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Dedicated Core Servers that you create in the DCD are provisioned and hosted in one of IONOS' physical data centers. Dedicated Core Servers behave exactly like physical servers. They can be configured and managed with your choice of the operating system. For more information, see Configure a Dedicated Core Server.
Boot options: For each server, you can select to boot from a virtual CD-ROM/DVD drive or a storage device (HDD or SSD) using any operating system on the platform. The only requirement is the use of KVM VirtIO drivers. IONOS provides a number of ready-to-boot images with multiple versions of Microsoft Windows and different Linux distributions, including Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
Secure your data, enhance reliability, and set up high-availability scenarios by deploying your Dedicated Core Servers and storage devices across multiple Availability Zones.
Assigning different Availability Zones ensures that servers or storage devices reside on separate physical resources at IONOS.
For example, a server or a storage device assigned to Availability Zone 1 resides on a different resource than a server or storage device assigned to Availability Zone 2.
You have the following Availability Zone options:
Zone 1
Zone 2
A - Auto (default; our system automatically assigns an Availability Zone upon provisioning)
If the capacity of your Virtual Data Center no longer matches your requirements, you can still increase or decrease your resources after provisioning. Upscaling resources allows you to change the resources of a Dedicated Core Server without restarting it, permitting you to add RAM or NICs ("hot plug") to it while it is running. This change allows you to react to peak loads quickly without compromising performance.
Warning: RAM hotplugging for a VM is automatically disabled when the RAM size exceeds 240 GB. This leads to the VM restarting every time the RAM is increased beyond this limit, disabling live vertical scaling.
After uploading, you can define the properties of your images before applying them to new storage volumes. The settings must be supported by the image, otherwise, they will not work as expected. After provisioning, you can change the settings directly on the storage device, which will require a restart of the server.
The types of resources that you can scale without rebooting will depend on the operating system of your Virtual Machines (VMs). Since kernel 2.6.25, Linux has LVO modules installed by default, but you may have to activate them manually depending on the derivative. VirtIO drivers are optimized for virtual environments and provide direct access to underlying hardware.
For IONOS images, the supported properties are already preset. Without restarting the Dedicated Core Server, its resources can be scaled as follows:
Upscaling: CPU, RAM, NICs, storage volumes
Downscaling: NICs, storage volumes
Scaling up is the increase or speed up of a component to handle a larger load. The goal is to increase the number of resources that support an application to achieve or maintain accurate performance. Scaling down means reducing system resources, irrespective of whether you have used the scaling-up approach. Without restarting the Dedicated Core Server, only upscaling is possible.
CPU Types: Dedicated Core Server configurations are subject to the following limitations, by CPU type:
AMD CPU
Intel® CPU
Note: Additional RAM sizes are available on request. To increase the RAM size, contact your sales representative or IONOS Cloud Support.
A single Intel® physical core with Hyper-Threading Technology is exposed to the operating system of your Dedicated Core Server as two distinct "logical cores", which process separate threads.
RAM Sizes: Because the working memory (RAM) size cannot be processed during the initial configuration, newly provisioned servers with more than 8 GB of RAM may not start successfully when created from IONOS Windows images.
Live Vertical Scaling: Linux supports the entire scope of IONOS Live Vertical Scaling, whereas Windows is limited to CPU scaling. Furthermore, it is not possible to use LVS to reduce storage size after provisioning.
A vCPU Server that you create is a new Virtual Machine (VM) provisioned and hosted in one of IONOS' physical data centers. A vCPU Server behaves exactly like physical servers and you can use them either standalone or in combination with other IONOS Cloud products.
You can create and configure your vCPU Server visually using the DCD interface. For more information, see Set Up a vCPU Server. However, the creation and management of a vCPU Server can be easily automated via the Cloud API, as well as our custom-made tools like SDKs.
vCPU Servers add a new dimension to your computing experience. These servers are configured with virtual CPUs and distributed among multiple users sharing the same physical server. The performance of your vCPU Server relies on various factors, including the underlying CPU of the physical server, VM configurations, and the current load on the physical server. Our Data Center Dashboard (DCD) lets you closely monitor your CPU utilization and other essential metrics through the Monitoring Manager.
For each vCPU Server, you can select to boot from a virtual CD-ROM/DVD drive or a storage device (HDD or SSD) using any operating system on the platform. The only requirement is the use of KVM VirtIO drivers. For more information on how to install VirtIO drivers in windows, see Install Windows VirtIO Drivers . IONOS provides a number of ready-to-boot images with current versions of Linux operating systems.
Secure your data, enhance reliability, and set up high-availability scenarios by deploying your vCPU Servers and storage devices across multiple Availability Zones allowing you to deploy your Shared vCPU instances in different geographic regions.
Assigning different Availability Zones ensures that vCPU Servers or storage devices reside on separate physical resources at IONOS. This helps ensure high availability and fault tolerance for your applications, as well as providing low-latency connections to your target audience.
For example, a vCPU Server or a storage device assigned to Availability Zone 1 resides on a different resource than a vCPU Server or storage device assigned to Availability Zone 2.
You have the following Availability Zone options:
Zone 1
Zone 2
A - Auto (default; our system automatically assigns an Availability Zone upon provisioning)
If the capacity of your Virtual Data Center (VDC) no longer matches your requirements, you can still increase or decrease your resources after provisioning. Upscaling resources allows you to change the resources of a vCPU Server without restarting it, permitting you to add RAM or NICs ("hot plug") to it while it is running. This change allows you to react to peak loads quickly without compromising performance.
After uploading, you can define the properties of your images before applying them to new storage volumes. The settings must be supported by the image, otherwise, they will not work as expected. After provisioning, you can change the settings directly on the storage device, which will require a restart of the vCPU Server.
The types of resources that you can scale without rebooting will depend on the operating system of your vCPU Server. Since kernel 2.6.25, Linux has LVO modules installed by default, but you may have to activate them manually depending on the derivative. VirtIO drivers are optimized for virtual environments and provide direct access to underlying hardware.
For IONOS images, the supported properties are already preset. Without restarting the vCPU Server, its resources can be scaled as follows:
Upscaling: CPU, RAM, NICs, storage volumes
Downscaling: NICs, storage volumes
Scaling up is the increase or speed up of a component to handle a larger load. The goal is to increase the number of resources that support an application to achieve or maintain accurate performance. Scaling down means reducing system resources, whether or not you have used the scaling-up approach. Without restarting the vCPU Server, only Upscaling is possible.
vCPU Server provides the following features:
Flexible Resource Allocation provides you with presets, which are recommended vCPU-to-RAM configurations for your virtual machines. Furthermore, this option empowers you to add or remove compute resources flexibly to meet your specific needs.
