# Getting Started

Open Source MANO (OSM) is an ETSI-hosted open source community delivering a production-quality MANO stack for NFV. OSM consumes openly published information models, is suitable for all VNFs, and is VIM-independent.

This page walks you through installing OSM on a single host, verifying the installation, and deploying your first Network Service. For an overview of OSM's architecture and concepts, see [Core Concepts](../explanation/core-concepts.md). For the full feature list of the current release, see [OSM Releases](../reference/releases.md).

## Install OSM

All you need to run OSM is a single server or VM with the following requirements:

- **Recommended**: 4 CPUs, 16 GB RAM, 80 GB disk, and a single network interface with Internet access
- **Base image**: Ubuntu 24.04 ([cloud image](https://cloud-images.ubuntu.com/noble/current/noble-server-cloudimg-amd64.img) or [server image](http://releases.ubuntu.com/24.04/), 64-bit)

Run the installer:

```bash
wget https://osm-download.etsi.org/ftp/osm-19.0-nineteen/install_osm.sh
chmod +x install_osm.sh
./install_osm.sh 2>&1 | tee osm_install_log.txt
```

This installs a standalone Kubernetes cluster on the host and deploys OSM on top of it. Saving the log with `tee` makes troubleshooting easier later.

For special installation options (HA, custom registry, charm-based, etc.) see [How to install OSM](../how-to/installing-osm.md).

## Verify the installation

Once the installer finishes, get the OSM UI URL from the ingress and open it in your browser (default credentials are `admin` / `admin`):

```bash
export OSM_GUI_URL=$(kubectl get -n osm -o jsonpath="{.spec.rules[0].host}" ingress ngui-ingress)
echo "OSM UI: http://$OSM_GUI_URL"
```

![OSM home](../assets/600px-Osm_ng_ui_login.png)

You can also check the status of the OSM workloads from the command line:

```bash
kubectl get all -n osm
kubectl get ingress -n osm
```

The OSM client (`osm`) is preinstalled on the host. Point it at the NBI ingress and run any command:

```bash
export OSM_HOSTNAME=$(kubectl get -n osm -o jsonpath="{.spec.rules[0].host}" ingress nbi-ingress)
osm --help
```

If something goes wrong, see [Troubleshooting](../how-to/troubleshooting.md).

## Configure a VIM

Before deploying Network Services, register a VIM account. OSM supports OpenStack, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, AWS, VMware vCloud Director, and OpenVIM.

See [Managing VIM accounts](../how-to/managing-vim-accounts.md) for the per-VIM configuration steps and CLI examples.

## Deploy your first Network Service

With a VIM registered, you can onboard a VNF/NS package and instantiate a Network Service.

1. Get sample packages from the [osm-packages repository](https://osm.etsi.org/gitlab/vnf-onboarding/osm-packages).
2. Onboard the VNF and NS packages following [Managing VNF and NS packages](../how-to/nfv/managing-vnf-ns-packages.md).
3. Instantiate the Network Service following [Deploying Network Services](../how-to/nfv/deploying-network-services.md).

## What to read next

- **[User Guide](../how-to/index.md)** — Step-by-step guides for Cloud-Native Operations, NFV Operations, and Platform Administration.
- **[Tutorials](../tutorial/index.md)** — Hands-on walkthroughs covering both declarative and imperative OSM workflows.
- **[OSM Hackfest Material](https://osm.etsi.org/wikipub/index.php/Latest_OSM_Hackfest_Material#Hackfest_Material)** — Slides, exercises, and recordings from the latest OSM Hackfest.
- **[VNF Onboarding Guide](https://osm.etsi.org/docs/vnf-onboarding-guidelines)** — Everything you need to onboard your VNFs or applications into OSM.
- **[Sample VNF and NS Packages](https://osm.etsi.org/gitlab/vnf-onboarding/osm-packages)** — Ready-to-use VNF and NS packages for testing and reference.
- **[Developer Guide](../developer-guide/index.md)** — Set up your development environment and contribute to OSM.
- **[OSM Releases](../reference/releases.md)** — Summary of features and improvements for each OSM release (v10–v19).
- **[White Papers](https://osm.etsi.org/wikipub/index.php/Release_notes_and_whitepapers)** — Technical white papers for each OSM release.
- **[OSM Workshops and Webinars](https://osm.etsi.org/wikipub/index.php/OSM_workshops_and_events)** — Recorded sessions and presentation material from OSM community events.