTR Reverse DNS Records: Essential for self-hosted mail servers (Mailcow, Postfix) and corporate IP reputation. Configure PTR records for both IPv4 and /64 IPv6 free of charge under SCP's Network menu.

1. Accessing Netcup SCP (Server Control Panel)

Once your server is provisioned, you will receive an official delivery email titled "Zugangsdaten für Ihren vServer / Root-Server". This email contains:

  • SCP Login URL: https://www.servercontrolpanel.de/
  • SCP Username: Corresponds to your customer number (e.g., 123456).
  • SCP Unique Password: A dedicated hardware management password generated independently by the hypervisor system (never use your CCP billing password here; they are completely distinct).
  • Server Network Credentials: Assigned public IPv4 address, /64 IPv6 routed subnet, and initial system root credentials.

2. Mounting Official and Custom ISO Images

In the SCP sidebar, select your server instance and navigate to Media > DVD Drives. Netcup provides two virtual DVD drive slots:

1. Official Pre-configured Image Library

Netcup maintains a comprehensive library of verified ISOs available for instant 1-click mounting via the dropdown menu:

  • Mainstream Linux Distributions: Debian 12 / 11, Ubuntu 24.04 / 22.04 LTS, AlmaLinux 9, Rocky Linux 9, Alpine Linux.
  • Hyper-Converged Virtualization: Proxmox VE (PVE) 8.
  • Hardware Driver ISO: virtio-win.iso (mandatory driver disk for Windows installations, kept up-to-date with upstream Red Hat releases).
  • Windows Evaluation ISOs: Official 180-day trial evaluation images for Windows Server 2022 / 2025.

2. Custom Private ISO Upload & Mounting

If you require specialized Linux distributions (e.g., Arch Linux, Gentoo, NixOS, OpenWRT) or your own custom slipstreamed Windows ISO, you can import them via Media > Images:

  • Direct HTTP / HTTPS Remote Fetch: Paste a publicly accessible direct download link. Netcup's datacenter backbone pulls the ISO at speeds exceeding 100 MB/s.
  • Dedicated FTP Protocol Upload: SCP provisions temporary dedicated FTP credentials. Connect using FileZilla or WinSCP, upload your local .iso file to the designated directory, and it will immediately appear in your available drive list.

3. Hands-On Guide: Installing Windows Server & Loading VirtIO Drivers

This is a classic hurdle for many sysadmins: Why does the Windows installer display "No drives were found" when reaching the disk selection screen in the VNC console?

The Technical Root Cause: To maximize multi-tenant disk IOPS and eliminate CPU virtualization overhead, KVM uses Red Hat VirtIO paravirtualized storage controllers rather than legacy, slow IDE/SATA emulation. Stock Microsoft Windows installation media does not include these third-party VirtIO SCSI drivers out of the box.

🛠️ Standard 5-Step Windows Installation Procedure:

  1. Mount Dual Optical Drives: Under SCP > Media > DVD Drives:
    • DVD Drive 1: Mount your uploaded Windows Server installation ISO (e.g., Windows Server 2022/2025).
    • DVD Drive 2: Select and mount virtio-win.iso from the official library.
  2. Configure Boot Sequence: Navigate to Settings > Boot Order, set CD-ROM as primary boot priority and Hard Disk as secondary, then save.
  3. Reboot and Launch VNC Console: Click Restart at the top, then click Screen to launch the HTML5 VNC remote console. As the VM boots, press any key immediately to enter the Windows installer.
  4. Load VirtIO Storage Drivers: Advance through the wizard to the "Where do you want to install Windows?" screen (which will appear completely blank):
    • Click "Load Driver" at the bottom left → click "Browse".
    • Expand Drive 2 (virtio-win CD) → enter the viostor directory → select the folder matching your OS release (e.g., 2k22 or w10/w11) and architecture (amd64).
    • The installer will detect "Red Hat VirtIO SCSI controller". Click Next. Within 3 seconds, your NVMe / SSD drive volumes will populate the disk list!
  5. Load Paravirtualized Network Drivers (Recommended): Repeat the Load Driver process, navigating to the NetKVM directory to install Ethernet drivers. This ensures network connectivity functions immediately upon initial boot. Partition your disks and complete setup as usual.