The Robust Compute Engine platform supports the vCPU servers, ensuring seamless integration. Additionally, the features offered by the Compute Engine platform remain accessible for utilization with vCPU servers
Virtualization Technology enables efficient and secure isolation between different VMs, ensuring the performance of one VM does not impact the others.
Reliable Performance and computing capabilities make it suitable for a wide range of applications. The underlying infrastructure is optimized to provide reliable CPU performance, ensuring your applications run smoothly.
Easy Management via the intuitive Data Center Designer. You can easily create, modify, and delete vCPU Servers, monitor their usage, and adjust the resources according to your needs.
vCPU Server provides the following benefits:
Cost-Effective: vCPU Server helps reduce costs when compared to major hyperscalers with similar resource configurations. This makes it an ideal choice for small to medium-sized businesses or individuals with budget constraints.
Scalability: With the IONOS vCPU Server, you have the flexibility to scale your computing resources up or down based on your requirements. This ensures that you can meet the demands of your applications without overprovisioning or paying for unused resources.
Reliability and Availability: IONOS's cloud infrastructure ensures high availability and reliability. By distributing resources across multiple physical servers, IONOS minimizes the impact of hardware failures, providing a stable and resilient environment for your applications.
Easy Setup: Setting up the IONOS vCPU Server is straightforward. The IONOS DCD and Cloud API offer controls for provisioning and configuring vCPU Servers, allowing you to get up and running quickly.
This section lists the limitations of vCPU Servers:
CPU Family of a vCPU Server cannot be chosen at the time of creation and cannot be changed later. vCPU Server configurations are subject to the following:
Note: Additional RAM sizes are available on request. To increase the RAM size, contact your sales representative or IONOS Cloud Support.
RAM Sizes: Because the working memory (RAM) size cannot be processed during the initial configuration, a newly provisioned vCPU Server with more than 8 GB of RAM may not start successfully when created from the IONOS Windows images.
Live Vertical Scaling: Linux supports the entire scope of IONOS Live Vertical Scaling, whereas Windows is limited to CPU scaling. Furthermore, it is not possible to use LVS to reduce storage size after provisioning.
Note: To increase the resource limits for your account, contact IONOS Cloud Support
With IONOS Cloud Compute Engine, you can quickly provision Dedicated Core servers and vCPU Servers. Leverage our user guides, reference documentation, and FAQs to support your hosting needs.
A user with full root or administrator access rights can create a vCPU Server. A vCPU Server, once provisioned, retains all its settings, such as resources, drive allocation, password, etc., even after a restart at the operating system level. A vCPU Server is deleted from your Virtual Data Center (VDC) only when you delete it from the DCD. For more information, see vCPU Servers.
vCPU Servers offer flexible configurations for RAM and CPUs. You can create a vCPU Server via the DCD or the API.
Prerequisite: Make sure you have the appropriate privileges. Only contract administrators, owners, and users with the Create Data Center privilege can set up a VDC. Other user types have read-only access and cannot provision changes.
To create a new vCPU Server via the DCD, follow these steps:
1. Drag the vCPU Server element from the Palette onto the Workspace.
The created vCPU Server is automatically highlighted in turquoise. The Inspector pane allows you to configure the properties of this individual vCPU instance.
2. In the Inspector pane on the right, configure your vCPU Server in the Settings tab.
Name: Choose a name unique to this VDC.
Availability Zone: The zone where you wish to physically host the vCPU. Choosing A - Auto selects a zone automatically. This setting can be changed after provisioning.
Preset: Select an appropriate configuration from the drop-down list. The values S, M, L, XL, and XXL contain predefined vCPU-to-RAM ratios. You can always override the values to suit your needs and the Preset automatically changes to Custom when you edit the predefined ratio indicating that you are no longer using the predefined ratio.
vCPUs: Specify the number of vCPUs. You may change these after provisioning. The capabilities are limited to your customer contract limits. For more information about the contract resource limits in DCD, see Resource Overview.
RAM: Specify RAM size; you may choose any size between 0.25 GB to 240 GB in steps of 0.25 GB. This setting can be increased after provisioning.
SSH Keys: Select the premade SSH Key. You must first have a key stored in the SSH Key Manager. For more information about how to create and add SSH Keys, see OpenSSH Instructions.
Ad-hoc Key: Copy and paste the public part of your SSH key into this field.
To create a new vCPU Server via the API, specify the following properties:
Specify a name for your vCPU Server.
Set type: VCPU.
Set the availabilityZone to AUTO.
Specify cores and ram in MiB. You can also update the cores and ram using a PATCH request at any time. For more information, see Partially modify servers.
Note: Do not specify the following properties: templateUuid and cpuFamily.
For example, assume that a VDC exists with the following UUID: aaa-2bbb-3ccc-4ddd-5eee. Entities like volumes or NICs are not included in the following example, but their usage is identical to servers of type ENTERPRISE. For more information, see CLOUD API (6.0).
Select the respective block to view a sample request and a sample response:
Drag a storage element (HDD or SSD) from the Palette onto a vCPU server in the Workspace to connect them together. The highlighted vCPU will expand with a storage section.
Click the Unnamed HDD Storage to highlight the storage section. Now you can see new options in the Inspector pane on the right.
Note: Storage type cannot be changed after provisioning.
Enter a name that is unique within your VDC.
Select a zone in which you want the storage device to be maintained. When you select A (Auto), our system assigns the optimal Zone. The Availability Zone cannot be changed after provisioning.
Specify the required storage capacity. You can increase the size after provisioning, even while the vCPU Server is running, as long as its operating system supports it. It is not possible to reduce the storage size after provisioning.
You can select one of IONOS images or snapshots, or use your own. Only images and snapshots that you have access to are available for selection. Since provisioning does not require you to specify an image, you can also create empty storage volumes.
Set the root or administrator password for your vCPU according to the guidelines. This is recommended for both operating system types.
Select an SSH key stored in the SSH Key Manager.
Copy and paste the public part of your SSH key into this field.
Select the storage volume from which the vCPU is to boot by clicking on BOOT or Make Boot Device.
Provision your changes. The storage device is now provisioned and configured according to your settings.
When adding a storage element using the Inspector, select the appropriate checkbox in the Add Storage dialog box. If you wish to boot from the network, set this on the vCPU: vCPU in the Workspace > Inspector > Storage.
It is recommended to always use VirtIO to benefit from the full performance of InfiniBand. IDE is intended for troubleshooting if, for instance, the operating system has no VirtIO drivers installed. In this case, Windows usually displays a "blue screen" when booting.
After provisioning, the Live Vertical Scaling properties of the selected image are displayed. You can make changes to these properties later, which will require a reboot. You can set the properties of your uploaded images before you apply them to storage volumes in the Image Manager.
(Optional) Add and configure further storage elements.
(Optional) Make further changes to your data center.
