managing-stemcells.html.md.erb

---
title: Importing and Managing Stemcells
owner: Ops Manager
---

This topic explains how to use the Stemcell Library in <%= vars.ops_manager_full %> to import and stage stemcells to products.


## <a id='overview'></a> Overview

The Stemcell Library imports and stages stemcells to products.

For more conceptual information about floating stemcells and stemcell upgrades, see [Floating Stemcells](../customizing/understanding-stemcells.html).

<p class='note warning'><strong>Warning:</strong> Some product releases require Xenial stemcells, as listed in <a href="../../platform/stemcells/xenial-tiles.html">Tiles Using Xenial Stemcells in <%= vars.platform_name %></a>. If you are importing and using Xenial stemcells for the first time, see <a href="../../pcf-release-notes/breaking-changes.html#xenial">Updates for Xenial Stemcell Support</a>.</p>


## <a id="import"></a> Import and Stage a Stemcell

To import and stage a stemcell:

1. Download the appropriate `.tgz` stemcell file from [VMware Tanzu Network](https://network.pivotal.io/products/pivotal-cf).
	<p class="note">
		<strong>Note:</strong>
		<%= vars.ops_manager %> does not support heavy or full stemcells for the AWS and GCP IaaSes.
		For these IaaSes, you must use a light stemcell.
		For more information about light stemcells, see <a href="https://bosh.io/docs/build-stemcell/#light-stemcells">Light Stemcells</a> in the BOSH documentation.
	</p>

1. Click **Import Stemcell** to permanently import a stemcell into <%= vars.ops_manager %>.

1. A pop-up appears for you to select which products to stage with the imported stemcell. Select the checkboxes of the products you want to stage.
  ![A pop-up that appears after importing a stemcell. At the top of the pop-up is the header 'Import Stemcell' in gray letters. Under the header is the text "Select the products you want to stage with light-bosh-stemcell-3541.5-google-kvm-ubuntu-trusty". Below is a row containing a selected checkbox with the text "Product" in bold letters to the right of the checkbox. Below this row is another row containing another selected checkbox and the text "Ops Manager: Example Product v2.1-committed.20180209.125552-stemcell.3541.4". In the bottom-right corner of the pop-up are two buttons: one labeled "Dismiss" in gray letters, and one blue, rectangular button labeled "Apply Stemcell to Products" in white letters.](images/staging-modal.png)

 1. Click **Apply Stemcell to Products**.

 1. Click **Dismiss** to close the **Import Stemcell** pop-up.


## <a id="version"></a> Choose a Stemcell Version

If you have uploaded multiple versions of a stemcell, you can use the dropdown in the **Staged** column to choose which version to use.

You can choose a different version until you deploy. After deployment, older stemcell versions are no longer available.

![The dropdown for a stemcell is displayed in the Staged column. Three versions are available.](images/opsman-view-available-stemcells.png)

If the stemcell displays with a green checkmark and the words **Latest stemcell** below the **Staged** dropdown, the stemcell is the latest available version on your host. An outdated stemcell displays **Stemcell out-of-date**.

![Beneath the **Staged** version dropdown, a green checkmark next to the words **Latest stemcell** appears. The stemcell in this image is the latest available version.](images/opsman-latest-stemcell.png)