4. Pro Tips for the HTML5 VNC Out-of-Band Remote Console

The Screen console provided in SCP connects directly to the physical hypervisor GPU frame buffer. Even if your VM suffers total network failure, misconfigured firewalls, or kernel panic, the VNC console gives you unhindered direct access as if sitting at a physical monitor:

  • Sending Ctrl+Alt+Del: The Windows lock screen requires Ctrl+Alt+Del to unlock. Pressing these keys locally will trigger your host OS instead. Click the "Send Ctrl+Alt+Del" button in the top-right toolbar of the VNC window to pass the keystroke directly into the guest VM.
  • Linux Forgotten Root Password Emergency Reset: Reboot the server via SCP, press e in the GRUB bootloader to edit the kernel line, append init=/bin/bash to the end of the linux line, and press Ctrl+X to boot into a root bash shell. Run passwd root to reset your credentials in seconds.

5. Free Snapshots: Workflows and Retention Rules

Netcup provides generous free snapshot storage allocations for all servers (accessible under the Snapshots tab in SCP):

Snapshot Operation Mechanism & Execution Time Operational Best Practice
Create Snapshot Click Create Snapshot in SCP, enter a label. Creation takes roughly 5–15 seconds via copy-on-write storage layers. Always capture a snapshot before executing kernel upgrades, database engine major upgrades, or high-risk firewall refactoring.
Restore Snapshot Select Rollback / Restore from the list. The server powers down and resets the storage block state. If a deployment fails catastrophically, rollback restores the exact disk state within 1–2 minutes.
Retention Policy Snapshots persist for a maximum lifetime of 28 to 31 days, after which the hypervisor automatically purges them. ⚠️ Warning: Snapshots are not durable backups! For long-term data archiving, rely on offsite tools like Rclone, BorgBackup, or S3-compatible object storage.

6. Network Management & PTR Reverse DNS (Crucial for Mail Servers)

All Netcup Root Servers and VPS include 1 dedicated public IPv4 address and a routed /64 IPv6 subnet free of charge, with fully self-service PTR reverse DNS customization:

1. Why is PTR Reverse DNS Mandatory?

When running self-hosted mail servers (e.g., Mailcow, iRedMail, Postfix) delivering messages to Gmail, Outlook, or Yahoo, incoming mail transfer agents perform strict reverse DNS lookups against your connecting IP. If your IP lacks a valid PTR record matching your HELO/EHLO hostname, your emails will be discarded or routed directly to spam folders.

2. Setting Up PTR in SCP:

  1. Log in to SCP and select the Network menu.
  2. Locate your public IPv4 address and click Edit Reverse DNS.
  3. Enter your mail server's Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) (e.g., mail.yourdomain.com), and click Save.
  4. Global recursive DNS caches typically update within 10 to 60 minutes. Verify the change from your local terminal with: dig -x [YOUR_SERVER_IP] +short.

7. Dynamic Local Block Storage Provisioning

When workloads expand beyond your server's onboard NVMe capacity, Netcup offers high-performance Local Block Storage volumes:

  • Ultra-Low Cost: Non-EU VAT-exempt pricing starts at just €0.012 / GB / month (only €1.20/month per 100 GB).
  • Attachment: After ordering inside CCP, open SCP > Storage > Block Storage and attach the volume to your server target slot (e.g., /dev/vdb).
  • Linux Initialization Commands:
    # Format as ext4 filesystem mkfs.ext4 -F /dev/vdb # Create mount point and mount volume mkdir -p /mnt/data mount /dev/vdb /mnt/data # Persist mount configuration in /etc/fstab across reboots echo '/dev/vdb /mnt/data ext4 defaults,nofail 0 0' >> /etc/fstab

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