Provision your changes. The storage device is now provisioned and configured according to your settings.
To assign an image and specify a boot device, you need to add and configure a storage element.
Click on CD-ROM to add a CD-ROM drive so that you can use ISO images to install and configure an operating system from scratch.
Set up a network by connecting the vCPU Server to other elements, such as an internet access element or other vCPU Server through their NICs.
Provision your changes.
The vCPU Server is available according to your settings.
At IONOS, we maintain dedicated resources for each customer. Hence, you do not share your physical CPU with other IONOS clients. For this reason, the vCPU Server switched off at the operating system level, still incurs costs.
You can shut down a vCPU Server completely via the DCD and deallocate all its resources to avoid incurring costs. A vCPU Server deallocated this way remains in your infrastructure while the resources are released and can then be redistributed.
Shutting down a vCPU Server at the operating system level alone does not deallocate the resources or suspend the billing. Regardless of how you shut down the vCPU Server, you can restart it only via the DCD.
A reset forces the vCPU Server to shut down and reboot but may result in data loss.
1. Choose a vCPU Server. From the Settings tab in the Inspector pane, select Power > Stop.
2. In the dialog box that appears, confirm your action by selecting the appropriate checkbox and clicking Apply STOP.
3. Provision your changes. Confirm the action by entering your password.
Result: The vCPU Server stops and billing is suspended.
1. Choose a vCPU Server. From the Settings tab in the Inspector pane, select Power > Start.
2. In the dialog box that appears, confirm your action by selecting the appropriate checkbox and clicking Apply START.
3. Provision your changes. Confirm the action by entering your password.
Result: The chosen vCPU Server is booted. A new public IP address is assigned to it depending on the configuration and billing is resumed.
1. Choose a vCPU Server. From the Settings tab in the Inspector pane, select Power > Reset.
2. (Optional) In the dialog box that appears, connect using the Remote Console and shut down the vCPU Server at the operating system level to prevent data loss.
3. Confirm your action by selecting the appropriate checkbox and clicking Apply RESET.
4. Provision your changes. Confirm the action by entering your password.
Result: The vCPU Server shuts down and reboots.
1. In the Workspace, select the required vCPU Server and use the Inspector pane on the right.
Note: To modify multiple vCPU Servers, select the data center and change the properties in the Settings tab.
In this tab, you will find an overview of all assets belonging to the selected VDC. You can change vCPUs, RAM, vCPU Server status, and storage size without having to manually update each vCPU Server in the Workspace.
2. Modify storage:
(Optional) Create a snapshot of the system for recovery in the event of problems.
3. In the Workspace, select the required vCPU Server and increase the CPU size.
4. Provision your changes. You must set the new size at the operating system level of your vCPU Server.
Result: The size of the CPU is adjusted in the DCD.
When you no longer need a particular vCPU Server, with or without the associated storage devices, in your cloud infrastructure, you can remove it with a single mouse click or via the keyboard.
To ensure that no processes are interrupted, and no data is lost, we recommend you turn off the vCPU Server before you delete it.
Warning: When you delete a vCPU Server, its storage devices, or the entire data center, it is essential to note that the action does not automatically delete their backups. However, deleting a backup unit will delete all associated backups.
When you no longer need the backups of a deleted vCPU Server, delete them manually from the Backup Unit Manager to avoid unnecessary costs.
1. Select the vCPU Server in the Workspace.
2. Right-click and open the context menu of the element. Select Delete Server.
3. You may also select the element icon and press the DEL key.
4. In the dialog box that appears, choose whether you also want to delete storage devices that belong to the vCPU Server.
5. Provision your changes.
Result: The vCPU Server and its storage devices are deleted.
Prerequisites: Prior to setting up a virtual machine, please make sure you have the appropriate privileges. Only contract owners, administrators, or users with the Create Data Center privilege can set up a . Other user types have read-only access and can't provision changes.
To associate an SSH key with a Linux storage image of a VM, follow these steps:
Log in to the DCD with your credentials.
If a VM does not exist, drag a VM element (a Dedicated Core server, a vCPU Server, or a Cube) from the palette onto the workspace based on your needs. Else, you can choose to add storage to an existing VM.
Click + on the VM to attach storage.
Based on the need, either associate an HDD or an SSD storage by choosing one of these options: Create and attach HDD Storage or Create and attach SSD Storage.
Click Create HDD Storage or Create SSD Storage. The option differs based on the storage type you have chosen.
Result: The selected SSH key is associated with your VM.
The DCD's SSH Keys view allows you to save and manage up to 100 public SSH keys for SSH access setup. This saves you from having to copy and paste the public part of an SSH key from an external source multiple times.
In addition to the SSH keys stored in the SSH Keys view, the IONOS SSH key concept supports for Dedicated Core servers, vCPU Servers, and Cubes.
To save your SSH key in the DCD, follow these steps:
Log in to the DCD with your credentials.
Go to Menu > Management > SSH Keys.
Select + Add Key in the top left corner.
Enter a Name and click Add.
Paste the SSH key from the clipboard into the SSH key field. If you have saved your SSH key in a file, you can upload it by selecting the Choose file button in the Select Key file field.
Note: Make sure the SSH keys you enter are valid. The DCD does not validate the syntax or format of the keys.
(Optional:) Select the Default checkbox to have the SSH key pre-selected when configuring SSH access. Clear the checkbox if you do not want the key to be set as default.
Click Save to save the key.
Result: The SSH key is visible and saved in the SSH Keys view. It can be used for the configuration of SSH accesses.
To delete an existing SSH key, follow these steps:
Log in to the DCD with your credentials.
Go to Menu > Management > SSH Keys.
Select the respective SSH key from the list.
Click Delete Key.
Click OK in the Delete SSH key confirmation dialog box.
Result: The selected SSH key is deleted.
You can enable IPv6 on Dedicated Core servers and vCPU Servers when you create them or after you create them.
You can set up IPv6 to improve the network connectivity for your virtualized environment. By setting up IPv6 for your Dedicated Core servers and vCPU Servers, you can ensure that they are accessible to IPv6-enabled networks and clients.
Prerequisites: Prior to enabling IPv6, make sure you have the appropriate privileges. New VDC can be created by the contract owners, admins, or users with create VDC privilege. The number of bits in the fixed address is the prefix length. For Data Center IPv6 CIDR, the prefix length is /56.
To enable IPv6 for Dedicated Core servers, connect the server to an IPv6-enabled Local Area Network (LAN). Select the Network option on the right pane and fill in the following fields:
Name: It is recommended to enter a unique name for this Network Interface Controller (NIC).
MAC: This field is automatically populated.
LAN: Select an IPv6 enabled LAN.
