---
title: Using a Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) Bring Your Own Subscription (BYOS) on a Scaleway Instance
description: Find out how to use a Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) Bring Your Own Subscription (BYOS) on a Scaleway Instance.
dates:
validation: 2025-11-05
posted: 2025-11-05
tags: Instance red hat byos
---
import Requirements from '@macros/iam/requirements.mdx'
Bring Your Own Subscription (BYOS) allows you to deploy Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) on Scaleway Instances using your existing Red Hat subscription.
This means you can deploy a RHEL Instance directly from the Scaleway console, but you must activate it with your own Red Hat subscription to receive updates, security patches and support.
This guide explains how to deploy a RHEL Instance and attach your existing Red Hat subscription.
- A Scaleway account logged into the [console](https://console.scaleway.com)
- [Owner](/iam/concepts/#owner) status or [IAM permissions](/iam/concepts/#permission) allowing you to perform actions in the intended Organization
- An [SSH key](/organizations-and-projects/how-to/create-ssh-key/) for Instance access
- An active Red Hat subscription eligible for [Red Hat Cloud Access](https://access.redhat.com/management/cloud).
- A Red Hat Customer Portal account
## Deploying a RHEL Instance
1. Click **CPU & GPU Instances** in the **Compute** section of the side menu. The [Instance dashboard](https://console.scaleway.com/instance/servers) displays.
2. Click **Create Instance**. The [Instance creation page](https://console.scaleway.com/instance/servers) displays.
3. Configure the Instance:
* Choose an Availability Zone
* Select an Instance type
* Select **Red Hat Enterprise Linux** as OS image
* Add and configure storage volumes
* Configure the network connectivity of the Instance
* Verify the SSH keys that are allowed to connect
4. Click **Create Instance**.
Your RHEL Instance will be provisioned.
It will boot successfully but will not yet have access to Red Hat software repositories until activated.
Your Instance runs unentitled to Red Hat Cloud Access for updates directly from Red Hat repositories until you attach your subscription with Red Hat Subscription Manager.
For more detailed information about creating an Instance, refer to [How to create an Instance](/instances/how-to/create-an-instance/).
## Connecting to your Instance
Once created, connect to your Instance over SSH:
```bash
ssh root@
```
Replace `` with the actual public IP address of your Instance.
## Registering your Instance with Red Hat
After logging in, you must register the Instance to enable repositories and updates. The steps below describe how to register your Instance manually from the terminal. Alternatively, you can register it automatically during deployment using [cloud-init](?tab=using-cloud-init-0).
### Option A — Register with username/password
Run the following command to register your Instance using your Red Hat username and password:
```bash
sudo subscription-manager register
```
Enter your Red Hat Customer Portal credentials when prompted.
### Option B — Register with activation key
If you have an activation key to register your Instance, run the following command
```bash
sudo subscription-manager register \
--org= \
--activationkey=
```
Replace `RED_HAT_ORGANIZATION_ID` with your Red Hat organization ID and `RED_HAT_KEY` with your secret key issued by Red Hat.
## Attach a subscription
If your subscription is not automatically assigned, attach one manually:
```bash
sudo subscription-manager attach --auto
```
Alternatively, you can list available subscriptions:
```bash
sudo subscription-manager list --available
```
Chose a license and attach one:
```bash
sudo subscription-manager attach --pool=
```
Replace `RED_HAT_POOL_ID` with the ID of the license pool you want to activate.
Cloud-init may be used to automatically register your Instance during creation. To use this feature, simply add the following cloud-init configuration script to the `Cloud-Init` section of the `Settings` tab in the console:
### Option A — Register with username/password
Using your Red Hat username and password, use the following cloud-init configuration script:
```bash
#cloud-config
rh_subscription:
username: user@your.address.org
password: "youRedHatPassword"
```
### Option B — Register with activation key
If you have an activation key to register your Instance, use the following cloud-init configuration script:
```bash
#cloud-config
rh_subscription:
activation-key: RED_HAT_KEY
org: "RED_HAT_ORGANIZATION_ID"
```
Replace `RED_HAT_ORGANIZATION_ID` with your Red Hat organization ID and `RED_HAT_KEY` with your secret key issued by Red Hat.
Make sure to respect hyphen and quote usage in the cloud-init config scripts, otherwise the subscription may silently fail.
If the `cloud-init` subscription fails, the following line should appear in the `/var/log/cloud-init.log` file :
```
rh_subscription: module not configured.
```
## Confirm registration
Run the following command to verify that the subscription and repositories are active:
```bash
sudo subscription-manager status
sudo yum repolist
```
You should now see enabled repositories such as:
```
rhel-9-for-x86_64-appstream-rpms
rhel-9-for-x86_64-baseos-rpms
```
## Updating packages
After registration, update your system to ensure it is up to date:
```bash
sudo dnf update -y
```
## Unregistering (optional)
If you plan to delete the Instance or move your subscription, unregister it first:
```bash
sudo subscription-manager remove --all
sudo subscription-manager unregister
sudo subscription-manager clean
```
---
## FAQ
### Do I need to provide a license during Instance creation?
No. You can deploy the RHEL image without a license, but the Instance will not have access to updates or repositories until registration.
### Is Red Hat support included with Scaleway?
No. RHEL on Scaleway is **BYOS** (Bring Your Own Subscription): support is provided directly through your Red Hat subscription.
### Can I order a RHEL license directly from Scaleway?
No. You will need to order the RHEL license directly from Red Hat using your Red Hat Customer Portal.