Overview
A Cube is a virtual machine with an attached NVMe Volume. Each Cube you create is a new virtual machine you can use, either standalone or in combination with other IONOS Cloud products. For more information, see Cubes.
You can create and configure your Cubes visually using the DCD interface. For more information, see Set Up a Cube. However, the creation and management of Cubes are easily automated via the Cloud API, as well as our custom-made tools and SDKs.
Configuration templates
You may choose between eight template sizes. Each template varies by processor, memory, and storage capacity. The breakdown of resources is as follows:
XS
1
1 GB
30 GB
S
1
2 GB
50 GB
M
2
4 GB
80 GB
L
4
8 GB
160 GB
XL
6
16 GB
320 GB
XXL
8
32 GB
640 GB
3XL
12
48 GB
960 GB
4XL
16
64 GB
1280 GB
Configuration templates are set upon provisioning and cannot subsequently be changed.
Resource usage
Counters: The use of Cubes' vCPU, RAM, and NVMe storage resources counts into existing VDC resource usage. However, dedicated resource usage counters are enabled for Cubes. These counters permit granular monitoring of vCPUs and NVMe storage, which differ from Dedicated Core Servers for the enterprise VM instances and SSD block storage.
Billing: Please note that suspended Cubes continue to incur costs. If you do not delete unused instances, you will continue to be charged for usage. Save on costs by creating snapshots of NVMe volumes that you do not immediately need and delete unused instances. At a later time, use these snapshots to recreate identical Cubes as needed. Please note that recreated instances may be assigned a different IP address.
Storage options
Included direct-attached storage: A default Cube comes ready with a high-speed direct-attached NVMe storage volume. Please check Configuration Templates for NVMe Storage sizes.
Add-on network block storage: You may attach more HDD or SSD (Standard or Premium) block storage. Each Cube supports up to 23 block storage devices in addition to the existing NVMe volume. Added HDD and SSD devices, as well as CD-ROMs, can be unmounted and deleted any time after the Cube is provisioned for use.
Boot options: Any storage device, including the CD-ROM, can be selected as the boot volume. You may also boot from the network.
Images and snapshots: Images and snapshots can be created from and copied to direct-attached storage, block storage devices, and CD-ROM drives. Also, direct-attached storage volume snapshots and block storage volumes can be used interchangeably
Data Security
IONOS provides Direct Attached Storage (DAS) for Cube instances, offering NVMe volumes on the same physical host as the Cube. For DAS volumes created after feature availability, IONOS implements encryption at rest and secure deletion, mirroring the security features of Block Storage.
Encryption at rest protects inactive data on physical media. DAS uses the same encryption technology as Block Storage, AES-XTS (256-bit) encryption method. Each volume has a unique, securely stored encryption key that is inaccessible to root users.
Secure deletion ensures that deleted data cannot be restored, even with physical media access. When a DAS volume is deleted:
Metadata is "zeroed out," destroying the block mapping.
The volume's encryption key is destroyed, making any remaining encrypted data unreadable.
Limitations
Cubes are limited to a maximum of 24 devices. The NVMe volume already occupies one of these slots.
You may not change the properties of a configuration template (vCPU, RAM, and direct-attached storage size) after the Cube is provisioned.
The direct-attached NVMe storage volume is set upon provisioning and cannot be unmounted or deleted from the instance.
If available account resources are not sufficient for your tasks, please contact our support team to increase resource limits for your account.
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