Firewall: Specify whether you want to enable or disable the firewall. For enabling the firewall, choose Ingress to create flow logs for incoming traffic, Egress for outgoing traffic, or Bidirectional to create flow logs for all traffic.
Flow Log: Select + to add a new flow log. Enter name, direction, action, target S3 bucket, and select + Flow Log to complete the configuration of the flow log. It becomes applied once you provision your changes.
IPv4 Configuration: This field is automatically populated. If Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is enabled, the Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) address is dynamic, meaning it can change while the Dedicated Core server is operational or in the case of a restart. Add additional public IP addresses in Add IP. It is an optional field.
IPv6 Configuration: You can populate a NIC IPv6 CIDR block with prefix length /80 or allow it to be automatically assigned from the VDCs allocated range, as seen in the screenshot below. Add additional public IP addresses in Add IP. It is an optional field.
To enable IPv6 for vCPU Servers, connect the server to an IPv6-enabled Local Area Network (LAN). Select the Network option on the right pane and fill in the following fields:
Name: It is recommended to enter a unique name for this Network Interface Controller (NIC).
MAC: This field is automatically populated.
LAN: Select an IPv6 enabled LAN.
Firewall: Specify whether you want to enable or disable the firewall. For enabling the firewall, choose Ingress to create Flow Logs for incoming traffic, Egress for outgoing traffic, or Bidirectional to create Flow Logs for all traffic.
Flow Log: Select + to add a new Flow Log. Enter name, direction, action, target S3 bucket, and select + Flow Log to complete the configuration of the flow log. It becomes applied once you provision your changes.
IPv4 Configuration: This field is automatically populated. If Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is enabled, the Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) address is dynamic, meaning it can change while the vCPU Server is operational or in the case of a restart. Add additional public IP addresses in Add IP. It is an optional field.
IPv6 Configuration: You can populate a NIC IPv6 CIDR block with prefix length /80 or allow it to be automatically assigned from the VDCs allocated range, as seen in the screenshot below. Add additional public IP addresses in Add IP. It is an optional field.
Note:
IPv6 CIDR assigned to LANs(/64) and NICs(/80 and /128) must be unique.
You can create a maximum of 256 IPv6-enabled LANs per VDC.
August 18
This is solely for informational purposes and does not require anything from you. IONOS has renamed Virtual Server(s) to Dedicated Core Server(s). This change does not impact the functionality of the product in any manner. As a result, the documentation portal now reflects the product name changes. For more information, see .
The user who creates the Dedicated Core server has full root or administrator access rights. A server, once provisioned, retains all its settings (resources, drive allocation, password, etc.), even after a restart at the operating system level. The server will only be removed from your Virtual Data Center once you in the . For more information, see .
Prerequisites: Make sure you have the appropriate privileges. Only contract administrators, owners, or users with the Create Data Center privilege can set up a . Other user types have read-only access and can't provision changes.
1. Drag the Dedicated Core server element from the Palette onto the Workspace.
The created Dedicated Core server is automatically highlighted in turquoise. The allows you to configure the properties of this individual server instance.
2. In the Inspector pane on the right, configure your server in the Settings tab.
Cores: Specify the number of CPU cores. You may change these after provisioning. Note that there are configuration limits.
RAM: Specify RAM size; you may choose any size between 0.25 GB to 240 GB in steps of 0.25 GB. This setting can be increased after provisioning.
Ad-hoc Key: Copy and paste the public part of your SSH key into this field.
Drag a storage element (HDD or SSD) from the Palette onto a Dedicated Core server in the Workspace to connect them together. The highlighted VM will expand with a storage section.
Click the Unnamed HDD Storage to highlight the storage section. Now you can see new options in the Inspector pane on the right.
Storage type cannot be changed after provisioning.
Enter a name that is unique within your VDC.
Select a zone in which you want the storage device to be maintained. When you select A (Auto), our system assigns the optimal Zone. The Availability Zone cannot be changed after provisioning.
Specify the required storage capacity. You can increase the size after provisioning, even while the vCPU Server is running, as long as its operating system supports it. It is not possible to reduce the storage size after provisioning.
You can select one of IONOS images or snapshots, or use your own. Only images and snapshots that you have access to are available for selection. Since provisioning does not require you to specify an image, you can also create empty storage volumes.
Authentication
Set the root or administrator password for your Dedicated Core server according to the guidelines. This is recommended for both operating system types.
Select an SSH key stored in the SSH Key Manager.
Copy and paste the public part of your SSH key into this field.
Select the storage volume from which the Dedicated Core server is to boot by clicking on BOOT or Make Boot Device.
Provision your changes. The storage device is now provisioned and configured according to your settings.
Alternative Mode
When adding a storage element using the Inspector pane, select the appropriate check box in the Add Storage dialog box. If you wish to boot from the network, set this on the Dedicated Core server: Dedicated Core server in the Workspace > Inspector pane > Storage.
It is recommended to always use VirtIO to benefit from the full performance of InfiniBand. IDE is intended for troubleshooting if, for instance, the operating system has no VirtIO drivers installed. In this case, Windows usually displays a "blue screen" when booting.
After provisioning, the Live Vertical Scaling properties of the selected image are displayed. You can make changes to these properties later, which will require a reboot. You can set the properties of your uploaded images before you apply them to storage volumes in the Image Manager.
(Optional) Add and configure further storage elements.
(Optional) Make further changes to your data center.
Provision your changes. The storage device is now provisioned and configured according to your settings.
To assign an image and specify a boot device, you need to add and configure a storage element.
Click on CD-ROM to add a CD-ROM drive so that you can use ISO images to install and configure an operating system from scratch.
Set up a network by connecting the Dedicated Core server to other elements, such as an internet access element or other servers through their NICs.
Provision your changes.
The Dedicated Core server is available according to your settings.
We maintain dedicated resources available for each customer. You do not share your physical CPUs with other IONOS clients. For this reason, the servers switched off at the operating system level, still incur costs.
You should use the DCD to shut down virtual machines so that resources are completely deallocated, and no costs are incurred. Dedicated Core servers deallocated this way remain in your infrastructure while the resources are released and can then be redistributed.
This can only be done in the DCD. Shutting down a VM at the operating system level alone does not deallocate the resources or suspend the billing. Regardless of how the VM is shut down, it can only be restarted using the DCD.
A reset forces the Dedicated Core server to shut down and reboot but may result in data loss.
Stopping a VM will:
Suspend billing
Cut power to your VM
De-allocate any dynamically assigned IP address
1. Choose a Dedicated Core server. From the Settings tab in the Inspector pane, select Power > Stop.
2. In the dialog box that appears, confirm your action by selecting the appropriate checkbox and clicking Apply STOP.
3. Provision your changes. Confirm the action by entering your password.
1. Choose a Dedicated Core server. From the Settings tab in the Inspector pane, select Power > Start.
2. In the dialog box that appears, confirm your action by selecting the appropriate box and clicking Apply START.
3. Provision your changes. Confirm the action by entering your password.
Result: The Dedicated Core server is booted. A new public IP address is assigned depending on the configuration, and billing is resumed.
