Upon creating a data center, you can manually configure the IONOS Cloud infrastructure for each server using the palette and workspace in the DCD. It comprises all the building blocks and the necessary resources required to configure, operate, and manage your products and services. You can also configure and manage multiple VDCs and configure settings for each server automatically.
Prerequisites:
— Make sure you have the corresponding permissions to create and manage data centers. By default, contract administrators and owners can configure a data center.
— Only group users with Edit access to the data center resource can configure the data center. Users of a group added to a data center with only Visible to Groups access can only view the data center. For more information, see Add group to a resource.
— A data center must be created. To do so, follow the steps in Create a Data Center.
To configure your Dedicated Core Server, follow these steps:
Drag the Dedicated Core server element from the palette into the workspace.
Enter the following details in the Settings tab of the Inspector pane:
Name: Enter a unique name for your server.
Availability Zone: Select a zone from the drop-down list to host the server on the chosen zone.
CPU Architecture: Select either AMD or Intel cores.
Cores: Select the number of CPU cores.
RAM: Select any size starting from 0.25 GB to the maximum limit allotted to you. The size can be increased or reduced in steps of 0.25 GB. The maximum limit varies based on your contract resource limits and the chosen data center. For more information about creating a full-fledged server, see Create a Dedicated Core Server.
Result: The Dedicated Core Server is now created and can be updated based on your requirements.
Drag a Storage element from the palette onto a Dedicated Core server in the workspace.
To configure your Storage element, enter the following details in the Inspector pane:
Name: Enter a storage name unique to the VDC.
Availability Zone: Select a zone from the drop-down list to host the storage element associated with the server.
Size in GB: Choose the required storage capacity.
Performance: Select a value from the drop-down list based on the requirement. You can either select Premium or Standard, and the performance of your storage element varies accordingly.
Image: Select an image from the drop-down list. You can select one of IONOS images or choose your own.
Password: Enter a password for the chosen image on the server—a root or an administrator password.
Backup Unit: Select a backup unit from the drop-down list. Click Create Backup Unit to instantly create a new backup unit if unavailable.
For more information about adding storage to the server, see Block Storage Overview.
Result: The storage will now be added to your Dedicated Core Server.
Drag a Network Interface Card (NIC) element from the palette into the workspace to connect the elements.
To configure your NIC element, enter the following details in the Network tab of the Inspector pane:
Name: Enter a NIC name unique to this VDC.
MAC: Media Access Control Address field is populated automatically upon provisioning and cannot be changed.
LAN: The name of the configured LAN is displayed. To select another network, select a value from the drop-down list.
Firewall: It is Disabled by default. Select a value from the drop-down list to configure your firewall settings. For more information, see Configure a Firewall.
IPv4 Configuration:
Primary IP: The primary IP address is automatically assigned by the IONOS DHCP server. You can, however, enter an IP address for manual assignment by selecting one of the reserved IP addresses from the drop-down list. Private IP addresses (according to RFC 1918) must be entered manually.
DHCP: It is often necessary to run a DHCP server in your virtual data center (e.g., PXE boot for fast rollout of VMs). If you use your own DHCP server, clear this check box so that the IONOS DHCP server does not reassign your IPs.
For more information about network configuration, see Configure a Network.
Result: The data center will now be connected to the internet.
Select PROVISION CHANGES in the Inspector pane to start the provisioning.
Review your changes in the Validation tab of the Provision Data Center window.
Confirm changes by entering your password. Resolve conflicts without a password.
When ready, select Provision Now.
Result: The data center will now be provisioned. DCD will display a Provisioning Complete notification when your cloud infrastructure is ready.
You may configure the MAC and IP addresses once the resource is provisioned.
After configuring data centers, you can specify a preferred default data center location, IP settings, and resource capacity for future VDCs. For more information about configuring VDC defaults, see Create a Dedicated Core Server.
Changes to the login process: Effective November 18, 2024, we have successfully implemented IONOS Cloud Identity and Access Management (IAM) Single Sign-On (SSO) into the login process. This change will not impact your data, and no action is required on your part. You will observe, though, that the DCD portal's login screens are brand-new. For more information about the changes, see .
1. Open a web browser and navigate to .
2. On the top right corner of the login screen, select your preferred language. The DCD supports German (DE), English (EN), French (FR), and Spanish (ES) languages.
3. Enter the Email Address and Password details that were obtained during the sign-up process for an IONOS Cloud account.
5. Click Sign In.
Result: You are successfully logged in to the DCD application.
Once logged in, you will see the DCD dashboard, which shows a concise overview of your virtual data centers in the My Virtual Data Centers and Resource Allocation, which shows the current usage of resources across your infrastructure. You will also see options to contact help and support, What's new in the DCD, and IONOS Cloud Status details.
The DCD dashboard consists of a Menu bar, which you can use to create and manage the data center, access all the IONOS Cloud services, and view and manage your user account. Additionally, you can view notifications, visit the help section, learn more about DCD, and contact support when needed.
4. The additional screen to enter the code is only visible to users with enabled.
To start seeing data center-relevant details in the dashboard, you need to create your first data center. To do so, see and .
For more information on DCD core functionality and DCD elements, see .
