# Generic Create machines using an existing VM/Host with SSH. This is useful if you are using a provider that Machine does not support directly or if you would like to import an existing host to allow Docker Machine to manage. The driver will perform a list of tasks on create: - If docker is not running on the host, it will be installed automatically. - It will generate certificates to secure the docker daemon - The docker daemon will be restarted, thus all running containers will be stopped. Options: - `--generic-ip-address`: **required** IP Address of host. - `--generic-ssh-key`: Path to the SSH user private key. - `--generic-ssh-user`: SSH username used to connect. - `--generic-ssh-port`: Port to use for SSH. > **Note**: You must use a base operating system supported by Machine. Environment variables and default values: | CLI option | Environment variable | Default | | -------------------------- | -------------------- | ------------------------- | | **`--generic-ip-address`** | `GENERIC_IP_ADDRESS` | - | | `--generic-ssh-key` | `GENERIC_SSH_KEY` | _(defers to `ssh-agent`)_ | | `--generic-ssh-user` | `GENERIC_SSH_USER` | `root` | | `--generic-ssh-port` | `GENERIC_SSH_PORT` | `22` | ##### Interaction with SSH Agents When an SSH identity is not provided (with the `--generic-ssh-key` flag), the SSH agent (if running) will be consulted. This makes it possible to easily use password-protected SSH keys. Note that this usage is _only_ supported if you're using the external SSH client, which is the default behaviour when the `ssh` binary is available. If you're using the native client (with `--native-ssh`), using the SSH agent is not yet supported.