1. Choose a Dedicated Core server. From the Settings tab in the Inspector pane, select Power > Reset.
2. (Optional) In the dialog box that appears, connect using the Remote Console and shut down the VM at the operating system level to prevent data loss.
3. Confirm your action by selecting the appropriate box and clicking Apply RESET.
4. Provision your changes. Confirm the action by entering your password.
Result: The Dedicated Core server shuts down and reboots.
1. In the Workspace, select the required Dedicated Core server and use the Inspector pane on the right.
If you want to change multiple VMs, select the data center and change the properties in the Settings tab.
2. Modify storage:
3. In the Workspace, select the required Dedicated Core server and increase the CPU size.
4. Provision your changes. You must set the new size at the operating system level of your VM.
Result: The size of the CPU is adjusted in the DCD.
When you no longer need a particular Dedicated Core server, with or without the associated storage devices, in your cloud infrastructure, you can remove it with a single mouse click or via the keyboard.
To ensure that no processes are interrupted and no data is lost, we recommend you turn off the Dedicated Core server before you delete it.
1. Select the Dedicated Core server in the Workspace.
2. Right-click and open the context menu of the element. Select Delete.
2. You may also select the element icon and press the DEL key.
3. In the dialog box that appears, choose whether you also want to delete storage devices that belong to the server.
4. Provision your changes.
Result: The Dedicated Core server and its storage devices are deleted.
When you delete a Dedicated Core server and its storage devices, or the entire data center, their backups are not deleted automatically. When you delete a Backup Unit, the associated backups are also deleted.
When creating based on IONOS Linux images, you can inject into your . You can access your VMs safely on the IONOS Cloud, which uses SSH keys for authentication and secure communication. SSH keys that you intend to use more often can be saved in the view.
Note: Connecting via SSH is only possible with the Linux operating system, not Windows, because IONOS Windows images do not support SSH key injection.
With SSH key-based authentication, you can establish secure connections to your Linux VMs. An SSH key is composed of a public-private key pair:
A private key: It stays on your local system. Ensure that you do not share your private key.
A public key: It is saved on your VM and enables you to access your provisioned VMs.
When you connect to your VM (which has the public key) using an SSH client, the remote VM validates the private key of the client. The client can access the VM only if the client has the correct private key.
SSH keys are necessary to connect via SSH. The following are the types of SSH keys that can be used for an SSH connection:
You can connect to the VM via SSH in the following ways:
To generate SSH keys, ensure that you have ssh-keygen command-line tool installed. ssh-keygen is a utility for generating SSH key pairs and storing them in a secure location. With these keys, you can connect to your instances without encountering the login prompt. You can use the SSH keys on a macOS or a Linux using an SSH client.
You can manually generate SSH keys when working with a SSH client using the following:
Enter the following command into the terminal window on your computer and press ENTER.
Result: The key generation process is initiated by the command above. When you run this command, the ssh-keygen utility prompts you for a location to save the key.
Accept the default location by pressing the ENTER key, or enter the path to the file where you want to save the key /home/username/.ssh/id_rsa.
If you have previously generated a key pair, you may see the following prompt. If you choose to overwrite the key, you will no longer authenticate with the previous key.
Enter the passphrase that will be used to encrypt the private key file on the disk. You can also press ENTER to accept the default (no passphrase) SSH key. However, we recommend that you use a passphrase.
Enter your passphrase once more.
Result: After you confirm the passphrase, the public and private keys are generated and saved in the specified location.
— The public key is saved in the id_rsa.pub file. Remember to upload this key to your account.
— Your private key is saved in the id_rsa file in the .ssh directory and is used to verify if the public key you use belongs to the same DCD account.
You will receive a similar confirmation message:
You can copy the public key to your clipboard by running the following command:
| Components | Minimum | Maximum |
|---|---|---|
| Components | Minimum | Maximum |
|---|---|---|
| Components | Minimum | Maximum |
|---|---|---|
Name: Choose a name unique to this .
: The zone where you wish to physically host the server. Choosing A - Auto selects a zone automatically. This setting can be changed after provisioning.
CPU Architecture: Choose between AMD or Intel cores. You can later change the CPU type for a server that is already running, though you will have to restart it first.
SSH Keys: Select premade . You must first have a key stored in the SSH Key Manager. Learn how to .
In this tab, you will find an overview of all assets belonging to the selected VDC. You can change cores, RAM, server status, and size without having to manually update each VM in the Workspace.
(Optional) Create a of the system for recovery in the event of problems.
When you no longer need the backups of deleted VMs, delete them manually from the to avoid unnecessary costs.
.
in the SSH Keys view for reuse. This is not applicable for an Ad-hoc SSH key.
with a VM and associate either a key saved in DCD SSH keys view or an Ad-hoc SSH key with it. You can choose an appropriate SSH key by selecting the respective checkbox. An Ad-hoc SSH key must be entered manually.
of your choice. An SSH client is a collection of tools for establishing SSH connections to remote servers. Example: OpenSSH, PUTTY, etc.
Learn how to create and configure a Dedicated Core server inside of the DCD.
Learn how to create and configure a vCPU Server inside of the DCD.
Use the Remote Console to connect to Server instances without SSH.
Use Putty or OpenSSH to connect to Server instances.
Automate the creation of virtual instances with the cloud-init package.
Cores
1 core
62 cores
RAM
0,25 GB RAM
230 GB RAM*
NICs and storage
0 PCI connectors
24 PCI connectors
CD-ROM
0 CD-ROMs
2 CD-ROMs
Cores
1 core
51 cores
RAM
0,25 GB RAM
230 GB RAM*
NICs and storage
0 PCI connectors
24 PCI connectors
CD-ROM
0 CD-ROMs
2 CD-ROMs
vCPU
1 vCPU
60 vCPUs
RAM
0,25 GB RAM
230 GB RAM*
NICs and storage
0 PCI connectors
24 PCI connectors
CD-ROM
0 CD-ROMs
2 CD-ROMs
Keys from the SSH Keys view | Ad-hoc SSH Keys |
SSH keys that you intend to use often, either as default or non-default. | SSH keys that you only use once and do not intend to save in the SSH Keys view for reuse. |
Select the Default checkbox in the SSH Keys to set them as default SSH keys. | An Ad-hoc SSH Key cannot be set as default. |
Default SSH keys are preselected when you configure storage devices. | An Ad-hoc SSH Key must be specified manually. |
Clear the Default checkbox if you do not want to set them as default. However, you can still associate a non-default SSH key while adding storage to a VM element. | You can specify only one Ad-hoc SSH Key when you associate a storage with the VM element. |
You can connect to your VM instance using an SSH client. However, it varies depending on your operating system.