2FA | Description |
Enabled | Enter the six-digit Time-based one-time password (TOTP) from your authenticator app to continue the login process. |
Disabled | You will not see the additional screen if you have not enabled 2FA. You can navigate to the next step. However, we highly encourage enabling 2FA to enhance security. |
Menu option | Description |
1. IONOS logo | Click the logo to navigate back to the dashboard from any screen within the DCD. |
2. Data Center Designer | Create, view, manage data centers, and access the Start Center. |
3. Storage | Manage IONOS Storage and Backup services. |
4. Containers | Manage containerized applications. |
5. Databases | Host and manage your databases with IONOS Cloud database services. |
6. Analytics | Use data platform services and manage Big Data workloads. |
7. AI | Leverage AI functionalities with open source generative models. |
8. Network | Manage network connectivity, load balancing, and edge networking functions with improved security and IP management. |
9. Management | Create, view, and manage users and groups, serverless features, images and snapshots, and Security settings. |
10. Notification icon | View any active notifications. |
11. Help icon | View online help documentation, learn more about the DCD, and contact support when needed. |
12. Account Management |
View and manage your contract and general account settings along with password and security releated details. For more information, see .
In the DCD, go to Menu > Data Center Designer and click Open Start Center.
Result: You can view the data center details and create a new one as well.
Data center: A list of created data centers is displayed alphabetically. For every data center, you can view the following details:
Region| Version: For each data center created, the region it is located in and its version are displayed. The version number begins at 0 and increments by one each time the data center is provisioned.
Details: Displays all the associated servers, Virtual Machines (VMs), resources, and their status. The status could be on, off, or deallocated. From this page, you can open the Remote Console using or open the data center in the workspace .
Select a data center from the list to open it in the workspace.
Create Data Center: Provide the details to create a data center. For more information, see Step 2 in Create a Data Center.
IONOS Cloud is a robust and flexible platform that helps users build and manage their cloud infrastructure smoothly. The platform offers user-friendly cloud solutions that can be managed via the Data Center Designer (DCD) or API.
This section covers the first steps to working with the IONOS Cloud DCD and explores helpful advanced guides for fully configuring and managing various IONOS Cloud solutions.
Access the DCD to create and configure your first data center with IONOS Cloud.
Dive deeper with advanced and commonly referred user guides to continue your learning.
Prerequisites:
— Make sure you have the corresponding permissions to create and manage data centers. By default, contract administrators and owners can create a data center.
— Only users with Create Data Center privilege can create a data center. For more information, see Set User Privileges for Data Center.
To create a data center, use one of the following options:
Option 1: From the Data Center Designer menu
In the DCD, go to Menu > Data Center Designer. A drop-down window appears.
Provide the following details:
Name: Enter a name to identify the data center uniquely.
Description: (Optional) Add information that describes the Virtual Data Center (VDC).
Region: From the drop-down list, choose the physical location of the data center that hosts your infrastructure.
Select Create Data Center to confirm.
Alternatively, you can also create a data center using the following options:
Option 2: From the DCD home page
In the DCD, go to the My Virtual Data Centers section and click Create new.
Provide the details to create a data center. For more information, see Step 2 in Create a Data Center.
Select Create Data Center to confirm.
Option 3: From the Start Center
In the DCD, go to Menu > Data Center Designer and click Open Start Center.
In the right-side of the Start Center screen under the Create Data Center section, provide the details to create the data center. For more information, see Step 2 in Create a Data Center.
Select Create Data Center to confirm.
Result: The data center has been created and can be opened in the workspace. Your DCD dashboard displays the newly created VDC in the My Data Centers.
Info: You can log in to the DCD and scale your infrastructure capacity. Alternatively, you can set defaults and create new resources when needed.
Log in to the Data Center Designer
Log in to the DCD and explore the dashboard and menu options.
Create a Data Center
Create a data center and learn about individual User Interface (UI) elements.
View Start Center
View the details of all the data centers created.
Configure a Data Center
Configure a dedicated core server, add storage and a network, and provision the changes.
Data Center Designer
Learn about IONOS DCD, access the core cloud services intuitively via the DCD UI, and configure and manage them.
Set Up a Dedicated Core Server
Set up and manage a dedicated core server.
Set Up a Network Load Balancer
Distribute incoming traffic efficiently with a network load balancer.
Set Up a PostgreSQL Database Cluster
Set up a high-availability, scalable PostgreSQL database cluster for your applications.
Set Up Block Storage
Configure and manage reliable block storage for your data needs.
Configure a NAT Gateway
Establish a secure NAT gateway for private network internet access.
Configure a Network on your VDC
Manage and configure networks within your Virtual Data Center (VDC).
Set Up Object Storage Access
Set up and access scalable S3-compatible Object Storage.
Connect via SSH
Establish secure SSH connections to your remote servers.
Set Up Backup Units
Configure and manage backup units to safeguard your data.
Configure Flow Logs
Set up flow logs to monitor and analyze network traffic.
Set Up a Kubernetes Cluster
Deploy and manage a Kubernetes cluster for container orchestration.
Create Alarms and Actions
Set up monitoring alerts and actions for your infrastructure.