Linux: Search Terminal or press CTRL+ALT+T.
macOS: Search Terminal.
Windows: Search Bash. If you do not have it installed, use PuTTY instead.
Follow these steps to connect to your VM:
Open the terminal window on your local computer and enter the SSH connection command below. After the @, add the IP address of your VM instance. Next, press ENTER.
For a private key, ensure that you have the location of the private key (.pem file), the username, and the public DNS name. Enter the following command:
Note: — When you log in for the first time, your local machine does not recognize the server, so you will be prompted to continue the connection. You can type yes and then press ENTER.
Authentication is the next step in the connection process. You will be able to connect to the VM immediately if you have added the SSH keys or after entering your key pair's passphrase.
If you have not already added SSH keys, you will be prompted for your password:
The terminal remains empty for you to paste the initial password into. Pasting into text-based terminals is different from desktop applications. It is also different from one window manager to another:
For Linux Gnome Terminal, use CTRL+SHIFT+V.
For macOS, use the SHIFT-CMD-V or a middle mouse button.
For Bash on Windows, right-click on the window bar, choose Edit, then Paste. You can also right-click to paste if you enable the QuickEdit mode.
Press ENTER after you enter the password.
Result: You can log in to your VM instance if the SSH key is configured correctly.
The following are a few FAQs to provide an insight about renaming the product from Virtual Server(s) to Dedicated Core Server(s).
The name change is part of our ongoing efforts to better reflect the performance and benefits of our Virtual Machines. "Dedicated Core Servers" emphasizes the dedicated nature of the compute resources assigned to each instance, ensuring consistent performance and increased reliability.
No, there won't be any changes in the features or specifications of the product. The only update is the product name from "Virtual Servers" to "Dedicated Core Servers".
The underlying technology and capabilities of the Virtual Machines remain the same. The primary difference lies in the name. With "Dedicated Core Servers," you can still expect virtualized environments but with the added emphasis on dedicated resources per instance.
There will be no changes to the pricing structure due to the name update. The costs and billing for our Virtual Machines, now known as "Dedicated Core Servers," will remain the same as they were for "Virtual Servers."
Yes, "Dedicated Core Server" instances are isolated from one another. Each instance operates independently, with dedicated CPU cores, memory, and storage, ensuring a high level of performance and security.
Existing users of "Virtual Servers" will experience no functional changes or disruptions due to the name update. Your current virtual server instances will be referred to as "Dedicated Core Server" instances from now on.
Yes, you can continue to use the same APIs and tools that were used to manage regular virtual servers for the newly renamed Dedicated Core Servers.
No, as a user, you do not need to take any action. The name change is purely cosmetic, and your existing configurations and access to your instances will remain unchanged.
Yes, we will update the user interface and API documentation to reflect the new name "Dedicated Core Servers". Rest assured, the changes will be cosmetic, and the functionality will remain consistent.
Absolutely! You can continue to create and manage multiple "Dedicated Core Server" instances as per your requirements, just as you did with "Virtual Servers."
For more information or support, you can refer to our documentation on the "Dedicated Core Server" product page on our documentation portal. Additionally, our customer support team is available to assist you with any questions or concerns you may have.
Note: Starting July 29th, creating new VMs with AMD Opteron CPUs will no longer be possible. Existing VMs can continue to run and will be unaffected by this change. They can also undergo normal power cycles without impacting functionality.
Configuration check:
Ensure that the cpu_family parameter in your Terraform configuration file (*.tf) is not set to AMD_OPTERON.
The cpu_family parameter is optional, but if it is set to AMD_OPTERON, it must be updated or removed to avoid errors. For more information about the available options, see Data centers.
Provisioning:
Before provisioning new VMs, verify that the Terraform configuration file (*.tf) is updated appropriately.
Run terraform plan to confirm the configuration is correct.
Provision the VM using terraform apply.
Configuration check:
If the specification file has the cpuFamily set to AMD_OPTERON, it should be updated to avoid errors.
Failure to update the cpuFamily parameter will result in an error when managing VMs.
Verification:
Check your specification files for the cpuFamily parameter.
Update the parameter from AMD_OPTERON to the appropriate value according to your needs.
These limitations apply when you try to create new VMs:
You cannot select AMD Opteron as the CPU architecture for New VMs.
You cannot switch a running or deallocated VM's CPU family to AMD Opteron.
For further assistance or questions, contact IONOS Cloud Support.
Learn how to create and configure a Dedicated Core inside of the DCD.
Learn how to create and configure a vCPU Server inside of the DCD.
Enable IPv6 support for Dedicated Core Servers and vCPU Servers.
Use the Remote Console to connect to Server instances without SSH.
Use Putty or OpenSSH to connect to Server instances.
Automate the creation of virtual instances with the cloud-init package.
Prerequisites: Make sure you have the appropriate permissions. Only contract administrators, owners, or users with access rights to the data center can connect to a server. Other user types have read-only access and cannot provision changes.
The Remote Console is used to connect to a server when, for example, SSH is not available. You must have the root or administrator password for this type of log-in to the server.
Start the Remote Console from the server.
Log in to the DCD with your credentials.
Open the Virtual Data Center (VDC) containing the required server.
In the Workspace, select the server.
In the Inspector pane, choose Console or select Console from the context menu of the server.
Start the Remote Console from the Start Center (contract owners and administrators only).
Open the Start Center by clicking on the Menu Bar > Data Center Designer > Open Start Center.
Open the Details of the required data center. A list of servers in this data center is displayed.
Select the server and click Open Remote Console.
Result: Remote Console version matching your browser opens; you can now log in to the server with the root or administrator password.
Note:
— Use the Send Key Combo button on the top right of the Remote Console window to send shortcut key combinations (such as CTRL+ALT+DEL).
— Launch the Remote Console window again with one click by bookmarking its URL address in your browser.
— For security reasons, remember to close the browser used to connect to the VM with this bookmark once your session is complete.
Dedicated Core Server configurations are subject to the following limits, according to the CPU type:
AMD CPU: Up to 62 cores and 230 GB RAM
Intel® CPU: Up to 51 Intel® cores and 230 GB RAM
Info: — A single physical core with Hyper-Threading Technology is exposed to the operating system of your Dedicated Core Server as two distinct “logical cores”, which process separate threads. — Each individual CPU of a Windows machine is considered a socket by the system.
Warning: Because the size of the working memory (RAM) cannot be processed during the initial configuration, newly provisioned servers with more than 8 GB of RAM may not start successfully when created from IONOS Windows images.
We recommend initially setting the RAM size to 8 GB; RAM size can then be scaled as needed after the initial provisioning and configuration.
Minimum per volume: 1 GB
Maximum per volume: 4 TB
Minimum per volume: 1 GB
Maximum per volume: 4 TB
Note: You can scale up the HDD and SSD storage volumes as needed.
IONOS data centers are divided into separate areas called Availability Zones.
You can enhance reliability and set up high-availability scenarios by deploying redundant Dedicated Core Servers and storage devices across multiple Availability Zones.
See also: Availability Zones
Select the server in the DCD Workspace
Use Inspector > Properties > Availability Zone menu to change the Availability Zone
Live Vertical Scaling (LVS) technology permits you to scale the number of CPU cores and amount of RAM while the server is running, without having to restart it. Please note that Windows only allows scaling the number of CPU cores, but not the amount of RAM. For scaling to more than eight CPU cores, Windows requires a reboot.
Warning: RAM hotplugging for a VM is automatically disabled when the RAM size exceeds 240 GB. This leads to the VM restarting every time the RAM is increased beyond this limit, disabling live vertical scaling.
See also: Live Vertical Scaling
Steal time in a Virtual Machine (VM) refers to instances when the hypervisor, responsible for managing VMs and hardware, temporarily reallocates a portion of CPU cycles from dedicated cores to perform essential tasks like storage replication and firewall enforcement. While VMs may perceive this as "stolen processing time," it typically has a low impact on performance, especially with Dedicated Core servers. The IONOS Cloud platform prioritizes efficient resource management to ensure your VMs run smoothly.
Dedicated Core servers can be restarted at the operating system level (using the reboot command, for instance). You can also use the DCD reset function, which functions similarly to a physical server's reset button.
See also: Stop, Start or Reset a Dedicated Core Server
You should use the DCD to shut down your server completely. Your VM will then be marked as "shut down" in the DCD. Shutting down a VM at the operating system level alone does not deallocate its resources or suspend the billing.
See also: Stop, Start or Reset a Dedicated Core Server
You can delete a Dedicated Core server from the DCD Workspace by right-clicking on it and selecting Delete Server from the list, or by selecting the server and pressing the Del key on your keyboard.
See also: Delete a Dedicated Core server
Try to connect to your VM using the Remote Console to see if it is up and running. If you have trouble logging on to your VM, please provide our support team with screenshots of error messages and prompts from the Remote Console.
Windows users: Please send us a screenshot of the Task Manager.
Linux users: Please send us the output of uptime and top.
For IONOS-provided images, you can set the passwords before provisioning.
Newly provisioned servers with more than 8 GB of RAM may not start successfully when created from IONOS Windows images, because the RAM size cannot be processed during the initial configuration.
An error is displayed according to the server version; for example, Windows Server 2012 R2 displays the following message:
"Windows could not finish configuring the system. To attempt to resume configuration, restart the computer."
We recommend initially setting the RAM size to 8 GB, and rescaling it as needed after the initial provisioning and configuration is complete.
The choice of CPU architecture primarily depends on your workload and performance requirements. Intel® processors are oftentimes more powerful than AMD processors. Intel® processors are designed for compute-intensive applications and workloads where the benefits of hyperthreading and multitasking can be fully exploited. Intel® cores cost twice as much as AMD cores. Therefore, it is recommended that you measure and compare the actual performance of both CPU architectures against your workload. You can change the CPU type in the DCD or use the API, and see for yourself whether Intel® processors deliver significant performance gains or more economical AMD cores still meet your requirements.
IONOS is the only cloud computing provider with the unique "Core Technology Choice" feature that can flexibly change the processor architecture per virtual instance.
When the cursor disappears after logging on to the Remote Console, you can reconnect to the server using the appropriate menu entry.
vCPU Server configurations are subject to the following limits:
Up to 60 vCPUs and 230 GB RAM
A CPU Family of a vCPU server cannot be chosen at the time of creation and cannot be changed later.
Note: — A single vCPU with Hyper-Threading Technology is exposed to the operating system of your vCPU Server as two distinct “logical cores”, which process separate threads. — Each individual CPU of a Windows machine is considered a socket by the system.
Warning: Because the size of the working memory (RAM) cannot be processed during the initial configuration, newly provisioned servers with more than 8 GB of RAM may not start successfully when created from IONOS Windows images.
We recommend initially setting the RAM size to 8 GB; RAM size can then be scaled as needed after the initial provisioning and configuration.
Minimum per volume: 1 GB
Maximum per volume: 4 TB
Minimum per volume: 1 GB
Maximum per volume: 4 TB
Note: You can scale up the HDD and SSD storage volumes as needed.
IONOS data centers are divided into separate areas called Availability Zones.
You can enhance reliability and set up high-availability scenarios by deploying redundant vCPU Servers and storage devices across multiple Availability Zones.
See also: Availability Zones
Select the vCPU Server in the DCD Workspace.
Navigate to the Inspector pane > Properties > Availability Zone menu to change the Availability Zone.
Live Vertical Scaling (LVS) technology permits you to scale the number of CPU cores and amount of RAM while the server is running, without having to restart it. Please note that Windows only allows scaling the number of CPU cores, but not the amount of RAM. For scaling to more than eight CPU cores, Windows requires a reboot.
See also: Live Vertical Scaling
Servers can be restarted at the operating system level (using the reboot command, for instance). You can also use the DCD reset function, which functions similarly to a physical server's reset button.
See also: Stop, Start or Reset a Server
You should use the DCD to shut down your server completely. Your VM will then be marked as "shut down" in the DCD. Shutting down a VM at the operating system level alone does not deallocate its resources or suspend the billing.
See also: Starting, stopping, rebooting a server
You can delete a server from the DCD Workspace by right-clicking on it and selecting Delete Server from the list, or by selecting the server and pressing the Del key on your keyboard.
See also: Deleting a server
Try to connect to your VM using the Remote Console to see if it is up and running. If you have trouble logging on to your VM, please provide our support team with screenshots of error messages and prompts from the Remote Console.
Windows users: Please send us a screenshot of the Task Manager.
Linux users: Please send us the output of uptime and top.
For IONOS-provided images, you can set the passwords before provisioning.
Newly provisioned servers with more than 8 GB of RAM may not start successfully when created from IONOS Windows images, because the RAM size cannot be processed during the initial configuration.
An error is displayed according to the server version; for example, Windows Server 2012 R2 displays the following message:
"Windows could not finish configuring the system. To attempt to resume configuration, restart the computer."
We recommend initially setting the RAM size to 8 GB, and rescaling it as needed after the initial provisioning and configuration is complete.
A CPU Family of a vCPU server cannot be chosen at the time of creation and cannot be changed later.
When the cursor disappears after logging on to the Remote Console, you can reconnect to the server using the appropriate menu entry.
The device monitors VM/OS crashes. PVPanic is a simulated device, through which a guest panic event is sent to the hypervisor, and a QMP event is generated.
No, the PVPanic device is plug-and-play. However, installing drivers may require a restart.
This is no cause for concern. First of all, you do not need to reboot the VM. However, you will need to reinstall the appropriate drivers (which are provided by IONOS Cloud).
There are no issues found when enabling pvpanic. However, users cannot choose whether or not to enable the device; it is always available for use.
Something else to consider - PVPanic does not offer bidirectional communication between the VM and the hypervisor. Instead, the communication only goes from the VM towards the hypervisor.
There are no special requirements or limitations to any components of a virtualized server. Therefore, PVPanic is completely compatible with AMD and Intel processors.
The PVPanic device is implemented as an ISA device (using IOPORT).
Check the kernel config CONFIG_PVPANIC parameter.
For example:
m = PVPanic device is available as module y = PVPanic device is native available in the kernel n = PVPanic device is not available
When the device is not available (CONFIG_PVPANIC=n), use another kernel or image.
For your virtual machines running Microsoft Windows, we provide an ISO image that includes all the relevant drivers for your instance. Just log into DCD, open your chosen virtual data center, add a CD-ROM drive and insert the driver ISO as shown below (this can also be done via CloudAPI).
Note: A reboot is mandatory to add the CD drive.
Once provisioning is complete, you can log into your OS by adding drivers for the unknown device through the Device Manager. Just enter devmgmt.msc in the Windows search bar, console, or PowerShell to open it.
Since this is a Plug & Play driver, there is no need to reboot the machine.
Cloud-init is a software package that automates the initialization of servers during system boot. When you deploy a new Linux server from an image, cloud-init gives you the option to set default user data.
User data must be written in shell scripts or cloud-config directives using YAML syntax. You can modify IONOS cloud-init's behavior via user-data. You can pass the user data in various formats to the IONOS cloud-init at launch time. Typically, this happens as a template, a parameter in the CLI, etc. This method is highly compatible across platforms and fully secure.
Compatibility: This service is supported on all public IONOS Cloud Linux distributions. You may submit user data through the DCD or via Cloud API. Existing cloud-init configurations from other providers are compatible with IONOS Cloud.
Limitations: Cloud-init is available on all public Linux images supplied by IONOS Cloud. If you wish to use your own Linux image, please make sure that it is cloud-init supported first. Otherwise, there is no guarantee that the package will function as intended. Windows images are currently out of scope; adding them may be considered at a later stage.
Provisioning: Cloud-init can only be set at initial provisioning. It cannot be applied to instances that have already been provisioned. Settings cannot be changed once provisioned.
Laptops: When using a laptop, scroll down the properties panel of the block storage volume that you want to create and configure, as additional fields are not immediately visible on a small screen. Clout-Init may only become visible when an supported image has been selected.
The following table demonstrates the use of cloud-config and user-data scripts. However, the cloud-init package supports a variety of formats.
| Data Format | Description |
|---|---|
Log in to the DCD with your username and password.
In the Workspace, create a new virtual instance and attach any storage device to it.
Select the storage device and from the Inspector pane associate an Image with it.
To associate a private image, select Own Images from the drop-down list.
To associate a public image, select IONOS Images from the drop-down list. Once you choose an image, additional fields will appear in the Inspector pane.
Enter a Password. It is required for Remote Console access. You may change it later.
(Optional). Upload a new SSH key or use an existing file. SSH Keys can also be injected as user data utilizing cloud-init.
(Optional). Add a specific key to the Ad-hoc SSH Key field.
Select No configuration for Cloud-Init user data and the Cloud-Init User Data window appears.
Enter your User Data either using a bash script or a cloud-config file with a YAML syntax. For sample scripts, see Use shell scripts, Use cloud-config directives, or Configure user data via API.
To complete setup, return to the Inspector pane and click Provision Changes.
Result: At boot, Cloud-Init executes automatically and applies the specified changes. The DCD returns a message when provisioning is complete, indicating that the infrastructure is virtually ready. However, bootstrapping, which includes the execution of cloud-init data, may require additional time. The message that DCD returns does not mention the additional time required for execution. We recommend allowing extra time for task completion before testing.
Using shell scripts is an easy way to bootstrap a server. The code creates, installs, and configures our CentOS web server in the following example. It also rewrites the default index.html file.
Note: Allow enough time for the instance to launch and run the commands in your script, and later verify if your script has completed the tasks you intended.
To test if the cloud-init bootstrapped your VM successfully, you can open the corresponding IP address in your browser. You will be greeted with a “Hello World” message from your web server.
You can also bootstrap cloud-init images using cloud-config directives. The cloud-init website outlines all the supported modules and provides examples of basic directives.
The cloud-init output log file (/var/log/cloud-init-output.log) captures console output. Depending on the default configuration for logging, a second log file exists within /var/log/cloud-init.log. This provides a comprehensive record based on the user data.
The cloud API offers increased convenience if you want to automate the provisioning and configuration of cloud instances. Enter the following details:
Name: Enter the userData.
Type: Enter the type in the form of a string.
Description: The cloud-init configuration for the volume as base64 encoded string. The property is immutable and is only allowed to be set on a new volume creation. It is mandatory to provide either public image or imageAliasthat has cloud-init compatibility in conjunction with this property.
Cloud-init is configured on the volume resource for cloud API V6 or later versions. For more information, see CLOUD API (6.0).
Base64
If the user data is base64 encoded, cloud-init verifies whether the decoded data is one of the supported types. It decodes and handles the decoded data appropriately if it comprehends it. If not, the base64 data is returned unaltered.
User-Data Script
Begins with #! or Content-Type: text/x-shellscript. The script is run by /etc/init.d/cloud-init-user-scripts during the first boot cycle. This occurs late in the boot process after the initial configuration actions are performed.
Include File
Begins with #include or Content-Type: text/x-include-url. The include file is the content. It contains a collection of URLs, one in each line. Each URL is read, and its content passes through the same set of rules. The content read from the URL can be MIME-multi-part or plaintext.
Cloud Config data
Begins with #cloud-config or Content-Type: text/cloud-config. For a commented example of supported configuration formats, see the examples.
Upstart Job
Begins with #upstart-job or Content-Type: text/upstart-job. This content is stored within a file in /etc/init, and upstart uses the content similar to other upstart jobs.
Cloud Boothook
Begins with #cloud-boothook or Content-Type: text/cloud-boothook. The boothook data is the content, which is stored in a file within /var/lib/cloud and executed immediately. This becomes the earliest hook and does not have any mechanism for executing it only one time. The must be handled by the boothook itself. It is provided with the instance ID in the environment variable INSTANCE_ID. Use this variable to provide a once-per-instance set of boothook data.
